Alteration of plasmid DNA-mediated transformation and mutation induced by covalent binding of benzo[alpha]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-oxide in Escherichia coli.

Plasmid-mediated transformation and mutagenesis induced by (+/-)-trans-benzo[alpha]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-oxide (BP-DEI) in recipient Escherichia coli (E. coli) have been studied. Because plasmid DNA is used, the system is entirely free from direct toxic effects of BP-DEI on the recipient cells. Plasmid pK0482 DNA, which has two dominant genes, beta-lactamase (amp-r) and galactokinase (galK) was modified with BP-DEI prior to its transformation of E. coli N99, AB1157, AB2463(recA-) and AB1886(uvrA-). Transformants were selected by ampicillin resistance and mutations were analyzed simultaneously by the altered expression of the galK gene. (1) Approx. 3 molecules of BP-DEI per molecule of pK0482 DNA decreased the transformation efficiency to 37% in AB1157 and the mutation frequency in this strain was proportional to the amount of BP-DEI covalently bound to pK0482 DNA. (2) In Ab1886(uvrA-) a 37% transformation efficiency was produced by only 1 molecule of BP-DEI per molecule of pK0482 DNA, and the mutation frequency in this strain was higher than in AB1157. (3) In AB2463(recA-), the transformation efficiency was similar to that obtained with AB1157, but mutagenesis was clearly suppressed. (4) Polyacrylamide gel patterns of restriction digests of the pK0482 mutated at the galK gene were indistinguishable from those of the unmutated plasmid DNA.