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Chromosomal mutations causing resistance to tetracycline in Bacillus subtilis

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Summary

We have isolated, after ethylmethanesulfonate mutagenesis, several chromosomal mutations causing resistance to tetracycline in Bacillus subtilis. These mutations fall into two classes, tetA and tetB. 30 S ribosomal protein S10 shows an altered mobility on two-dimensional acrylamide gels in cells bearing the former type of mutation. Ribosomes from these cells show elevated levels of resistance to tetracycline in vitro as measured by polyuridine dependent polyphenylalanine synthesis. The tetA locus maps adjacent to the tuf gene in the B. subtilis ribosomal protein gene cluster. Cells with the tetB mutation do not show any altered ribosomal protein, and their ribosomes are as sensitive, in vitro, to tetracycline as ribosomes isolated from wild type cells. The tetB mutation has been mapped proximal to cysA14.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, The Public Health Research Institute of The City of New York, Inc., 10016, New York, NY, USA

    George Williams & Issar Smith

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  1. George Williams
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  2. Issar Smith
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Communicated by A. Böck

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the doctoral degree by G.W. in the Department of Biology at the New York University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

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Williams, G., Smith, I. Chromosomal mutations causing resistance to tetracycline in Bacillus subtilis . Molec. Gen. Genet. 177, 23–29 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00267249

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00267249

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