Protein synthesis and the recovery of both survival and cytoplasmic “petite” mutation in ultraviolet-treated yeast cells. II. Mitochondrial protein synthesis

The contribution of mitochondrial proteins in the repair of UV-induced lethal and cytoplasmic genetic damages was studied in dark liquid held exponential and stationary phase yeast cells. This was performed by using the specific inhibitors, erythromycin (ER) and chloramphenicol (CAP). It was shown that mitochondrial proteins are involved in the recovery of survival of UV-treated exponential phase cells, but not in the recovery of stationary phase cells. Mitochondrial proteins are partly implicated in the mechanisms leading to the restoration of the ϱ⁺ genotype in UV-irradiated dark liquid held exponential phase cells. Here again, in statonary phase cells, mitochondrial enzymes do not seem to participate in the negative liquid holding (NLH) processes for the ϱ⁻ induction, as shown by inhibiting mitochondrial protein synthesis or both mitochondrial and nuclear protein synthesis.When cells are grown in glycerol, the response after dark liquid holding of UV-treated cells in the different growth stages are similar to that found for glucose-grown cells. In other words, the fate of cytoplasmic genetic damage, in particular, is not correlated with the repressedor depressed state of the mitochondria.