Abstract
1. (1) Additivity of the successive actions of different agents on the transforming DNA of Bacillus subtilis (UV irradiation + nitrous acid, deoxyribonuclease + nitrous acid, nitrous acid + dimethylsulfate, deoxyribonuclease + UV irradiation) was demonstrated in spite of different molecular mechanisms of their actions. This additivity is revealed by an apparent increase in DNA resistance to the action of the subsequent agent because of the inactivation by the first agent. This increase in resistance is predicted quantitatively by the recombination theory of DNA inactivation proposed earlier. 2. (2) The additivity of the actions of different inactivating agents shows that the detailed mechanism of DNA damage is irrelevant for the kinetics of inactivation. The important point is the diminution in genetic lengths of DNA molecules because of their damage by any chemical agent.
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