This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hill, T. Articles by Strauss, B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hill, T. Articles by Strauss, B.

Mutagen Stability of Alkylation-Sensitive Mutants of Bacillus subtilis

^a Department of Microbiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637

ABSTRACT

A series of mutations of Bacillus subtilis, conferring sensitivity to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), were transferred by transformation to a suppressible his^– stock. The introduction of certain sensitivity mutations prevented the ultraviolet- or MMS-induced, but not the spontaneous, reversion of his^– to his⁺. Not all sensitivity mutations led to this resistance to mutagenesis; a strain with altered deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase activity behaved almost normally with respect to its mutagen response, as did an excision-defective, ultraviolet-sensitive strain used as a control. One of the mutagen-stable strains responded to mutagenesis with nitrosomethylguanidine; another appeared stable even to this mutagen. All mutagen-stable strains had DNA polymerase and DNA ligase activity.

¹ Present address: Department of Radiation Biology and Biophysics, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, N.Y. 14620.