DNA Polymerase Required for Rapid Repair of X-rayInduced DNA Strand Breaks in vivo
Christopher D. Town 1,
Kendric C. Smith 1, and
Henry S. Kaplan 1
1 Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305
A much higher yield of DNA single-strand breaks was obtained in the DNA polymerase-deficient mutant Escherichia coli K-12 pol A1 after a given dose of x-rays than had been found before in Escherichia coli. The increased yield of single-strand breaks was due to the absence of a rapid repair system, which had not been described in Escherichia coli K-12. This absence probably accounts for the x-ray sensitivity of the pol A1 mutant. The rapid repair system can be reversibly inhibited in pol+ cells.