title: Biological and chemical effects of mustard gas in yeast.
abstract: Mustard gas induces inactivation and mutation in yeast. Both effects are dose-proportional, indicating single-hit events. Induction of both effects is influenced by the cell's capacity for DNA dark-repair, whereby the probability of reversion is highest in repair-proficient cells. Binding of mustard gas to cells and probably to DNA is independent of DNA-repair systems. The number of inter-strand cross-links, as determined by assaying for renaturability of alkalidenatured DNA, increases in a dose-proportional manner. At 37% survival an excision-deficient strain contains 55 inter-strand cross-links. Chromatographic analysis yields several alkylation products of DNA. Their relative frequencies resemble the values reported for E. coli and bacteriophage T7.
mesh_terms: D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D002845:Chromatography; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D009150:Mustard Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009151:Mustard Gas / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009153:Mutagens; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D009150:Mustard Compounds; D009153:Mutagens; D009151:Mustard Gas