The mechanism of recA polA lethality: Suppression by RecA-independent recombination repair activated by the lexA(Def) mutation in Escherichia coli
- Univ. of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
The mechanism of recA polA lethality in Escherichia coli has been studied. Complementation tests have indicated that both the 5{prime} {yields} 3{prime} exonuclease and the polymerization activities of DNA polymerase I are essential for viability in the absence of RecA protein, whereas the viability and DNA replication of DNA polymerase I-defective cells depend on the recombinase activity of RecA. An alkaline sucrose gradient sedimentation analysis has indicated that RecA has only a minor role in Okazaki fragment processing. Double-strand break repair is proposed for the major role of RecA in the absence of DNA polymerase I. The lexA(Def)::Tn5 mutation has previously been shown to suppress the temperature-sensitive growth of recA200(Ts) polA25::spc mutants. The lexA(Def) mutation can alleviate impaired DNA synthesis in the recA200(Ts) polA25::spc mutant cells at the restrictive temperature. recF{sup +} is essential for this suppression pathway, recJ and recQ mutations have minor but significant adverse effects on the suppression. The recA200(Ts) allele in the recA200(Ts) polA25::spc lexA(Def) mutant can be replaced by {Delta}recA, indicating that the lexA(Def)-induced suppression is RecA independent. lexA(Def) reduces the sensitivity of {Delta}recA polA25::spc cells to UV damage by {approximately}10{sup 4}-fold. lexA(Def) also restores P1 transduction proficiency to the {Delta}recA polA25::spc mutant to a level that is 7.3% of the recA{sup +} wild type. These results suggest that lexA(Def) activates a RecA-independent, RecF-dependent recombination repair pathway that suppresses the defect in DNA replication in recA polA double mutants. 52 refs., 7 figs., 5 tabs.
- OSTI ID:
- 91159
- Journal Information:
- Genetics, Vol. 139, Issue 4; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Genetic dependence of recombination in recD mutants of Escherichia coli
The roles of the RecA protein in the SOS response of Escherichia coli: Isolation and analysis of recA mutants with novel SOS phenotypes