Summary
Several mutants of the unicellular blue-green alga Synechocystis aquatilis Sanv. were isolated. They differed from the wild type by the levels of sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The most sensitive mutant is unable to carry out photoreactivation and shows increased resistance to mitomycin C, N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and methyl methanesulfonate. This strain shows an enhanced rate of spontaneous and UV-induced mutagenesis. Another UV-sensitive mutant with normal level of X-ray sensitivity is characterized by a decreased mutability. The three other UV-sensitive mutants show simultaneous decrease of resistance to X-ray and alkylating agents. The existence of these cross-sensitive mutants indicates that a repair mechanism may operate in blue-green algae similar to dark repair systems of bacteria and yeast.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Eisenstark, A., Eisenstark, R., Van Dillewijn, J., Rörsch, A.: Radiation sensitive and recombinationless mutants of Salmonella thyphimurium. Mutation Res. 8, 497–506 (1969).
—, Ruff, D.: Repair in phage and bacteria inactivated by light from fluorescent and photo lamps. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 38, 244–248 (1970).
Fedorova, I. V.: The gene-controlled radiation sensitivity in yeast. V. Studies on UV-sensitive mutants and their capacity to photoreactivation. Genetika (Russ.) 12, 120–128 (1969).
Gromov, B. V., Avilov, I. A.: Effect of cultivation conditions on the growth of a blue-green alga Synechocystis aquatilis Sanv. Physiol. Rasteny (Russ.) 16, 1088–1091 (1969).
Hanawalt, P. C.: Cellular recovery from photochemical damage. In: A. C. Giese, ed.: Photophysiology, pp. 203–251. New York: Academic Press 1968.
Harm, W.: The role of host-cell repair in liquid-holding recovery of UV-irradiated Escherichia coli. Photochem. Photobiol. 5, 747–760 (1966).
—, Hillbrandt, B.: A non-photoreactivable mutant of E. coli B. Photochem. Photobiol. 1, 271–272 (1962).
Howard-Flanders, P.: DNA repair. Ann. Rev. Biochem. 37, 175–200 (1968).
—, Boyce, R. P.: DNA repair and genetic recombination: studies on mutants of Escherichia coli defective in these processes. Radiat. Res., Suppl. 6, 156–184 (1966).
Kato, T., Kondo, S.: Genetic and molecular characteristics of X-ray-sensitive mutants of Escherichia coli defective in repair synthesis. J. Bact. 104, 371–381 (1970).
Kondo, S., Ichikawa, H., Iwo, K., Kato, T.: Base-change mutagenesis and prophage induction in strains of Escherichia coli with different DNA repair capacities. Genetics 66, 187–217 (1970).
—, Jagger, J.: Action spectra for photoreactivation of mutation to prototrophy in strains of E. coli possessing and lacking photoreactivating enzyme-activity. Photochem. Photobiol. 5, 189–200 (1966).
Kratz, W. A., Myers, J.: Nutrition and growth of several blue-green algae. Amer. J. Bot. 42, 282–287 (1955).
Kraus, M.: Resistance of blue-gree algae to 60Co γ-irradiation. Rad. Bot. 9, 481–488 (1969).
Kumar, H. D.: Effect of radiation on blue-green algae. Ann. Bot. 28, 555–564 (1964).
—: Action of mutagenic chemicals on Anacystis nidulans. II. Ethyl methanesulfonate. Beitr. Biol. Pflanzen 45, 161–170 (1968a).
—: Action of mutagenic chemicals on Anacystis nidulans. III. N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. Arch. Mikrobiol. 63, 95–102 (1968b).
Moseley, B. E. B.: The isolation and some properties of radiation sensitive mutants of Micrococcus radiodurans. J. gen. Microbiol. 49, 293–300 (1967).
Paterson, M. C., Boyle, J. M., Setlow, R. B.: Ultraviolet-and X-ray-induced responses of a deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase-deficient mutant of Escherichia coli. Bact. 107, 61–67 (1971).
Resnick, M. A.: A photoreactivationless mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Photochem. Photobiol. 9, 573–595 (1969).
Saito, N., Werbin, H.: Purification of a blue-green algal DNA-photo-reactivating enzyme. Biochemistry 9, 2610–2617 (1970).
Setlow, J. K., Brown, D. C., Boling, M. E., Mattingly, A., Gordon, M. P.: Repair of deoxyribonucleic acid in Haemophilus influenzae. J. Bact. 95, 546–558 (1968).
Shestakov, S. V.: Mutagenesis and repair systems in unicellular blue-green algae. Abst. Ist Internat. Symp. on Taxonomy and Biology of blue-green algae, pp. 47–49. Madras 1970.
—, Mitronova, T. N.: Resistant to erythromycin or streptomycin mutants of a blue-green alga Anacystis nidulans. Biol. Nauki (Russ.) 2, 98–102 (1971).
Singh, H. N.: Effect of acriflavine on ultraviolet sensitivity of normal, ultraviolet sensitive and ultraviolet resistant strains of a blue-green alga, Anacystis nidulans. Rad. Bot. 8, 355–361 (1968).
Stevens, S. E., Jr., Van Baalen, C.: N-Methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine as a mutagen for blue-green algae: evidence for repair. J. Phycol. 5, 136–139 (1969).
Stoletov, V. N., Zhevner, V. D., Garibian, D. V., Shestakov, S. V.: Pigment mutations in Anacystis nidulans induced by nitrosomethyl urea. Genetika (Russ.) 6, 61–66 (1965).
Tuveson, R. W., Mangan, J.: A UV-sensitive mutant of Neurospora defective for photoreactivation. Mutation Res. 9, 455–466 (1970).
Van Baalen, C.: Mutation of the blue-green alga, Anacystis nidulans. Science 149 70 (1965).
—: The effect of ultraviolet irradiation on a coccoid blue-green alga: survival, photosynthesis, and photoreactivation. Plant Physiol. 43, 1689–1695 (1968).
Webb, R. B., Malina, M. M.: Mutagenesis in Escherichia coli by visible light. Science 156, 1104 (1967).
Werbin, H., Rupert, C. S.: Presence of photoreactivating enzyme in blue-green algal cells. Photochem. Photobiol. 7, 225–230 (1968).
Witkin, E. M.: Ultraviolet-induced mutation and DNA repair. Ann. Rev. Microbiol. 23, 487–514 (1969).
Zamenhof, S., Heldenmuth, L. H., Zamenhof, P. J.: Studies on mechanisms for the maintenance of constant mutability: mutability and the resistance to mutagens. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 55, 50–58 (1966).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhevner, V.D., Shestakov, S.V. Studies on the ultraviolet-sensitive mutants of blue-green alga Synechocystis aquatilis Sanv.. Archiv. Mikrobiol. 86, 349–360 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00424991
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00424991