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Mutation frequency decline in Escherichia coli. II. Kinetics support the involvement of transcription-coupled excision repair

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Abstract

Mutation frequency decline (MFD) in Escherichia coli was examined to demonstrate repair of targeting photoproducts during the post-UV incubation required in this process. Repair of mutation-targeting cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (T <> C) was demonstrated when a correlation was established between the mutation frequency normally associated with these lesions and the rate of mutation production at these lesions by spontaneous deamination of cytosines and photoreversal in ung-defective cells. An incubation producing a decline in mutation frequency, i.e., MFD, also produces lower rates of mutation increase via the deamination mechanism. Since the latter assay involves processes entirely within the post-UV incubation period, the lower rates are attributed to rapid transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (TCR) that reduces the number of relevant T <> C dimers during this period. Rediscovery of the neglected fact that MFD can be stimulated by post-UV incubation in buffer alone is part of the analysis. Results presented here and a variety of others are discussed to support a model of MFD as a particular example of TCR: effective repair of photoproducts in the transcribed DNA strand that target glutamine tRNA suppressor mutations occurs during the appropriate post-UV incubation and is responsible for MFD.

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  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 46202-5120, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    R. Bockrath & B. -H. Li

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  1. R. Bockrath
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  2. B. -H. Li
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Communicated by R. Devoret

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Bockrath, R., Li, B.H. Mutation frequency decline in Escherichia coli. II. Kinetics support the involvement of transcription-coupled excision repair. Molec. Gen. Genet. 249, 591–599 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00418028

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00418028

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