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U.S. Department of Energy
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Inducible error-prone repair in Bacillus subtilis. Progress report, May 1, 1985-April 30, 1986

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5654433

DNA damage-inducible star operon fusions were generated in B. subtilis by transpositional mutagenesis. These fusion isolates produce increased beta-galactosidase when exposed to mitomycin C, uv radiation, or ethyl methanesulfonate, indicating that the lacZ structural gene had inserted into host transcriptional units that are induced by a variety of DNA damaging agents. One of the fusion strains was DNA-repair deficient and phenotypically resembled a uv-sensitive excision-repair deficient mutant of B. subtilis. Induction of beta-galactosidase also occurred in the competent subpopulation of each of the din fusion strains, independent of exposure to DNA-damaging agents. Both the DNA-damage-inducible and competence-inducible components of beta-galactosidase expression were abolished by the recE4 mutation, which inhibits SOS-like (SOB) induction but does not interfere with the development of the competent state. The results indicate that gene expression is stimulated at specific loci within the B. subtilis chromosome both by DNA-damaging agents and by the development of competence and this response is under the control of the SOB regulon. Furthermore, they demonstrated that at the molecular level SOB induction and the development of competence are interrelated cellular events.

Research Organization:
Rochester Univ., NY (USA). School of Medicine and Dentistry
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-81ER60017
OSTI ID:
5654433
Report Number(s):
DOE/ER/60017-T2; ON: DE86013392
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English