Inhibitory effect of hydroquinone and related agents on multiplicity reactivation and genetic recombination of bacteriophage T4.

The multiplicity reactivation of T4D phage irradiated with UV was inhibited by treatment of infected cells with 0.5 mM hydroquinone (HQ). HQ also inhibited genetic recombination of T4B rII mutants. The recombination frequency was reduced by treatment of infected cells with HQ in a buffer when compared with an untreated control. In addition to HQ, the effects of quinone, an oxide form of HQ, mercaptoethanol and alpha-tocopherol, antioxidants, were also investigated. Quinone and mercaptoethanol inhibited recombinations but alpha-tocopherol did not.