Dataset for "Spatiotemporal Characterization of Single-Stranded DNA Intermediates after UV Irradiation: I. Post-replication gaps formed during slow growth"

The dataset provides time-lapse quantification of SSB-coated ssDNA arising from post-replication gap formation following replisome skipping of UV-induced DNA lesions in E. coli grown under minimal growth conditions. Cells were imaged in custom-built microfluidic devices for an approximately 3-hour period. Fluorescent SSB-coated ssDNA signals were detected using 405 nm excitation. Background-corrected 405 nm fluorescence and bright-field time-lapse images (TIFF files) were used for manual selection and outlining of in-focus cells to capture the dynamics of SSB-coated ssDNA gaps within individual cells.Quantitative analysis included measurements of cell length, the number of fluorescent SSB features, SSB features intensity, and the size of larger SSB features (here referred to as clusters). These parameters were quantified across wild-type and mutant strains. The study showed that under minimal growth conditions, cells lacking RecFORJ recombination mediator proteins, particularly RecFO-deficient cells, displayed substantially higher numbers of SSB features than the wild-type background following UV-induced DNA damage, with persistent accumulation observed for up to three hours.These findings demonstrate that efficient resolution of SSB-coated ssDNA gaps following UV damage requires RecFORJ-mediated recombination pathways, and that loss of these pathways leads to prolonged accumulation of ssDNA intermediates, underscoring their essential role in post-replication repair. Overall, this dataset is suitable for quantifying SSB-bound DNA intermediates or gap formation, DNA gap-repair kinetics, and SSB-binding behavior in the presence or absence of repair or recombination factors at single-cell resolution.