Skip to main content
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1972 Apr;110(1):47–55. doi: 10.1128/jb.110.1.47-55.1972

Mutagen Stability of Alkylation-Sensitive Mutants of Bacillus subtilis

T Hill a, L Prakash a,1, B Strauss a
PMCID: PMC247377  PMID: 4622905

Abstract

A series of mutations of Bacillus subtilis, conferring sensitivity to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), were transferred by transformation to a suppressible his stock. The introduction of certain sensitivity mutations prevented the ultraviolet- or MMS-induced, but not the spontaneous, reversion of his to his+. Not all sensitivity mutations led to this resistance to mutagenesis; a strain with altered deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase activity behaved almost normally with respect to its mutagen response, as did an excision-defective, ultraviolet-sensitive strain used as a control. One of the mutagen-stable strains responded to mutagenesis with nitrosomethylguanidine; another appeared stable even to this mutagen. All mutagen-stable strains had DNA polymerase and DNA ligase activity.

Full text

PDF
48

Selected References

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

  1. Cozzarelli N. R., Kelly R. B., Kornberg A. A minute circular DNA from Escherichia coli 15. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1968 Jul;60(3):992–999. doi: 10.1073/pnas.60.3.992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Gass K. B., Hill T. C., Goulian M., Strauss B. S., Cozzarelli N. R. Altered deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase activity in a methyl methanesulfonate-sensitive mutant of Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1971 Oct;108(1):364–374. doi: 10.1128/jb.108.1.364-374.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Hoch J. A., Anagnostopoulos C. Chromosomal location and properties of radiation sensitivity mutations in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1970 Aug;103(2):295–301. doi: 10.1128/jb.103.2.295-301.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Kelly R. B., Cozzarelli N. R., Deutscher M. P., Lehman I. R., Kornberg A. Enzymatic synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid. XXXII. Replication of duplex deoxyribonucleic acid by polymerase at a single strand break. J Biol Chem. 1970 Jan 10;245(1):39–45. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Kondo S., Ichikawa H., Iwo K., Kato T. Base-change mutagenesis and prophage induction in strains of Escherichia coli with different DNA repair capacities. Genetics. 1970 Oct;66(2):187–217. doi: 10.1093/genetics/66.2.187. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Mahler I. Effect of mitomycin C on five excision-repair mutants of Bacillus subtilis. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1966 Oct 5;25(1):73–79. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(66)90642-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Okubo S., Romig W. R. Impaired transformability of Bacillus subtilis mutant sensitive to mitomycin C and ultraviolet radiation. J Mol Biol. 1966 Feb;15(2):440–454. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(66)80120-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Okubo S., Yanagida T. Isolation of a suppressor mutant in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1968 Mar;95(3):1187–1188. doi: 10.1128/jb.95.3.1187-1188.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Prakash L., Strauss B. Repair of alkylation damage: stability of methyl groups in Bacillus subtilis treated with methyl methanesulfonate. J Bacteriol. 1970 Jun;102(3):760–766. doi: 10.1128/jb.102.3.760-766.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Reiter H., Strauss B. Repair of damage induced by a monofunctional alkylating agent in a transformable, ultraviolet-sensitive strain of Bacillus subtilis. J Mol Biol. 1965 Nov;14(1):179–194. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(65)80239-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. SAITO H., MIURA K. I. PREPARATION OF TRANSFORMING DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID BY PHENOL TREATMENT. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1963 Aug 20;72:619–629. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. STRAUSS B. S. Differential destruction of the transforming activity of damaged deoxyribonucleic acid by a bacterial enzyme. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1962 Sep 15;48:1670–1675. doi: 10.1073/pnas.48.9.1670. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Searashi T., Strauss B. Relation of the repair of damage induced by a monofunctional alkylating agent to the repair of damage induced by ultraviolet light in Bacillus subtilis. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1965 Sep 22;20(6):680–687. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(65)90069-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Spizizen J. TRANSFORMATION OF BIOCHEMICALLY DEFICIENT STRAINS OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS BY DEOXYRIBONUCLEATE. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1958 Oct 15;44(10):1072–1078. doi: 10.1073/pnas.44.10.1072. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Wilson G. A., Bott K. F. Nutritional factors influencing the development of competence in the Bacillus subtilis transformation system. J Bacteriol. 1968 Apr;95(4):1439–1449. doi: 10.1128/jb.95.4.1439-1449.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES