Role of DNA repair in Bacillus subtilis spore resistance to high energy and low energy electron beam treatments

Abstract Bacillus subtilis spore inactivation mechanisms under low energy electron beam (LEEB) and high energy electron beam (HEEB) treatment were investigated using seven mutants lacking specific DNA repair mechanisms. The results showed that most of the DNA repair-deficient mutants, including ΔrecA, ΔKu ΔligD, Δexo Δnfo, ΔuvrAB and ΔsbcDC, had reduced resistances towards electron beam (EB) treatments at all investigated energy levels (80 keV, 200 keV and 10 MeV) compared to their wild type (p