Interaction of mutagenic spermidine-nitrous acid reaction products with uvr- and recA-dependent repair systems in Salmonella.

It has been observed previously that the mutagenic action of nitrous acid may be potentiated by polyamines. We examined the cellular response of two deoxyribonucleic acid repair systems to treatment with spermidine-nitrite reaction products. uvrB- deficient mutants of Salmonella typhimurium LT2 showed enhanced lethal and mutagenic response to the reaction products. Lethal activity was further enhanced in a uvrB recA double mutant, whereas mutagenic activity was not detectable. Dependence of mutagenesis on the recA gene implicates the action of an error-prone repair system in the fixation of a premutagenic lesion as a mutation. From consideration of the substrate characteristics of the two repair systems studied, it is suggested that the deoxyribonucleic acid lesion formed by the reaction products of spermidine and nitrite is an intrastrand cross-link.