THE ACTION SPECTRUM OF SENSITIZATION TO HEAT WITH ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT

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Abstract
Heat does not sensitize Paramecium caudatum or P. multimicronucleatum to u.-v. light, but u.-v. light sensitizes them to heat. Thus a dosage of 4000 ergs/mm2 at wavelength 2804 A will render the animals sensitive to V10 the lethal ex-posure at 42.3[degree]C for unirradiated paramecia. From the relative effectiveness of different wavelengths an action spectrum can be detd. The action spectrum resembles the ab-sorption spectrum of pseudoglobulin more than it does any other constituents of the cell. Almost complete recovery from heat sensitization occurs in 4-5 days. During this recovery divisions occur. Recovery is slowest from dosages with a wavelength absorbed most strongly by nucleoproteins. The theoretical implications of the results are discussed.

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