Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Radiation-induced DNA strand breaks in E. coli measured within a fraction of a second

Abstract

THE yield of radiation-induced strand breaks in DNA is in normal conditions, larger in oxygenated cells than in anoxic cells. This may reflect either radiochemical reactions or preferential repair of breaks formed in anoxia. It is possible to distinguish between these possibilities by experiments in which irradiation and cell lysis are completed within a time period sufficiently short to minimise repair. We have measured in oxic and anoxic cells the yield of strand breakage on bacteriophage λ DNA superinfecting lysogenic bacteria1 and now on chromosomal DNA in experiments where irradiation and lysis are carried out within a fraction of a second.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Johansen, I., Brustad, T., and Rupp, W. D., Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 72, 167–171 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Rupp, W. D., and Howard-Flanders, P., J. molec. Biol., 31, 291–304 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Dean, C. T., Ormerod, M. G., Seriani, R. W., and Alexander, P., Nature, 222, 1042–1044 (1969).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Town, C. D., Smith, K. C., and Kaplan, H. S., Radiat. Res., 52, 99–114 (1972).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Modrich, P., and Lehman, J. R., J. biol. Chem., 248, 7502–7511 (1973).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Olivera, B. M., and Lehman, J. R., J. molec. Biol., 36, 261–274 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Cooper, S., and Helmstetter, C. E., J. molec. Biol., 31, 519–540 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Boye, E., Johansen, I., and Brustad, T., J. Bact., 119, 522–526 (1974).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Johansen, I., Gulbrandsen, R., and Pettersen, R., Radiat. Res., 58, 384–397 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Adams, G. E., McNaughton, G. S., and Michael, B. D., Trans. Faraday Soc., 64, 902–910 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Grunert, R. R., and Phillips, P. H., Archs Biochem., 30, 217–225 (1951).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

JOHANSEN, I., BOYE, E. Radiation-induced DNA strand breaks in E. coli measured within a fraction of a second. Nature 255, 740–742 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/255740a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/255740a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing