Induction of lacI- mutations in Escherichia coli cells after single and split-dose irradiation

In the lacI system of Escherichia coli, X-ray mutagenesis follows a linear-quadratic curve with suppression; the survival curve is exponential. Dose fractionation leads to nearly complete repair of premutational lesions during an incubation interval of 3.5 h. Repair starts with a delay of 1.5-2 h, suggesting the involvement of an inducible repair/mutation fixation system. The dose-dependence of mutagenesis is described by a simple model assuming two hits being required. A probable explanation might be that the premutagenic lesions consist of two closely spaced lesions on the opposite strands of the DNA molecule.