Inducible error-prone repair in B. subtilis. Progress report, September 1, 1981-April 30, 1985

Technical Report · Sat Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6168579

Yasbin, R E

The objective was to investigate and elucidate the molecular mechanisms responsible for (i) inducible DNA repair system(s) and for (ii) error-prone repair in the gram positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. The SOS-like system of Bacillus subtilis consists of several coordinately induced phenomena (e.g., cellular filamentation, prophage induction, and Weigle reactivation of uv-damaged bacteriophage) which are expressed after cellular insult such as DNA damage or inhibition of DNA replication. Mutagenesis of the bacterial chromosome and the development or maintenance of competence also appear to be involved in the SOS-like response in this bacterium. The genetic characterization of the SOS-like system has involved an analysis of (i) the effects of various DNA repair mutations on the expression of inducible phenomena and (ii) the tsi-23 mutation, which renders host strains thermally inducible for each of the SOS-like functions. Bacterial filamentation was unaffected by any of the DNA repair mutations studied. In contrast, the induction of prophage after thermal or uv pretreatment was abolished in strains carrying the recE4, recA1, recB2, or recG13 mutation. Weigle reactivation was also inhibited by the recE4, recA1, recB2, or recG13 mutation, whereas levels of W-reactivation were lower in strains which carried the uvrA42, polA5, or rec-961 mutation than in the DNA repair-proficient strain. Strains which carried the recE4 allele were incapable of chromosomal DNA-mediated transformation, and the frequency of this event was decreased in strains carrying the recA1, recB2, or tsi-23 mutation. Plasmid DNA transformation efficiency was decreased only in strains carrying the tsi-23 mutation in addition to the recE4, recA1, recB2, mutation. The results indicate that the SOS-like or SOB system of B. subtilis is regulated at different levels by two or more gene products.

• Research Organization: Rochester Univ., NY (USA). Dept. of Microbiology
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-81ER60017
• OSTI ID: 6168579
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/60017-3; ON: DE85005630
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550400* -- Genetics
550700 -- Microbiology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BACILLUS
BACILLUS SUBTILIS
BACTERIA
BIOLOGICAL RECOVERY
BIOLOGICAL REPAIR
BIOLOGY
DNA REPAIR
GENETICS
MICROORGANISMS
MUTANTS
RECOVERY
REPAIR