Mechanism of inactivation of coliphage T7 by x-rays.

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Abstract
When coliphage T7 is X-irradiated in inorganic buffer, the number of nonviable particles equals the number of particles which have received a double-strand break in the DNA. If the irradiation is in 10-3 [image] histidine, an equivalent to nutrient broth as a radioprotective medium, only 40% of the nonviable phages contain double-strand breaks. The remaining 60% can be protected by cysteine plus deoxygenation and are probably inactivated by pyrimidine base damage. Individual single-strand breaks are ineffective.