Mutagen stability of alkylation-sensitive mutants of Bacillus subtilis.

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.