Evidence that the phr+ gene enhances the ultraviolet resistance of Escherichia coli recA strains in the dark.

An Escherichia coli recA phr+ purA strain was more resistant to ultraviolet radiation than its isogenic derivative recA phr+ purA+ in the absence of photoreactivating light, whereas their nearly isogenic derivative recA phr showed most UV-induced lethality. The amounts of photoreactivating enzyme (PRE) per cell in the recA phr+ purA was higher than in the recA phr+ purA+. The recA phr is defective for photoreactivation. Thus, in the recA strain, UV resistance in the dark increased in proportion to the amounts of PRE per cell, suggesting that PRE participates in the process of dark repair of UV-damaged DNA.