Open AccessBiological effects of DNA damage in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
Author(s) -
Reilly Michelle S,
Grogan Dennis W
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2002.tb11056.x
Subject(s) - sulfolobus acidocaldarius , biology , mutagenesis , dna repair , archaea , dna , dna damage , auxotrophy , escherichia coli , biochemistry , mutation , sulfolobus , haloarchaea , gene
To investigate the generality of efficient double‐strand break repair and damage‐induced mutagenesis in hyperthermophilic archaea, we systematically measured the effects of five DNA‐damaging agents on Sulfolobus acidocaldarius and compared the results to those obtained for Escherichia coli under corresponding conditions. The observed lethality of γ‐radiation was very similar for S. acidocaldarius and E. coli , arguing against unusually efficient double‐strand break repair in S. acidocaldarius . In addition, DNA‐strand‐breaking agents (γ‐radiation or bleomycin), as well as DNA‐cross‐linking agents (mechlorethamine, butadiene diepoxide or cisplatin) stimulated forward mutation, reverse mutation, and formation of recombinants via conjugation in Sulfolobus cells. Although two of the five DNA‐damaging agents failed to revert the E. coli auxotrophs under these conditions, all five reverted S. acidocaldarius auxotrophs.