Sulfur dioxide is a cocarcinogen for benzo[a]pyrene in the respiratory tract of rats and hamsters. Sulfur dioxide exists under physiological conditions as the sulfite ion. Sulfite enhances the mutagenic potency of (+-)-7r,8t-dihydroxy-9t,-10t- epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (anti-BPDE) and 7r,8t-dihydroxy-9c10c-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]py ren e (syn-BPDE) in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100. This enhancement of diolepoxide mutagenicity is observed with sulfite concentrations between 1 and 20 mM, and the concentration dependence is identical for the two diolepoxides. Half-maximal enhancement of mutagenicity occurs at approximately 5 mM sulfite. Sulfite is neither toxic nor mutagenic to the bacteria under these conditions. The enhancement of diolepoxide mutagenicity requires that the bacteria be exposed to sulfite prior to the addition of the diolepoxide. Simultaneous addition of sulfite and diolepoxide significantly decreases the enhancing effect, and addition 15 min after the diolepoxide virtually abolishes the effect. This is consistent with sulfite serving to increase the efficiency of processes leading to DNA modification by the diolepoxides, rather than some effect subsequent to DNA adduct formation. Direct evidence for this hypothesis was provided by determining the effect of sulfite on mutagenicity and DNA binding in TA98 using [3H]anti-BPDE. Exposure of the bacteria to 10 mM sulfite for 5 min prior to the addition of the labeled mutagen led to as much as 170% increase in DNA binding levels relative to parallel incubations without sulfite. Corresponding increases in mutagenicity were seen as well. As sulfite can affect the glutathione/glutathione-S-transferase systems, the primary cellular defense against BPDE, the effect of sulfite on these pathways in Salmonella was determined. When strain TA98 was treated with N-acetoxy-2-acetamidofluorene, a direct-acting mutagen not scavenged by glutathione, prior addition of 10 mM sulfite to the bacteria had no effect on resultant viability or mutagenicity. Assessment of the bacterial glutathione levels revealed that 10 mM sulfite treatment results in an 82% decrease in the concentration of the cosubstrate. We were, however, unable to detect diolepoxide-glutathione conjugates in any of our incubations. Moreover, the presence of sulfite leads to significant trapping of the diolepoxide in the form of sulfonate derivatives. Based on these data, we conclude that the depletion of glutathione does indeed play a role in the enhancement of diolepoxide mutagenicity in S. typhimurium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)