Summary
Our results indicate that cells of excision deficient (uvr) mutants of Escherichia coli K-12 which survive exposure to ultraviolet radiation may require several hours to complete their recovery. For example, the duration of the recovery period for cells exposed to 63 ergs mm-2 at 254 nm was about 5 hours, the equivalent of slightly more than 4 generations of the unirradiated controls. During the recovery period the rate of cell division was reduced (Figs. 3 and 4), the cells gradually regained resistance to complex medium (Figs. 1 and 3), and they became refractory to photoreactivation (Fig. 1). Over the same period of time their pattern of DNA synthesis changed. More intact molecules, similar to those found in unirradiated controls, and relatively fewer discontinuous molecules were synthesized (Figs. 6 and 7).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alper, T., Gillies, N.E.: “Restoration” of Escherichia coli strain B after irradiation: Its dependence on suboptimal growth conditions. J. gen. Microbiol. 18, 461–472 (1958).
Boyle, J.M., Setlow, R.B.: Correlations between host-cell reactivation, ultraviolet reactivation and pyrimidine dimer excision in the DNA of bacteriophage λ. J. molec. Biol. 51, 131–144 (1970).
Castellani, A., Jagger, J., Setlow, R.B.: Overlap of photoreactivation and liquid holding recovery in Escherichia coli B. Science 143, 1170–1171 (1964).
Cole, R.S.: Properties of F′ factor deoxyribonucleic acid transferred from ultravioletirradiated donors: Photoreactivation in the recipient and the influence of recA, recB, recC and uvr genes. J. Bact. 106, 143–149 (1971).
Curtiss, R., III: UV-induced genetic recombination in a partially diploid strain of Escherichia coli. Genetics 58, 9–54 (1968).
Demerec, M., Adelberg, E.A., Clark, A.J., Hartman, P.E.: A proposal for a uniform nomenclature in bacterial genetics. Genetics 54, 61–76 (1966).
Ganesan, A.K., Smith, K.C.: Dark recovery processes in Escherichia coli irradiated with ultraviolet light. I. Effect of rec mutations on liquid holding recovery. J. Bact. 96, 365–373 (1968).
—: Dark recovery processes in Escherichia coli irradiated with ultraviolet light. III. Effect of rec mutations on recovery of excision-deficient mutants of Escherichia coli K-12. J. Bact. 102, 404–410 (1970).
Harm, W.: The role of host-cell repair in liquid-holding recovery of u.v.-irradiated Escherichia coli. Photochem. Photobiol. 5, 747–760 (1966).
Hatchard, C.G., Parker, C.A.: A new sensitive chemical actinometer. II. Potassium ferrioxalate as a standard chemical actinometer. Proc. roy. Soc. A 235, 518–536 (1956).
Hollaender, A., Claus, W.: An experimental study of the problem of mitogenetic radiation. Bull. Nat. Res. Council, Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S. Washington, D.C. 100, 75–88 (1937).
—, Curtis, J.T.: Effect of sublethal doses of monochromatic ultraviolet radiation on bacteria in liquid suspensions. Proc. Soc. exp. Biol. and Med. (N.Y.) 33, 61 (1935).
Howard-Flanders, P., Boyce, R.P., Theriot, L.: Three loci in Escherichia coli K-12 that control the excision of pyrimidine dimers and certain other mutagen products from DNA. Genetics 53, 1119–1136 (1966).
—, Rupp, W.D., Wilkins, B.M., Cole, R.S.: DNA replication and recombination after UV irradiation. Cold Spr. Harb. Symp. quant. Biol. 33, 195–205 (1968).
Jagger, J.: Introduction to research in ultraviolet photobiology. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1967.
Roberts, R.B., Aldous, E.: Recovery from ultraviolet irradiation in Escherichia coli. J. Bact. 57, 363–375 (1949).
Rupp, W.D., Howard-Flanders, P.: Discontinuities in DNA synthesized in an excisiondefective strain of Escherichia coli following ultraviolet-irradiation. J. molec. Biol. 31, 291–305 (1968).
Rupp, W. D., Wilde, C. E., III, Reno, D. L., Howard-Flanders, P.: Exchanges between DNA strands in UV-irradiated Escherichia coli. J. molec. Biol., in press (1971).
Setlow, J.K.: Photoreactivation. Radiat. Res., Suppl. 6, 141–155 (1966).
Smith, K.C.: DNA synthesis in sensitive and resistant mutants of Escherichia coli B after ultraviolet irradiation. Mutation Res. 8, 481–495 (1969).
Smith, K.C., Meun, D.H.C.: Repair of radiation-induced damage in Escherichia coli. I. Effect of rec mutations on postreplication repair of damage due to ultraviolet radiation. J. molec. Biol. 51, 459–472 (1970).
—, O'Leary, M.E.: The pitfalls of measuring DNA synthesis kinetics as exemplified in ultraviolet radiation studies. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 169, 430–438 (1968).
Taylor, A.L.: Current linkage map of Escherichia coli. Bact. Rev. 34, 155–175 (1970).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by E. Witkin
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ganesan, A.K., Smith, K.C. The duration of recovery and DNA repair in excision deficient derivatives of Escherichia coli K-12 after ultraviolet irradiation. Molec. Gen. Genet. 113, 285–296 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00272328
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00272328