Skip to main content
PMC home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1988 Dec;85(23):9124–9127. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.23.9124

Overproduction of the epsilon subunit of DNA polymerase III counteracts the SOS mutagenic response of Escherichia coli.

P Jonczyk 1, I Fijalkowska 1, Z Ciesla 1
PMCID: PMC282676  PMID: 3057500

Abstract

It has been found that the mutator phenotype of the recA441 and recA730 strains that express the SOS response constitutively is suppressed by pIP1, a high-copy plasmid carrying the dnaQ gene encoding the 3'----5' exonuclease subunit (epsilon) of DNA polymerase III. We have constructed plasmid pIP11, in which the dnaQ gene is fused to the strong tac (trp-lac) promoter. Enhanced synthesis of the epsilon subunit stimulated by isopropyl beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside, the inducer of tac, prevents expression of the mutator phenotype of recA441 and markedly decreases the frequency of UV-induced mutations. These results strongly suggest that a loss of editing capacity by the epsilon subunit of DNA polymerase III holoenzyme plays a crucial role in generation of mutations during the SOS response.

Full text

PDF
9124

Selected References

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

  1. Bagg A., Kenyon C. J., Walker G. C. Inducibility of a gene product required for UV and chemical mutagenesis in Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Sep;78(9):5749–5753. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.9.5749. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bridges B. A., Mottershead R. P. Mutagenic DNA repair in Escherichia coli. VIII. Involvement of DNA polymerase III in constitutive and inducible mutagenic repair after ultraviolet and gamma irradiation. Mol Gen Genet. 1978 Jun 1;162(1):35–41. doi: 10.1007/BF00333848. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bridges B. A. Mutagenic DNA repair in Escherichia coli. XVI. Mutagenesis by ultraviolet light plus delayed photoreversal in recA strains. Mutat Res. 1988 Apr;198(2):343–350. doi: 10.1016/0027-5107(88)90012-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bridges B. A., Woodgate R. Mutagenic repair in Escherichia coli: products of the recA gene and of the umuD and umuC genes act at different steps in UV-induced mutagenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Jun;82(12):4193–4197. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.12.4193. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ciesla Z., O'Brien P., Clark A. J. Genetic analysis of UV mutagenesis of the Escherichia coli glyU gene. Mol Gen Genet. 1987 Apr;207(1):1–8. doi: 10.1007/BF00331483. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cieśla Z. Plasmid pKM101-mediated mutagenesis in Escherichia coli is inducible. Mol Gen Genet. 1982;186(2):298–300. doi: 10.1007/BF00331866. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fersht A. R., Knill-Jones J. W. Contribution of 3' leads to 5' exonuclease activity of DNA polymerase III holoenzyme from Escherichia coli to specificity. J Mol Biol. 1983 Apr 25;165(4):669–682. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(83)80273-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. 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]
  9. Hagensee M. E., Timme T. L., Bryan S. K., Moses R. E. DNA polymerase III of Escherichia coli is required for UV and ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1987 Jun;84(12):4195–4199. doi: 10.1073/pnas.84.12.4195. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Horiuchi T., Maki H., Sekiguchi M. A new conditional lethal mutator (dnaQ49) in Escherichia coli K12. Mol Gen Genet. 1978 Jul 25;163(3):277–283. doi: 10.1007/BF00271956. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kato T., Shinoura Y. Isolation and characterization of mutants of Escherichia coli deficient in induction of mutations by ultraviolet light. Mol Gen Genet. 1977 Nov 14;156(2):121–131. doi: 10.1007/BF00283484. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lu C., Scheuermann R. H., Echols H. Capacity of RecA protein to bind preferentially to UV lesions and inhibit the editing subunit (epsilon) of DNA polymerase III: a possible mechanism for SOS-induced targeted mutagenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Feb;83(3):619–623. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.3.619. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Maki H., Horiuchi T., Sekiguchi M. Structure and expression of the dnaQ mutator and the RNase H genes of Escherichia coli: overlap of the promoter regions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Dec;80(23):7137–7141. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.23.7137. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Maki H., Kornberg A. Proofreading by DNA polymerase III of Escherichia coli depends on cooperative interaction of the polymerase and exonuclease subunits. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1987 Jul;84(13):4389–4392. doi: 10.1073/pnas.84.13.4389. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Messing J. New M13 vectors for cloning. Methods Enzymol. 1983;101:20–78. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(83)01005-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Miller J. H. Carcinogens induce targeted mutations in Escherichia coli. Cell. 1982 Nov;31(1):5–7. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90398-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Miller J. H. Mutational specificity in bacteria. Annu Rev Genet. 1983;17:215–238. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.17.120183.001243. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Quiñones A., Kücherer C., Piechocki R., Messer W. Reduced transcription of the rnh gene in Escherichia coli mutants expressing the SOS regulon constitutively. Mol Gen Genet. 1987 Jan;206(1):95–100. doi: 10.1007/BF00326542. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Scheuermann R. H., Echols H. A separate editing exonuclease for DNA replication: the epsilon subunit of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III holoenzyme. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Dec;81(24):7747–7751. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.24.7747. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Scheuermann R., Tam S., Burgers P. M., Lu C., Echols H. Identification of the epsilon-subunit of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III holoenzyme as the dnaQ gene product: a fidelity subunit for DNA replication. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Dec;80(23):7085–7089. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.23.7085. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Takano K., Nakabeppu Y., Maki H., Horiuchi T., Sekiguchi M. Structure and function of dnaQ and mutD mutators of Escherichia coli. Mol Gen Genet. 1986 Oct;205(1):9–13. doi: 10.1007/BF02428026. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. VOGEL H. J., BONNER D. M. Acetylornithinase of Escherichia coli: partial purification and some properties. J Biol Chem. 1956 Jan;218(1):97–106. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Villani G., Boiteux S., Radman M. Mechanism of ultraviolet-induced mutagenesis: extent and fidelity of in vitro DNA synthesis on irradiated templates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Jul;75(7):3037–3041. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.7.3037. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Walker G. C. Mutagenesis and inducible responses to deoxyribonucleic acid damage in Escherichia coli. Microbiol Rev. 1984 Mar;48(1):60–93. doi: 10.1128/mr.48.1.60-93.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Witkin E. M., Kogoma T. Involvement of the activated form of RecA protein in SOS mutagenesis and stable DNA replication in Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Dec;81(23):7539–7543. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.23.7539. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Witkin E. M. Thermal enhancement of ultraviolet mutability in a tif-1 uvrA derivative of Escherichia coli B-r: evidence that ultraviolet mutagenesis depends upon an inducible function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1974 May;71(5):1930–1934. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.5.1930. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. 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]
  28. Witkin E. M., Wermundsen I. E. Targeted and untargeted mutagenesis by various inducers of SOS functions in Escherichia coli. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1979;43(Pt 2):881–886. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1979.043.01.095. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Wood R. D., Hutchinson F. Non-targeted mutagenesis of unirradiated lambda phage in Escherichia coli host cells irradiated with ultraviolet light. J Mol Biol. 1984 Mar 5;173(3):293–305. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(84)90122-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Woodgate R., Bridges B. A., Herrera G., Blanco M. Mutagenic DNA repair in Escherichia coli. XIII. Proofreading exonuclease of DNA polymerase III holoenzyme is not operational during UV mutagenesis. Mutat Res. 1987 Jan;183(1):31–37. doi: 10.1016/0167-8817(87)90042-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. de Boer H. A., Comstock L. J., Vasser M. The tac promoter: a functional hybrid derived from the trp and lac promoters. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Jan;80(1):21–25. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.1.21. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES