Skip to main content
NCBI 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
. 1985 Sep;82(17):5973–5977. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.17.5973

Mini-F plasmid-induced SOS signal in Escherichia coli is RecBC dependent.

A Bailone, S Sommer, R Devoret
PMCID: PMC390676  PMID: 3898076

Abstract

Dispensable replicons such as F plasmid [95 kilobases (kb)] or its mini-derivatives such as mini-F (9.3 kb) or lambda mini-F efficiently induced cellular SOS genes such as sfiA (sulA) when they were damaged by UV irradiation and then introduced into a recipient bacterium. To generate an SOS signal, UV light-damaged mini-F or mini-F conditional mutants deficient in replication required that the bacterial RecBC enzyme retained some activity different from the nuclease activity that was dispensable. In contrast, UV light-damaged F plasmid produced an SOS signal independently of the activity of the RecBC enzyme and of the expression of the mini-F, -H, and -G proteins. Our findings are consistent with a picture in which the SOS signal is constituted by stretches of single-stranded DNA on a replicon. Moreover, our present data combined with other data previously published lead to the hypothesis that the SOS signal induced by mini-F plasmid is located in trans on the host chromosome, whereas the one generated by UV light-damaged F plasmid is in cis on the transferred DNA.

Full text

PDF
5973

Selected References

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

  1. Bailone A., Brandenburger A., Lévine A., Pierre M., Dutreix M., Devoret R. Indirect SOS induction is promoted by ultraviolet light-damaged miniF and requires the miniF lynA locus. J Mol Biol. 1984 Nov 5;179(3):367–390. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(84)90071-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Benbow R. M., Devoret R., Howard-Flanders P. Indirect ultraviolet induction and curing in E. coli cells lysogenic for bacteriophage lambda. Mol Gen Genet. 1973;120(4):355–368. doi: 10.1007/BF00268149. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bex F., Karoui H., Rokeach L., Drèze P., Garcia L., Couturier M. Mini-F encoded proteins: identification of a new 10.5 kilodalton species. EMBO J. 1983;2(11):1853–1861. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1983.tb01671.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brandenburger A., Bailone A., Lévine A., Devoret R. Gratuitous induction. J Mol Biol. 1984 Nov 5;179(3):571–576. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(84)90082-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Casaregola S., D'Ari R., Huisman O. Quantitative evaluation of recA gene expression in Escherichia coli. Mol Gen Genet. 1982;185(3):430–439. doi: 10.1007/BF00334135. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Chaudhury A. M., Smith G. R. A new class of Escherichia coli recBC mutants: implications for the role of RecBC enzyme in homologous recombination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Dec;81(24):7850–7854. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.24.7850. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Chaudhury A. M., Smith G. R. Escherichia coli recBC deletion mutants. J Bacteriol. 1984 Nov;160(2):788–791. doi: 10.1128/jb.160.2.788-791.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Couturier M., Janssens J., Bex F., Desmyter A., Bonnevalle I. Construction in vitro of "phage-plasmid" chimerae: a new tool to analyse the mechanism of plasmid maintenance. Mol Gen Genet. 1979 Jan 16;169(1):113–116. doi: 10.1007/BF00267552. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Craig N. L., Roberts J. W. E. coli recA protein-directed cleavage of phage lambda repressor requires polynucleotide. Nature. 1980 Jan 3;283(5742):26–30. doi: 10.1038/283026a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Devoret R., George J. Induction indirecte du prophage lambda par le rayonnement ultraviolet. Mutat Res. 1967 Nov-Dec;4(6):713–734. doi: 10.1016/0027-5107(67)90081-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Devoret R., Pierre M., Moreau P. L. Prophage phi 80 is induced in Escherichia coli K12 recA430. Mol Gen Genet. 1983;189(2):199–206. doi: 10.1007/BF00337804. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Drlica K. Biology of bacterial deoxyribonucleic acid topoisomerases. Microbiol Rev. 1984 Dec;48(4):273–289. doi: 10.1128/mr.48.4.273-289.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Eichenlaub R. Mutants of the mini-F plasmid pML31 thermosensitive in replication. J Bacteriol. 1979 May;138(2):559–566. doi: 10.1128/jb.138.2.559-566.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. 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]
  15. George J., Devoret R. Conjugal transfer of UV-damaged F-prime sex factors and indirect induction of prophage- . Mol Gen Genet. 1971;111(2):103–119. doi: 10.1007/BF00267786. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. 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]
  17. Gudas L. J., Pardee A. B. Model for regulation of Escherichia coli DNA repair functions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Jun;72(6):2330–2334. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.6.2330. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Howard-Flanders P., Rupp W. D., Wilkins B. M., Cole R. S. DNA replication and recombination after UV irradiation. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1968;33:195–207. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1968.033.01.023. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Huisman O., D'Ari R. An inducible DNA replication-cell division coupling mechanism in E. coli. Nature. 1981 Apr 30;290(5809):797–799. doi: 10.1038/290797a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Huisman O., D'Ari R. Effect of suppressors of SOS-mediated filamentation on sfiA operon expression in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1983 Jan;153(1):169–175. doi: 10.1128/jb.153.1.169-175.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Karoui H., Bex F., Drèze P., Couturier M. Ham22, a mini-F mutation which is lethal to host cell and promotes recA-dependent induction of lambdoid prophage. EMBO J. 1983;2(11):1863–1868. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1983.tb01672.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Little J. W., Mount D. W. The SOS regulatory system of Escherichia coli. Cell. 1982 May;29(1):11–22. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90085-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Lovett M. A., Helinski D. R. Method for the isolation of the replication region of a bacterial replicon: construction of a mini-F'kn plasmid. J Bacteriol. 1976 Aug;127(2):982–987. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.2.982-987.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Miki T., Chang Z. T., Horiuchi T. Control of cell division by sex factor F in Escherichia coli. II. Identification of genes for inhibitor protein and trigger protein on the 42.84-43.6 F segment. J Mol Biol. 1984 Apr 25;174(4):627–646. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(84)90087-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Miki T., Yoshioka K., Horiuchi T. Control of cell division by sex factor F in Escherichia coli. I. The 42.84-43.6 F segment couples cell division of the host bacteria with replication of plasmid DNA. J Mol Biol. 1984 Apr 25;174(4):605–625. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(84)90086-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Moreau P. L., Pelico J. V., Devoret R. Cleavage of lambda repressor and synthesis of RecA protein induced by transferred UV-damaged F sex factor. Mol Gen Genet. 1982;186(2):170–179. doi: 10.1007/BF00331847. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Mori H., Ogura T., Hiraga S. Prophage lambda induction caused by mini-F plasmid genes. Mol Gen Genet. 1984;196(2):185–193. doi: 10.1007/BF00328049. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Rosner J. L., Kass L. R., Yarmolinsky M. B. Parallel behavior of F and Pl in causing indirect induction of lysogenic bacteria. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1968;33:785–789. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1968.033.01.090. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Smith C. L., Oishi M. Early events and mechanisms in the induction of bacterial SOS functions: analysis of the phage repressor inactivation process in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Apr;75(4):1657–1661. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.4.1657. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. 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]
  31. Witkin E. M. From Gainesville to Toulouse: the evolution of a model. Biochimie. 1982 Aug-Sep;64(8-9):549–555. doi: 10.1016/s0300-9084(82)80086-2. [DOI] [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