Effects of genotoxic agents on his (+) revertants and survival of spores of Streptomyces aureofaciens.

The effects of u.v. light and of several chemical agents on spores of the tetracycline producer Streptomyces aureofaciens MT1 were studied using survival curves and induction of histidine prototrophic revertants (his (+)). Spores were highly resistant to u.v.; NTG induced most his (+) revertants. 4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide and methyl methanesulphonate also gave good yields of revertants. Whereas ethyl methanesulphonate had the least effect on inducing the revertants.