Physiological Responses of Escherichia coli to Far-Ultraviolet Radiation

The primary target for far-ultraviolet (UV) radiation* on cells has repeatedly been shown to be DNA, and the relationship between DNA damage and lethal and mutagenic effects has been intensively studied and reviewed. This chapter surveys the ways in which the lethal and other responses of Escherichia coli to UV irradiation can be modified by pre- and postirradiation conditions. The principal emphasis will be on papers that have appeared since the review of the subject by Rupert and Harm (1966).