RecA-independent mutagenesis in Escherichia coli: effects of umuC and mucB mutations

Abstract

We have studied the effects of a umuC mutation on reversion of the lacZ19124 and lacZ19136 frameshift markers of Escherichia coli. Introduction of a umuC::Tn5 mutation into a strain carrying the lacZ19136 marker resulted in enhanced reversion by 9-aminoacridine and the acridine half-mustard ICR191, whereas reversion of the lacZ19124 marker was decreased (but not abolished) in a umuC strain. The reversion frequency of the lacZ19136 marker was decreased by the presence of plasmid pKM101, and further decreased by a derivative of pKM101 in which the mucB gene was inactivated by a Tn5 insertion. The reversion frequency of the lacZ19124 marker was relatively unchanged by either plasmid. Since both 9-aminoacridine and ICR191 mutagenesis of these strains is independent of the recA+ and lexA+ gene products, these results may suggest a broader role for the UmuC protein in regulating induced mutation frequencies than has previously been suspected. The contrasting effects of the umuC and mucB mutations on reversion of the lacZ19136 marker may suggest a copy number effect, or perhaps more likely that there are inherent (functional) differences between the UmuC and MucB proteins.