Mutagenicity of the anti-cancer agent mitomycin C was suppressed by incubation with the desmutagenic factor of Pseudomonas convexa 4-87 and NAD(P)H. The main reaction products were isolated and identified as 1, 2-cis- and l, 2-trans-2, 7-diamino-1-hydroxymitosene and 2, 7-diaminomitosene. A reaction scheme through reduction of the benzoquinone moiety, elimination of the methoxy group, opening of the aziridine ring, and formation of mitosene-type derivatives was proposed. The desmutagenic factor of P. convexa 4-87 was shown to be a quinone-reducing enzyme requiring NAD(P)H, but its physiological role in the cell remains unclear.

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