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
. 1981 Jun;78(6):3450–3453. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.6.3450

Repair of DNA double-strand breaks in Escherichia coli cells requires synthesis of proteins that can be induced by UV light.

F Krasin, F Hutchinson
PMCID: PMC319586  PMID: 7022449

Abstract

The repair of DNA double-strand breaks in Escherichia coli cells irradiated with gamma rays occurs only after new proteins are synthesized in response to damage introduced in the genome DNA. One protein whose synthesis is thus induced is the recA protein, and previous work has shown that recA- cells do not repair double-strand breaks. However, inducing recA protein by treating cells with nalidixic acid does not induce repair of double-strand breaks, so this repair requires more than the presence of the recA protein. When repair of double-strand breaks is blocked, the genome DNA is degraded by an endonuclease-like action. Evidence is presented to show that the inducible inhibition of DNA degradation after x-irradiation [Pollard, E. C. & Randall, E. P. (1973) Radiat. Res. 55, 265] is probably caused by the inducible repair of DNA double-strand breaks.

Full text

PDF
3450

Selected References

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

  1. Cooper P. K., Hanawalt P. C. Role of DNA polymerase I and the rec system in excision-repair in Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 May;69(5):1156–1160. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.5.1156. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cunningham R. P., Shibata T., DasGupta C., Radding C. M. Single strands induce recA protein to unwind duplex DNA for homologous pairing. Nature. 1979 Sep 20;281(5728):191–195. doi: 10.1038/281191a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Emmerson P. T., West S. C. Identification of protein X of Escherichia coli as the recA+/tif+ gene product. Mol Gen Genet. 1977 Sep 21;155(1):77–85. doi: 10.1007/BF00268563. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gellert M., Mizuuchi K., O'Dea M. H., Itoh T., Tomizawa J. I. Nalidixic acid resistance: a second genetic character involved in DNA gyrase activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Nov;74(11):4772–4776. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.11.4772. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. 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]
  6. Gudas L. J., Pardee A. B. DNA synthesis inhibition and the induction of protein X in Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1976 Mar 15;101(4):459–477. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(76)90240-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hutchinson F., Stein J. Mutagenesis of ultraviolet-irradiated lambda phage by host cell irradiation: induction of Weigle mutagenesis is not an all-or-none process. Mol Gen Genet. 1980 Jan;177(2):207–211. doi: 10.1007/BF00267431. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Inouye M., Pardee A. B. Changes of membrane proteins and their relation to deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis and cell division of Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem. 1970 Nov 10;245(21):5813–5819. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kenyon C. J., Walker G. C. DNA-damaging agents stimulate gene expression at specific loci in Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 May;77(5):2819–2823. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.5.2819. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Krasin F., Hutchinson F. Repair of DNA double-strand breaks in Escherichia coli, which requires recA function and the presence of a duplicate genome. J Mol Biol. 1977 Oct 15;116(1):81–98. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(77)90120-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Little J. W., Edmiston S. H., Pacelli L. Z., Mount D. W. Cleavage of the Escherichia coli lexA protein by the recA protease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Jun;77(6):3225–3229. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.6.3225. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. McEntee K., Weinstock G. M., Lehman I. R. Initiation of general recombination catalyzed in vitro by the recA protein of Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Jun;76(6):2615–2619. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.6.2615. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Pollard E. C., Achey P. M. Induction of radioresistance in Escherichia coli. Biophys J. 1975 Nov;15(11):1141–1154. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(75)85890-5. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Pollard E. C. Induced radioresistance in four strains of Escherichia coli, two with lambda lysogens. Biophys J. 1978 Jun;22(3):431–438. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(78)85497-6. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Pollard E. C., Randall E. P. Studies on the inducible inhibitor of radiation-induced DNA degradation of Escherichia coli. Radiat Res. 1973 Aug;55(2):265–279. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Roberts J. W., Roberts C. W., Craig N. L. Escherichia coli recA gene product inactivates phage lambda repressor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Oct;75(10):4714–4718. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.10.4714. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. 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]
  18. Roberts J. W., Roberts C. W. Proteolytic cleavage of bacteriophage lambda repressor in induction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Jan;72(1):147–151. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.1.147. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Satta G., Gudas L. J., Pardee A. B. Degradation of Escherichia coli DNA: evidence for limitation in vivo by protein X, the recA gene product. Mol Gen Genet. 1979 Jan 5;168(1):69–80. doi: 10.1007/BF00267935. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sedgwick S. G. Inducible error-prone repair in Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Jul;72(7):2753–2757. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.7.2753. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Shibata T., Cunningham R. P., DasGupta C., Radding C. M. Homologous pairing in genetic recombination: complexes of recA protein and DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Oct;76(10):5100–5104. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.10.5100. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Shibata T., DasGupta C., Cunningham R. P., Radding C. M. Homologous pairing in genetic recombination: formation of D loops by combined action of recA protein and a helix-destabilizing protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 May;77(5):2606–2610. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.5.2606. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Shibata T., DasGupta C., Cunningham R. P., Radding C. M. Purified Escherichia coli recA protein catalyzes homologous pairing of superhelical DNA and single-stranded fragments. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Apr;76(4):1638–1642. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.4.1638. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Smith K. C., Martignoni K. D. Protection of Escherichia coli cells against the lethal effects of ultraviolet and x irradiation by prior x irradiation: a genetic and physiological study. Photochem Photobiol. 1976 Dec;24(6):515–523. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1976.tb06868.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Sugino A., Peebles C. L., Kreuzer K. N., Cozzarelli N. R. Mechanism of action of nalidixic acid: purification of Escherichia coli nalA gene product and its relationship to DNA gyrase and a novel nicking-closing enzyme. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Nov;74(11):4767–4771. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.11.4767. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Weinstock G. M., McEntee K., Lehman I. R. ATP-dependent renaturation of DNA catalyzed by the recA protein of Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Jan;76(1):126–130. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.1.126. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. West S. C., Cassuto E., Mursalim J., Howard-Flanders P. Recognition of duplex DNA containing single-stranded regions by recA protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 May;77(5):2569–2573. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.5.2569. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. West S. C., Emmerson P. T. Induction of protein synthesis in Escherichia coli following UV- or gamma-irradiation, mitomycin C treatment or tif Expression. Mol Gen Genet. 1977 Feb 28;151(1):57–67. doi: 10.1007/BF00446913. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. 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 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES