Induction of genetic changes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by partial drying in air of constant relative humidity and by UV.

It was investigated whether there was a critical degree of dryness for induction of genetic changes by drying. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells were dried in air of 0, 33, 53 and 76% relative humidity (RH). The frequencies of mitotic recombination at ade2, of gene conversion at leu1, and of gene mutation at can1 were measured in X2447, XS1473 and S288C strains, respectively. After the cells had been dried at 0% RH for 4 h the frequencies of the genetic changes at ade2, leu1 and can1 were, respectively, 56, 7 and 3.5 times higher than each spontaneous frequency. Induction rates, defined as the frequencies of the induced genetic changes per unit time (1 h) of drying, were greatly decreased with increase in RH. Partial drying in air of 76% RH up to 4 and 8 h induced no genetic change at ade2 and leu1, respectively. It was concluded, therefore, that drying at a certain RH between 53 and 76% gave the critical degree of dryness of cells for the induction of the genetic changes. The water contents of cells (g water per g dry material) were 12% at 53% RH and 21% at 76% RH, whereas the water content of native cells was 212%. Removal of a large amount of cellular water had no effect on the induction of the genetic changes. UV sensitivity of partially dried cells of X2447 for the induction of the genetic change at ade2 drastically increased with decrease in RH between 76 and 53%. The drastic change in the UV sensitivity suggested that photochemical reactivity of DNA of chromosome XV, in which the ade2 locus is located, changed between 76 and 53% RH. It seems that the genetic changes were induced only in the low RH region where DNA in vivo had a different photochemical reactivity.