Protease inhibitors suppress the survival increase mediated by uncouplers in X-irradiated mammalian cells.

When mammalian cells are incubated with an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation prior to and during X-irradiation, the survival and the mutation frequency are markedly increased. This process requires protein synthesis and is inhibited when the cells are plated in the presence of a protease inhibitor (antipain or leupeptin). These results suggest the existence of an error-prone DNA repair process in X-irradiated mammalian cells.