Ultraviolet irradiation of DNA complexed with. alpha. /. beta. -type small, acid-soluble proteins from spores of Bacillus or Clostridium species makes spore photoproduct but not thymine dimers

Journal Article · Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.88.19.8288· OSTI ID:5603049

Nicholson, W L; Setlow, B; Setlow, P ^[1]

---

1. Univ. of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington (United States)

UV irradiation of complexes of DNA and an {alpha}/{beta}-type small, acid-soluble protein (SASP) from Bacillus subtilis spores gave decreasing amounts of pyrimidine dimers and increasing amounts of spore photoproduct as the SASP/DNA ratio was increased. The yields of pyrimidine dimers and spore photoproduct were < 0.2% and 8% of total thymine, respectively, when DNA saturated with SASP was irradiated at 254 nm with 30 kJ/m{sup 2}; in the absence of SASP the yields were reversed - 4.5% and 0.3%, respectively. Complexes of DNA with {alpha}/{beta}-type SASP from Bacillus cereus, Bacillus megaterium, or Clostridium bifermentans spores also gave spore photoproduct upon UV irradiation. However, incubation of these SASPs with DNA under conditions preventing complex formation or use of mutant SASPs that do not form complexes did not affect the photoproducts formed in vitro. These results suggest that the UV photochemistry of bacterial spore DNA in vivo is due to the binding of {alpha}/{beta}-type SASP, a binding that is known to cause a change in DNA conformation in vitro from the B form to the A form. The yields of spore photoproduct in vitro were significantly lower than in vivo, perhaps because of the presence of substances other than SASP in spores. It is suggested that as these factors diffuse out in the first minutes of spore germination, spore photoproduct yields become similar to those observed for irradiation of SASP/DNA complexes in vitro.

• OSTI ID: 5603049
• Journal Information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (United States), Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (United States) Vol. 88:19; ISSN PNASA; ISSN 0027-8424
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550201* -- Biochemistry-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BACILLUS
BACILLUS SUBTILIS
BACTERIA
BACTERIAL SPORES
CHEMISTRY
CLOSTRIDIUM
DNA
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
MICROORGANISMS
NUCLEIC ACIDS
NUCLEOPROTEINS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PHOTOCHEMISTRY
PROTEINS
PYRIMIDINE DIMERS
RADIATIONS
RADIOINDUCTION
RADIOSENSITIVITY EFFECTS
SPORES
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION