PROTEIN SYNTHESIS AND THE INDUCTION OF MUTATIONS IN ESCHERICHIA COLI BY ALKYLATING AGENTS

Abstract

A comparison has been made of the effects of incubation in various media on the appearance of revertants of a tryptophan-requiring strain of Escherichia coli after UV irradiation and after treatment with the alkylating agents, ethyl sulfate or epichlorohydrin. Incubation of UV-treated cells with the amino acid analogue tryptazan or with chlor-amphenicol leads to a decrease in the number of revertants obtained. Incubation of cells treated with alkylating agents with tryptazan or with chloramphenicol does not lower the number of revertant cells obtained but tends to result in an increase. It is concluded that the protein synthesis required for the fixation of potential mutations after UV irradiation is a characteristic of the mutagen used rather than of the mutation process in general.