Skip to main content
Log in

Altered SOS induction associated with mutations in recF, recO and recR

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Molecular and General Genetics MGG Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The SOS system of Escherichia coli aids survival following damage to DNA by promoting DNA repair while cell division is delayed. Induction of the SOS response is dependent on RecA and also on the product of recF. We show that normal induction also requires the products of recO and recR. SOS induction was monitored using a sfiA-lacZ fusion strain. Induction was delayed to a similar degree by mutation in recF, recO or recR. A similar effect was observed following overexpression of RecR from a recombinant recR +plasmid. We show that the overexpression of RecR also reduces the UV resistance of a recBC sbcBC strain and of a sfiA strain, but not of a rec + sfiA +strain. The implications of these data for the kinetics of DNA repair are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bachmann BJ (1987) Derivations and genotypes of some mutant derivatives of Escherichia coli K-12. In: Neidhardt FC, Ingraham JL, Low KB, Magasanik B, Schaechter M, Umbarger HE (eds) Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium: cellular and molecular biology. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C., pp 1190–1219

    Google Scholar 

  • Cox MM, Lehman IR (1987) Enzymes of general recombination. Annu Rev Biochem 56:229–262

    Google Scholar 

  • deBoer PAJ, Cook WR, Rothfield LI (1990) Bacterial cell division. Annu Rev Genet 24:249–274

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffin TJ, Kolodner RD (1990) Purification and preliminary characterisation of the Escherichia coli K-12 RecF protein. J Bacteriol 172:6291–6299

    Google Scholar 

  • Kushner SR, Nagaishi H, Templin A, Clark AJ (1971) Genetic recombination in Escherichia coli: the role of exonuclease I. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 68:824–827

    Google Scholar 

  • Little JW (1984) Autodigestion of lexA and phage lambda repressors. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 81:1375–1379

    Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd RG, Buckman C (1985) Identification and genetic analysis of sbcC mutations in commonly used recBC sbcB strains of Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol 164:836–844

    Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd RG, Buckman C (1991) Overlapping functions of recD, recJ and recN provide evidence of three epistatic groups of genes in Escherichia coli recombination and DNA repair. Biochimie 73:313–320

    Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd RG, Low KB, Godson GN, Birge EA (1974) Isolation and characterization of an Escherichia coli K-12 mutant with a temperature-sensitive RecA- phenotype. J Bacteriol 120:407–415

    Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd RG, Buckman C, Benson FE (1987) Genetic analysis of conjugational recombination in Escherichia coli K-12 strains deficient in RecBCD enzyme. J Gen Microbiol 133:2531–2538

    Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd RG, Porton MC, Buckman C (1988) Effect of recF, recJ, recN, rec0 and ruv mutations on ultraviolet survival and genetic recombination in a recD strain of Escherichia coli K12. Mol Gen Genet 212:317–324

    Google Scholar 

  • Madiraju MVVS, Clark AJ (1991) Effect of RecF protein on reactions catalysed by RecA protein. Nucleic Acids Res 19:6295–6300

    Google Scholar 

  • Madiraju MVVS, Templin A, Clark AJ (1988) Properties of a mutant recA-encoded protein reveal a possible role for Escherichia coli recF-encoded protein in genetic recombination. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 85:6592–6596

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahdi AA, Lloyd RG (1989a) Identification of the recR locus of Escherichia coli K12 and analysis of its role in recombination and DNA repair. Mol Gen Genet 216:503–510

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahdi AA, Lloyd RG (1989b) The recR locus of Escherichia coli K12: molecular cloning, DNA sequencing and identification of the gene product. Nucleic Acids Res 17:6781–6794

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller JH (1972) Experiments in molecular genetics. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, pp 352–359

    Google Scholar 

  • Moreau PL (1987) Effects of overproduction of single-stranded DNA-binding protein on RecA protein-dependent processes in Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol 194:621–643

    Google Scholar 

  • Moreau PL, Carlier M-F (1989) RecA protein-promoted cleavage of LexA repressor in the presence of ADP and structural analogues of inorganic phosphate, the fluoride complexes of aluminum and beryllium. J Biol Chem 264:2302–2306

    Google Scholar 

  • Sassanfar M, Roberts JW (1990) Nature of the SOS-inducing signal in Escherichia coli. The involvement of DNA replication. J Mol Biol 212:79–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Sawitzke JA, Stahl FW (1992) Phage λ has an analogue of Escherichia coli recO, recR and recF genes. Genetics 130:7–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Thorns B, Wackernagel W (1987) Regulatory role of recF in the SOS response of Escherichia coli: impaired induction of SOS genes by UV irradiation and nalidixic acid in a recF mutant. J Bacteriol 169:1731–1736

    Google Scholar 

  • Umezu K, Chi N, Kolodner RD (1993) Biochemical interaction of the Escherichia coli RecF, RecO, and RecR proteins with RecA protein and single-stranded DNA binding protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 90:3875–3879

    Google Scholar 

  • Volkert MR, Nguyen DC (1984) Induction of specific E. coli genes by sublethal treatments with alkylating agents. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 81:4110–4114

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker GC (1984) Mutagenesis and inducible responses to deoxyribonucleic acid damage in Escherichia coli. Microbiol Rev 48:60–93

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang TCV, Chang HY, Hung JL (1993) Cosuppression of recF mutation, recR mutation and recO mutation by mutant recA alleles in Escherichia coli cells. Mutat Res 294:157–166

    Google Scholar 

  • Yanisch-Perron C, Vieira J, Messing J (1985) Improved M13 phage cloning vectors and host strains: nucleotide sequences of the M13mp18 and pUC19 vectors. Gene 33:103–119

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Communicated by R. Devoret

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Whitby, M.C., Lloyd, R.G. Altered SOS induction associated with mutations in recF, recO and recR . Molec. Gen. Genet. 246, 174–179 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00294680

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00294680

Key words

Navigation