Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1974 Apr;118(1):175–179. doi: 10.1128/jb.118.1.175-179.1974

Effect of Thymine-5-Bromouracil Substitution on F Pili

Paula Fives-Taylor 1, Charles P Novotny 1
PMCID: PMC246654  PMID: 4595195

Abstract

The effect of thymine-5-bromouracil substitution on the regeneration and length of F pili produced by an F+Lac+/Lac−Thy− strain of Escherichia coli was studied by electron microscopy. When 5-bromouracil (5BU) incorporation into deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was maximal, the modal length of the pilus doubled and the number of pili per cell was approximately 50% that of thymine-grown cells. The ability of 5BU-grown cells to form mating pairs and to be infected by ribonucleic acid (R17) and DNA (M13) male-specific phages was also reduced by approximately 50%. Loss of function was not due to loss of sex factor as 5BU cells retained a sex factor that was susceptible to curing by acridine orange. Elongation of pili on 5BU-grown cells was more sensitive to irradiation at 253.7 nm than on thymine-grown cells, suggesting that DNA is the sensitive target.

Full text

PDF
175

Selected References

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

  1. BRINTON C. C., Jr, GEMSKI P., Jr, CARNAHAN J. A NEW TYPE OF BACTERIAL PILUS GENETICALLY CONTROLLED BY THE FERTILITY FACTOR OF E. COLI K 12 AND ITS ROLE IN CHROMOSOME TRANSFER. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1964 Sep;52:776–783. doi: 10.1073/pnas.52.3.776. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brinton C. C., Jr The properties of sex pili, the viral nature of "conjugal" genetic transfer systems, and some possible approaches to the control of bacterial drug resistance. CRC Crit Rev Microbiol. 1971 May;1(1):105–160. doi: 10.3109/10408417109104479. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Curtiss R., 3rd Bacterial conjugation. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1969;23:69–136. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.23.100169.000441. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Curtiss R., 3rd, Caro L. G., Allison D. P., Stallions D. R. Early stages of conjugation in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1969 Nov;100(2):1091–1104. doi: 10.1128/jb.100.2.1091-1104.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. GREER S. Studies on ultraviolet irradiation of Escherichia coli containing 5-bromouracil in its DNA. J Gen Microbiol. 1960 Jun;22:618–634. doi: 10.1099/00221287-22-3-618. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Jacobson A. Role of F pili in the penetration of bacteriophage fl. J Virol. 1972 Oct;10(4):835–843. doi: 10.1128/jvi.10.4.835-843.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Marvin D. A., Hohn B. Filamentous bacterial viruses. Bacteriol Rev. 1969 Jun;33(2):172–209. doi: 10.1128/br.33.2.172-209.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Meynell E., Meynell G. G., Datta N. Phylogenetic relationships of drug-resistance factors and other transmissible bacterial plasmids. Bacteriol Rev. 1968 Mar;32(1):55–83. doi: 10.1128/br.32.1.55-83.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Novotny C. P., Fives-Taylor P. Retraction of F pili. J Bacteriol. 1974 Mar;117(3):1306–1311. doi: 10.1128/jb.117.3.1306-1311.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Novotny C. P., Lavin K. Some effects of temperature on the growth of F pili. J Bacteriol. 1971 Sep;107(3):671–682. doi: 10.1128/jb.107.3.671-682.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Novotny C. P., Taylor P. F., Lavin K. Effects of growth inhibitors and ultraviolet irradiation on F pili. J Bacteriol. 1972 Dec;112(3):1083–1089. doi: 10.1128/jb.112.3.1083-1089.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Novotny C., Knight W. S., Brinton C. C., Jr Inhibition of bacterial conjugation by ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid male-specific bacteriophages. J Bacteriol. 1968 Feb;95(2):314–326. doi: 10.1128/jb.95.2.314-326.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Wendt L. W., Ippen K. A., Valentine R. General properties of F-pili. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1966 May 25;23(4):375–380. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(66)90736-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. ZAMENHOF S., DE GIOVANNI R., RICH K. Escherichia coli containing unnatural pyrimidines in its deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1956 Jan;71(1):60–69. doi: 10.1128/jb.71.1.60-69.1956. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES