Physiological modifications in the production and repair of methyl methane sulfonate-induced breaks in the deoxyribonucleic acid of Escherichia coli K-12.

The medium in which Rec(+) strains of Escherichia coli K-12 are grown affected their sensitivity to treatment with methyl methane sulfonate (MMS). Rec(+) cells grown to the stationary phase in glucose-enriched nutrient broth (GNB) were more resistant to MMS than cells grown in nutrient broth (NB). The repair of MMS-induced breaks (or alkali-labile bonds) in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from E. coli K-12 strains AB1157, AB1886 uvrA6, and SR111 recA13 recB21 grown in GNB and NB media was examined by means of alkaline sucrose gradient centrifugation. It appeared that essentially all of the repair of breaks that occurred, as evidenced by an increase in "molecular weight," took place within 10 min after treatment with MMS under our conditions. Cell survival was highest in cells for which the size of the DNA after the post-treatment incubation was the largest. The largest DNA after post-treatment incubation was found in Rec(+) cells grown in GNB medium. The results suggest that these cells may have an enhanced capacity for repairing breaks in DNA.