Summary
Indirect ultraviolet induction of prophage λ occurs when lysogenic E. coli K12 cells are mated with ultraviolet-irradiated donor strains carrying a transmissible episome such as F lac +. Indirect induction occurs in wild type, uvrA, or recB recipient lysogens, but not in recA lysogens. When nonpermissive lysogens carrying prophages λ susO or λ susP are similarly mated, the defective prophages are induced and indirect curing takes place.
Although indirect induction is independent of the capacity of the lysogen for repair by pyrimidine dimer excision, indirect curing (and hence indirect induction) is subject to photoreactivation when the recipient lysogen is exposed to visible light after mating. This confirms that the structure initiating indirect ultraviolet induction is a damaged transferred episome consisting of one DNA strand containing ultraviolet photoproducts and a newly synthesized discontinuous DNA strand such that pyrimidine dimers remain in single-stranded regions.
F- lac + recombinants are formed in either nonlysogenic or lysogenic Lac- cells receiving damaged F lac + episomes from ultraviolet irradiated F lac + donors. λ prophage induction occurs more frequently in zygotes that form Lac+ recombinants than in zygotes that remain Lac-. In contrast, cells receiving intact (undamaged) episomes are converted to F lac + secondary donors, but are rarely induced or cured.
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Communicated by G. Bertani
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Benbow, R.M., Devoret, R. & Howard-Flanders, P. Indirect ultraviolet induction and curing in E. coli cells lysogenic for bacteriophage λ. Molec. Gen. Genet. 120, 355–368 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00268149
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00268149