[en] The wavelength dependence of ultraviolet radiation-induced cell killing and mutagenicity in L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells has been determined from 235 nm to 313 nm. Cells were irradiated in phosphate buffered saline at 20⁰C. The amount of cell killing was determined by cloning in soft agar medium immediately after irradiation. Mutation frequency was determined, after a 3-day expression time, by cloning in soft agar medium in the presence and the absence of 5-bromo-2' deoxyuridine (BrdUrd). The endpoint used to quantitate lethal effects was the exposure necessary to reduce the surviving fraction to 10%, while the endpoint for mutagenesis was the exposure necessary to increase the frequency of BrdUrd-resistant colonies ten-fold over the background level. Data were corrected for quantum energy and the action spectra for cell killing and mutagenesis were plotted as relative biological effectiveness per quantum vs wavelength, relative to the effect at 265.2 nm. Both action spectra show broad maxima at 270 nm, and are very similar to the action spectra determined by Rothman and Setlow (1979) for pyrimidine dimer formation and cell killing in V-79 cells. (author)