An inverse relationship was found between uv (2537 Å) survival and preirradiation respiratory rate of diploid yeast: Survival was consistently high in cells grown in anaerobic complete medium where only glycolysis was operating, while it was low in cells grown in aerobic glycerin medium where only oxidative phosphorylation was operating; these observations are consistent with the observed shift from the high resistance in logarithmic phase to the lesser resistance in stationary phase in cells grown in aerobic complete medium. Immediate recovery, which was determined by the ratio between split-dose survival and no recovery survival, occurred only in cells having a low respiratory rate and not in cells having a high respiratory rate. Severe suppression of aerobic ATP synthesis during the first hour after irradiation was found only in cells having a high respiratory rate. Otherwise, delayed recovery, which was determined by immediate plating on glycerin medium, was not related to the respiratory rate. These results indicate a low resistance to uv of oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria existing at the time of irradiation and a high resistance to uv of both glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation in new mitochondria produced after irradiation. Survival therefore may be dependent on whether irradiated cells can recover from sublethal damage by utilizing ATP produced by glycolysis immediately after irradiation.

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Copyright 1976 Academic Press, Inc.
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