Mutation rate is reduced by increased dosage of mutL gene in Escherichia coli K-12
Juan-Carlos Galán
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal (Unidad Asociada al CSIC ‘Resistencia a Antibióticos y Virulencia Bacteriana’) and CIBER-ESP, Madrid, Spain
Search for more papers by this authorMaría-Carmen Turrientes
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal (Unidad Asociada al CSIC ‘Resistencia a Antibióticos y Virulencia Bacteriana’) and CIBER-ESP, Madrid, Spain
Search for more papers by this authorMaría-Rosario Baquero
Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio, Madrid, Spain
Search for more papers by this authorManuel Rodríguez-Alcayna
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal (Unidad Asociada al CSIC ‘Resistencia a Antibióticos y Virulencia Bacteriana’) and CIBER-ESP, Madrid, Spain
Search for more papers by this authorJorge Martínez-Amado
Departamento de Biotecnología Microbiana, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Madrid, Spain
Search for more papers by this authorJosé-Luis Martínez
Departamento de Biotecnología Microbiana, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Madrid, Spain
Search for more papers by this authorFernando Baquero
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal (Unidad Asociada al CSIC ‘Resistencia a Antibióticos y Virulencia Bacteriana’) and CIBER-ESP, Madrid, Spain
Search for more papers by this authorJuan-Carlos Galán
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal (Unidad Asociada al CSIC ‘Resistencia a Antibióticos y Virulencia Bacteriana’) and CIBER-ESP, Madrid, Spain
Search for more papers by this authorMaría-Carmen Turrientes
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal (Unidad Asociada al CSIC ‘Resistencia a Antibióticos y Virulencia Bacteriana’) and CIBER-ESP, Madrid, Spain
Search for more papers by this authorMaría-Rosario Baquero
Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio, Madrid, Spain
Search for more papers by this authorManuel Rodríguez-Alcayna
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal (Unidad Asociada al CSIC ‘Resistencia a Antibióticos y Virulencia Bacteriana’) and CIBER-ESP, Madrid, Spain
Search for more papers by this authorJorge Martínez-Amado
Departamento de Biotecnología Microbiana, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Madrid, Spain
Search for more papers by this authorJosé-Luis Martínez
Departamento de Biotecnología Microbiana, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Madrid, Spain
Search for more papers by this authorFernando Baquero
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal (Unidad Asociada al CSIC ‘Resistencia a Antibióticos y Virulencia Bacteriana’) and CIBER-ESP, Madrid, Spain
Search for more papers by this authorEditor: Ross Fitzgerald
Abstract
A variable but substantial proportion of wild Escherichia coli isolates present consistently lower mutation frequencies than that found in the ensemble of strains. The genetic mechanisms responsible for the hypo-mutation phenotype are much less known than those involved in hyper-mutation. Changes in E. coli mutation frequencies derived from the gene-copy effect of mutS, mutL, mutH, uvrD, mutT, mutY, mutM, mutA, dnaE, dnaQ, and rpoS are explored. When present in a very high copy number (∼300 copies cell−1), mutL, mutH, and mutA gene copies yielded ≥twofold decrease in mutation rates determined by Luria–Delbrück fluctuation tests. Nevertheless, when the copy number was not such high (∼15 copies cell−1), only mutL results in a consistent twofold decrease in the mutation rate. This reduction seems to be independent from the RecA background, phase of growth, or from the presence of proficient MutS. An increase in mutL gene copies was also able to partially compensate the hypermutator phenotype of a mutS-defective E. coli derivative.
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