Induction of dnaN and dnaQ gene expression in Escherichia coli by alkylation damage to DNA.

The dnaN and dnaQ genes encode the beta-subunit and the epsilon-subunit of the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme. By transcriptional fusions to the galK gene, translational fusions to lacZ and comparative S1 mapping analysis, we investigated the in-vivo regulation of dnaN and dnaQ. We found that DNA damage caused by the alkylating agent methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) leads to a significant induction in dnaN and dnaQ gene expression suggesting a requirement of increased amounts of at least some DNA polymerase III holoenzyme subunits for recovery from DNA damage caused by MMS. These results are first evidences that subunits of the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme are DNA damage inducible. This MMS induction of dnaN and dnaQ gene expression is unrelated to the adaptive response. It was not observed in lexA and recA mutants which abolish the induction of the SOS response.