Detection of oxidative mutagens in strains of Escherichia coli deficient in the OxyR or MutY functions: dependence on SOS mutagenesis

Abstract

The Escherichia coli strain IC3821, a ΔoxyR derivative of WP2 uvrA trpE65, was more sensitive to mutagenicity promoted by t-butyl hydroperoxide and cumene hydroperoxide than the isogenic oxyR + control. Mutagenicity of menadione, a redox cycling quinone, was clearly detected in the ΔoxyR strain, whereas only a slight mutagenic response was observed in the oxyR + strain. Plumbagin, another quinone structurally similar to menadione, was not mutagenic to any of the strains. These mutagenic responses appeared to involve the SOS processing of oxidative DNA lesions and were mediated by MucA B proteins more efficiently than by UmuD C . In cells lacking mutagenesis proteins, induction of SOS-independent mutations by the two alkyl hydroperoxides required a deficiency in the MutY DNA glycosylase and was increased by the presence of the ΔoxyR mutation. In contrast, the two quinones assayed were unable to induce SOS-independent mutations in the MutY-deficient strains.