[Effect of alpha-tocopherol on the mutagenic repair pathways in Escherichia coli cells]

It is shown in the present work that the antimutagenic effect of alpha-tocopherol is related to suppression of mutagenic repair controlled by the lexA gene. During this process mutations occur in chromosomal replication forks, provided cells are in the logarithmic phase of growth. Lesions in nonreplicating DNA resulting from the direct alkylation of nitrosoguanidine are apparently realized in the course of repair errors formation, the process being unaffected in any significant way by alpha-tocopherol.