Thermal resistance to photoreactivation of specific mutations potentiated in E. coli B/r ung by ultraviolet light.

Mutagenesis by ultraviolet light was studied in a strain of E. coli ung, which lacks uracil-DNA glycosylase activity. Mutation potentiated by UV in cells already induced by nalidixic acid treatment was still photoreversible suggesting that pyrimidine dimers act directly as premutational photoproducts. Secondly, irradiated cells were held in buffer at 48 degrees C for 0 to 135 min to allow for deamination of cytosines in pyrimidine dimers. The mutation frequencies for class 2 de novo suppressor mutation, for class 2 converted suppressor mutation and for backmutation were individually determined, before and after photoreactivation, as a function of this thermal treatment. Backmutation remained sensitive to photoreactivation throughout the treatment but de novo and converted suppressor mutations rapidly developed resistance to photoreactivation. This resistance was not seen in an ung+ control. A model is proposed to account for the selective resistance based on the hypothesis that class 2 de novo and converted suppressor mutations normally result from UV by GC to AT transitions at T = C dimers. The model described deamination of the cytosine residues in these dimers to become uracil residues. In consequence, monomerization by photoreactivation in cells that can not repair uracils in DNA no longer reverse mutation and GC to AT transitions are established at the sites of uracils.