HYDROGEN PEROXIDE INDUCED RESISTANCE TO BROAD‐SPECTRUM NEAR‐ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT(300–400 nm) INACTIVATION IN Escherichia coli

Abstract

Abstract— Strains of Escherichia coli carrying the four possible combinations of the alleles nur, nur + , uvrAb, and uvrA + were either untreated or pretreated with a sublethal dose of H 2 0 2 prior to inactivation with NUV radiation. Pretreated cells exhibited a greater resistance to NUV than did untreated cells. Pretreatment with H 2 O 2 did not induce resistance to FUV radiation. The induction of resistance to NUV inactivation by H 2 O 2 pretreatment apparently leads to protection against the damage caused by NUV radiation. Although pretreatment of cells with H 2 0 2 leads to resistance of such cells to inactivation by H 2 O 2 and NUV, survival of H 2 O 2 treated bacteriophage PI cml clr100 is not enhanced when assayed on H 2 O 2 pretreated E. coli host cells.