Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1978 Jul;135(1):29–38. doi: 10.1128/jb.135.1.29-38.1978

Derepression of colicin E1 synthesis in the constitutive tif mutant strain (spr tif sfi) and in a tif sfi mutant strain of Escherichia coli K-12.

E S Tessman, C A Gritzmacher, P K Peterson
PMCID: PMC224759  PMID: 353034

Abstract

We show here that expression of the colicin gene of the ColE1 plasmid is greatly derepressed in Escherichia coli K-12 strain DM1187 spr tif sfi, which is a constitutive tif mutant, altered in the lexA gene, and which shows constitutive expression of various pathways of the recA-dependent, lexA-blocked (SOS) repair system. In this strain colicin E1 synthesis is at least 100-fold greater than that observed in uninduced control strains (spr+ tif sfi and spr+ tif+ sfi). This result confirms the regulatory role of the lexA product in colicin E1 synthesis. Colicin yields by the uninduced strain DM1187 are as high as the maximum yields from mitomycin-induced control strains and often are several-fold higher. When the nonconstitutive tif sfi strain GC467 is raised to 43 degrees C to induce the SOS system, a low level of colicin synthesis is observed which is less than one-tenth of the yield obtained by induction with mitomycin C. Addition of adenine at the time of shift-up can increase the colicin yield of tif sfi to about one-third of the yield obtained with mitomycin C. We have also found that colicin overproduction can be detected by altered colony appearance in an overlay assay with colicin-sensitive bacteria. In addition, the lethality of the process of colicin synthesis is observed here without the use of bacteriostatic inducing agents.

Full text

PDF
29

Images in this article

35Image
on p.35
35Image
on p.35

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ben-Gurion R. On the induction of a recombination-deficient mutant of Escherichia coli K-12. Genet Res. 1967 Jun;9(3):377–381. doi: 10.1017/s0016672300010661. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Castellazzi M., George J., Buttin G. [Prophage induction and cell division in E. coli. II. Linked (recA, zab) and unlinked (lex) suppressors of tif-1-mediated induction and filamentation]. Mol Gen Genet. 1972;119(2):153–174. doi: 10.1007/BF00269134. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Defais M., Fauquet P., Radman M., Errera M. Ultraviolet reactivation and ultraviolet mutagenesis of lambda in different genetic systems. Virology. 1971 Feb;43(2):495–503. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(71)90321-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Demerec M, Fano U. Bacteriophage-Resistant Mutants in Escherichia Coli. Genetics. 1945 Mar;30(2):119–136. doi: 10.1093/genetics/30.2.119. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. GOLDTHWAIT D., JACOB F. SUR LE M'ECANISME DE L'INDUCTION DU D'EVELOPPEMENT DU PROPHAGE CHEZ LES BACT'ERIES LYSOG'ENES. C R Hebd Seances Acad Sci. 1964 Jul 20;259:661–664. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. George J., Castellazzi M., Buttin G. Prophage induction and cell division in E. coli. III. Mutations sfiA and sfiB restore division in tif and lon strains and permit the expression of mutator properties of tif. Mol Gen Genet. 1975 Oct 22;140(4):309–332. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gudas L. J., Mount D. W. Identification of the recA (tif) gene product of Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Dec;74(12):5280–5284. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.12.5280. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gudas L. J., Pardee A. B. Model for regulation of Escherichia coli DNA repair functions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Jun;72(6):2330–2334. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.6.2330. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gudas L. J. The induction of protein X in DNA repair and cell division mutants of Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1976 Jul 5;104(3):567–587. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(76)90121-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hardy K. G. Colicinogeny and related phenomena. Bacteriol Rev. 1975 Dec;39(4):464–515. doi: 10.1128/br.39.4.464-515.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hardy K. G., Meynell G. G. Colicin factors and mitomycin-C. J Gen Microbiol. 1972 Dec;73(3):547–549. doi: 10.1099/00221287-73-3-547. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Helinski D. R., Herschman H. R. Effect of Rec mutations on the activity of colicinogenic factors. J Bacteriol. 1967 Sep;94(3):700–706. doi: 10.1128/jb.94.3.700-706.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Herschman H. R., Helinski D. R. Comparative study of the events associated with colicin induction. J Bacteriol. 1967 Sep;94(3):691–699. doi: 10.1128/jb.94.3.691-699.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hull R. A. Effect of tsl mutations on Col E1 expression in a recA strain of Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol. 1975 Aug;123(2):775–776. doi: 10.1128/jb.123.2.775-776.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Inselburg J. Isolation and characterization of mutants of colicin plasmids E1 and E2 after Mu bacteriophage infection. J Bacteriol. 1974 Aug;119(2):469–477. doi: 10.1128/jb.119.2.469-477.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. JACOB F., SIMINOVITCH L., WOLLMAN E. Sur la biosynthèse d'une colicine et sur son mode d'action. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1952 Sep;83(3):295–315. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kennedy C. K. Induction of colicin production by high temperature or inhibition of protein synthesis. J Bacteriol. 1971 Oct;108(1):10–19. doi: 10.1128/jb.108.1.10-19.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Kirby E. P., Jacob F., Goldthwait D. A. Prophage induction and filament formation in a mutant strain of Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1967 Nov;58(5):1903–1910. doi: 10.1073/pnas.58.5.1903. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Little J. W., Kleid D. G. Escherichia coli protein X is the recA gene product. J Biol Chem. 1977 Sep 25;252(18):6251–6252. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. McEntee K. Protein X is the product of the recA gene of Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Dec;74(12):5275–5279. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.12.5275. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Mound D. W., Walker A. C., Kosel C. Suppression of lex mutations affecting deoxyribonucleic acid repair in Escherichia coli K-12 by closely linked thermosensitive mutations. J Bacteriol. 1973 Nov;116(2):950–956. doi: 10.1128/jb.116.2.950-956.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Mount D. W. A mutant of Escherichia coli showing constitutive expression of the lysogenic induction and error-prone DNA repair pathways. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Jan;74(1):300–304. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.1.300. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Mount D. W., Low K. B., Edmiston S. J. Dominant mutations (lex) in Escherichia coli K-12 which affect radiation sensitivity and frequency of ultraviolet lght-induced mutations. J Bacteriol. 1972 Nov;112(2):886–893. doi: 10.1128/jb.112.2.886-893.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Mount D. W., Walker A. C., Kosel C. Effect of tsl mutations in decreasing radiation sensitivity of a recA- strain of Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol. 1975 Mar;121(3):1203–1207. doi: 10.1128/jb.121.3.1203-1207.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Mount D. W., Walker A. C., Kosel C. Indirect suppression of radiation sensitivity of a recA- strain of Escherichia coli K12. Basic Life Sci. 1975;5A:383–388. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4684-2895-7_51. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. OZEKI H., STOCKER B. A., DE MARGERIE H. Production of colicine by single bacteria. Nature. 1959 Aug 1;184:337–339. doi: 10.1038/184337a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Radman M. SOS repair hypothesis: phenomenology of an inducible DNA repair which is accompanied by mutagenesis. Basic Life Sci. 1975;5A:355–367. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4684-2895-7_48. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Roberts J. W., Roberts C. W., Mount D. W. Inactivation and proteolytic cleavage of phage lambda repressor in vitro in an ATP-dependent reaction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Jun;74(6):2283–2287. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.6.2283. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Schaller K., Nomura M. Colicin E2 is DNA endonuclease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Nov;73(11):3989–3993. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.11.3989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Tyler J., Sherratt D. J. Synthesis of E colicins in Escherichia coli. Mol Gen Genet. 1975 Oct 22;140(4):349–353. doi: 10.1007/BF00267325. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Witkin E. M. Ultraviolet mutagenesis and inducible DNA repair in Escherichia coli. Bacteriol Rev. 1976 Dec;40(4):869–907. doi: 10.1128/br.40.4.869-907.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES