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. 1988 May;85(9):3039–3043. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.9.3039

A second DNA methyltransferase repair enzyme in Escherichia coli.

G W Rebeck 1, S Coons 1, P Carroll 1, L Samson 1
PMCID: PMC280138  PMID: 3283737

Abstract

The Escherichia coli ada-alkB operon encodes a 39-kDa protein (Ada) that is a DNA-repair methyltransferase and a 27-kDa protein (AlkB) of unknown function. By DNA blot hybridization analysis we show that the alkylation-sensitive E. coli mutant BS23 [Sedgwick, B. & Lindahl, T. (1982) J. Mol. Biol. 154, 169-175] is a deletion mutant lacking the entire ada-alkB operon. Despite the absence of the ada gene and its product, the cells contain detectable levels of a DNA-repair methyltransferase activity. We conclude that the methyltransferase in BS23 cells is the product of a gene other than ada. A similar activity was detected in extracts of an ada-10::Tn10 insertion mutant of E. coli AB1157. This DNA methyltransferase has a molecular mass of about 19 kDa and transfers the methyl groups from O6-methylguanine and O4-methylthymine in DNA, but not those from methyl phosphotriester lesions. This enzyme was not induced by low doses of alkylating agent and is expressed at low levels in ada+ and a number of ada- E. coli strains.

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Selected References

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

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