Radiosensitivity of Spores of DNA Polymerase Deficient Mutants of Bacillus subtilis (Special Issue on Physical, Chemical and Biological Effect of Gamma Radiation, XIV)

The radiosensitivity to gamma rays of the spores and the vegetative cells of Bacillus subtilis mutants with the reduced DNA polymerase activity was compared with that of their parent strains. Both the spores and the vegetative cells of the mutants were approximately 2 times as sensitive to gamma rays as those of the parent strains. It is suggested that the differences in radiosensitivity between the mutant spores and the parent spores are at least partly attributable to the genetic differences between the strains in themselves. The spores of the mutants employed were biologically normal in many respects with the exception of the sensitivity to chlorampheniol and the cell size. (auth)