Inhibition of mutation induction and unchanged mutational specificity in Escherichia coli K12 overproducing the RecA protein.

Induced mutagenesis was studied in Escherichia coli K12 cells in relation to the level of RecA-protein (P-RecA). In experiments strains AB2497, AB2497(pBR322) and AB2497(pX02) were used. The multicopy plasmid pX02 is a recombinant of pBR322 and recA+ gene of E. coli K12. Cells carrying this plasmid overproduce the P-RecA constitutively. Mutagenesis was induced by the decay of incorporated 6-3H-thymidine. Mutations of the argE3 (ochre) to Arg+ prototrophy were followed. Besides the frequency of mutations, mutagenic specificity was determined. In cells AB2497(pX02) which overproduce the P-RecA the yield of Arg+ revertants was markedly reduced compared with that in strains AB2497 or AB2497(pBR322), whereas the mutagenic specificity was not changed. In all the strains studied the predominant type of mutation produced was the base substitution in the A:T base pair.