Postincision steps of photoproduct removal in a mutant of Bacillus cereus 569 that produces UV-sensitive spores.

An excision-defective mutant of Bacillus cereus 569 is normal in incision and repair synthesis, but rejoining of incision breaks is defective, resulting in accumulation of low-molecular-weight DNA after UV irradiation. The defect in removal of photoproducts by exonuclease after incision renders both vegetative cells and dormant spores of the mutant sensitive to UV. A similarity is indicated to the uvrD mutation described recently in Escherichia coli.