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Stimulation of DNA repair and increased light output in response to UV irradiation in Escherichia coli expressing lux genes
Author(s) -
Cutter Kerry L.,
Alloush Habib M.,
Salisbury Vyv C.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
luminescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.428
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1522-7243
pISSN - 1522-7235
DOI - 10.1002/bio.946
Subject(s) - luciferase , escherichia coli , bioluminescence , dna repair , biology , gene , dna , gene expression , dna damage , strain (injury) , microbiology and biotechnology , sos response , stimulation , regulation of gene expression , genetics , biochemistry , transfection , anatomy , neuroscience
It has previously been suggested that the evolutionary drive of bacterial bioluminescence is a mechanism of DNA repair. By assessing the UV sensitivity of Escherichia coli , it is shown that the survival of UV‐irradiated E. coli constitutively expressing luxABCDE in the dark is significantly better than either a strain with no lux gene expression or the same strain expressing only luciferase ( luxAB ) genes . This shows that UV resistance is dependent on light output, and not merely on luciferase production. Also, bacterial survival was found to be dependent on the conditions following UV irradiation, as bioluminescence‐mediated repair was not as efficient as repair in visible light. Moreover, photon emission revealed a dose‐dependent increase in light output per cell after UV exposure, suggesting that increased lux gene expression correlates with UV‐induced DNA damage. This phenomenon has been previously documented in organisms where the lux genes are under their natural luxR regulation but has not previously been demonstrated under the regulation of a constitutive promoter. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.