Abstract
The initial characterization of a new repair system which is induced in actively growing cultures of E. coli and which repairs a major fraction of lethal damage produced by near-UV (310-400 nm) light is presented. This system is different from the error-prone SOS repair system for DNA, known to be induced in E. coli by treatments which damage DNA and/or inhibit DNA replication. The SOS response requires induction of an X protein, the product of the recA gene; the inducible repair system described here utilizes proteins distinct from the X protein.