title: Repair of 2 um Plasmid DNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
abstract: We have developed a system for assaying pyrimidine dimers in the 2 ⇐m DNA plasmid of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, using Micrococcus luteus UV endonuclease to nick dimer-containing plasmid molecules and measuring percentages of nicked and covalently closed circles on agarose gels. UV-irradiation induced dimers in plasmid DNA, in vivo, at the same rate as in chromosomal DNA. After a dose of 20 Joules·m(-2), approximately 86% of plasmid molecules had. at least one dimer. After 3 h incubation under normal growth conditions only 4% still retained dimers in a wild-type strain. In a rad1 (excision-defective) mutant 81% of plasmid molecules still had dimers after 3 h, suggesting that excision repair operates to remove dimers from plasmid DNA in wild-type yeast. Dimers can be removed from 2 ,um DNA in a rad1 mutant by photoreactivation.
authors.affiliation: Botany School, South Parks Road, OX1 3RA, Oxford, England.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: McCready
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Cox