title: Superoxide dismutase and media dependence of far-UV radiation resistance in thiol-treated cells.
abstract: Pretreatment of wild-type Escherichia coli K12 cells with dithiothreitol (DTT) induces far-UV radiation resistance after the thiol is removed (Claycamp 1988). The present study shows that a 1 h treatment of cells with DTT in minimal medium followed by a 0.5 h incubation in buffer (37 degrees C) results in a dose reduction factor (DRF) calculated at F37 of 1.81. When the thiol pretreatment was in rich medium, sensitization occurs with DRF = 0.729. This sensitization could be reversed to protection by inhibiting extracellular thiol oxidation in rich medium with the chelator, DETAPAC, such that the thiol oxidation rate was equivalent to that of DTT in minimal medium. Both thiol-induced resistance and sensitization produced changes predominantly in the shoulders of the survival curves. Furthermore, for either protection or sensitization, at least one form of endogenous superoxide dismutase (SOD) was required: in SOD-deficient cells (sodAsodB) the DRFs were 1.08 and 0.882 for minimal and rich media, respectively. These results suggest that different targets are involved in thiol-induced UV protection and sensitization: DNA and extracellular targets (e.g. the membrane), respectively. The results augment observations of alternate and multiple repair pathways inducible by oxygen radicals and may help understanding non-physicochemical thiol protection mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Radiation Biology Program, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242, USA.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Claycamp
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: McCormick
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: DeRose
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Elwell
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Oberley
mesh_terms: D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004229:Dithiothreitol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000528:radiation effects; D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000502:physiology*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D004229:Dithiothreitol