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
. 1972 Nov;69(11):3238–3242. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.11.3238

A Mutant of Escherichia coli Defective in DNA Polymerase II Activity

Yukinori Hirota *, Malcolm Gefter †, Leonard Mindich ‡
PMCID: PMC389744  PMID: 4564210

Abstract

A mutant of E. coli defective in DNA polymerase II activity was isolated. Extracts had about 0.1% of the normal activity of the DNA polymerase. The effect of the mutation on the ability of cells to replicate DNA of various sources was analyzed. Mutant bacteria grow normally, at 41° as well as at 30°. All bacteriophages, F factors, and R factors examined so far grow normally in the mutant. Sensitivity of the mutant to ultraviolet radiation and alkylating reagents in growth media was the same as that of the wild type.

The mutation, polB1, is recessive with respect to wild type. The polB1 mutation can coexist with recombination-defective mutations. Genetic mapping studies show the mutation to be located at about 2 min on the E. coli map.

Keywords: genetic mapping, bacteriophage

Full text

PDF

Selected References

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

  1. Bertani L. E., Bertani G. Genetics of P2 and related phages. Adv Genet. 1971;16:199–237. doi: 10.1016/s0065-2660(08)60359-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Campbell J. L., Soll L., Richardson C. C. Isolation and partial characterization of a mutant of Escherichia coli deficient in DNA polymerase II. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Aug;69(8):2090–2094. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.8.2090. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. De Lucia P., Cairns J. Isolation of an E. coli strain with a mutation affecting DNA polymerase. Nature. 1969 Dec 20;224(5225):1164–1166. doi: 10.1038/2241164a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gefter M. L., Hirota Y., Kornberg T., Wechsler J. A., Barnoux C. Analysis of DNA polymerases II and 3 in mutants of Escherichia coli thermosensitive for DNA synthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1971 Dec;68(12):3150–3153. doi: 10.1073/pnas.68.12.3150. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Goebel W. Replication of the DNA of the colicinogenic factor E 1 (Col E 1 ) at the restrictive temperature in a DNA replication mutant thermosensitive for DNA polymerase. 3. Nat New Biol. 1972 May 17;237(72):67–70. doi: 10.1038/newbio237067a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gross J. D., Grunstein J., Witkin E. M. Inviability of recA- derivatives of the DNA polymerase mutant of De Lucia and Cairns. J Mol Biol. 1971 Jun 14;58(2):631–634. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(71)90377-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gross J., Gross M. Genetic analysis of an E. coli strain with a mutation affecting DNA polymerase. Nature. 1969 Dec 20;224(5225):1166–1168. doi: 10.1038/2241166a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. ISHIBASHI M., SUGINO Y., HIROTA Y. CHROMOSOMAL LOCATION OF THYMINE AND ARGININE GENES IN ESCHERICHIA COLI AND AN F' INCORPORATING THEM. J Bacteriol. 1964 Mar;87:554–561. doi: 10.1128/jb.87.3.554-561.1964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. JACOB F., WOLLMAN E. L. Sur les processus de conjugaison et de recombinaison génétique chez Escherichia coli. IV. Prophages inductibles et mesure des segments génétiques transferés au cours de la conjugaison. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1958 Nov;95(5):497–519. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Knippers R. DNA polymerase II. Nature. 1970 Dec 12;228(5276):1050–1053. doi: 10.1038/2281050a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kornberg A. Active center of DNA polymerase. Science. 1969 Mar 28;163(3874):1410–1418. doi: 10.1126/science.163.3874.1410. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kornberg T., Gefter M. L. Purification and DNA synthesis in cell-free extracts: properties of DNA polymerase II. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1971 Apr;68(4):761–764. doi: 10.1073/pnas.68.4.761. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. LENNOX E. S. Transduction of linked genetic characters of the host by bacteriophage P1. Virology. 1955 Jul;1(2):190–206. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(55)90016-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Moses R. E., Richardson C. C. A new DNA polymerase acitvity of Escherichia coli. II. Properties of the enzyme purified from wild-type E. coli and DNA-ts mutants. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1970 Dec 24;41(6):1565–1571. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(70)90566-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Tamaki S., Sato T., Matsuhashi M. Role of lipopolysaccharides in antibiotic resistance and bacteriophage adsorption of Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol. 1971 Mar;105(3):968–975. doi: 10.1128/jb.105.3.968-975.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Taylor A. L. Current linkage map of Escherichia coli. Bacteriol Rev. 1970 Jun;34(2):155–175. doi: 10.1128/br.34.2.155-175.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Wechsler J. A., Gross J. D. Escherichia coli mutants temperature-sensitive for DNA synthesis. Mol Gen Genet. 1971;113(3):273–284. doi: 10.1007/BF00339547. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Wickner R. B., Ginsberg B., Berkower I., Hurwitz J. Deoxyribonucleic acid plymerase II. of Escherichia coli. I. The purification and characterization of the enzyme. J Biol Chem. 1972 Jan 25;247(2):489–497. [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