Local DNA Sequence Control of Deletion Formation in Escherichia coli Plasmid pBR322

Genetics ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-49
Author(s):  
Ujjala DasGupta ◽  
Kathleen Weston-Hafer ◽  
Douglas E Berg
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Dna Sequence ◽  
Specific Interactions ◽  
Plasmid Pbr322 ◽  
Direct Repeats ◽  
Ampicillin Resistance ◽  
Deletion Formation ◽  
Coli Plasmid ◽  
Insertion Mutations ◽  
Dna Processing

ABSTRACT The specificity of deletion formation was studied using tests involving reversion of palindromic insertion mutations. Insertions of a Tn5-related transposon at 13 sites in the ampicillin-resistance (amp) gene of plasmid pBR322 were shortened to a nested set of perfect palindromes, 22, 32 and 90 bp long. We monitored frequencies of reversion to Ampr, which is the result of deletion of the palindrome plus one copy of the flanking 9 bp direct repeats (which had been formed by transposition). Revertant frequencies were found to depend on the location and the sequence of the palindromic insert. Changing a 45-kb interrupted palindrome to a 22-bp perfect palindrome stimulated deletion formation by factors of from fourfold to 545-fold among the 13 sites, while elongation of the perfect palindrome from 22 to 90 bp stimulated deletion formation by factors of from eight- to 18,000-fold. We conclude that deletion formation is strongly affected by subtle features of DNA sequence or conformation, both inside and outside the deleted segment, and that these effects may reflect specific interactions of DNA processing proteins with template DNAs.

scholarly journals Palindromy and the location of deletion endpoints in Escherichia coli.

Genetics ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 121 (4) ◽  
pp. 651-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Weston-Hafer ◽  
D E Berg
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Dna Sequencing ◽  
Dna Synthesis ◽  
Direct Repeat ◽  
Inverted Repeats ◽  
Direct Repeats ◽  
Ampicillin Resistance ◽  
Colony Hybridization ◽  
Deletion Formation ◽  
Insertion Mutations

Abstract The contributions of direct and inverted repeats to deletion formation were studied by characterizing Ampr revertants of plasmids with a series of insertion mutations at a specific site in the pBR322 ampicillin resistance (amp) gene. The inserts at this site are palindromic, variable in length, and bracketed by 9- or 10-bp direct repeats of amp sequence. There is an additional direct repeat composed of 4 bp within the insert and 4 bp of adjoining amp sequence. DNA sequencing and colony hybridization of Ampr revertants showed that they contained either the parental amp sequence, implying deletion endpoints in the flanking 9- or 10-bp repeats, or a specific 1-bp substitution, implying endpoints in the 4-bp repeats. Although generally direct repeats seem to be used as deletion endpoints with a frequency proportional to their lengths, we found that with uninterrupted palindromes longer than 32 bp, the majority of deletions ended in the 4 bp, not the 9- or 10-bp repeats. This preferential use of the shorter direct repeats associated with palindromes is interpreted according to a DNA synthesis-error model in which hairpin structures formed by intrastrand pairing foster the slippage of nascent strands during DNA synthesis.

scholarly journals Deletion Formation Between the Two Salmonella typhimurium Flagellin Genes Encoded on the Mini F Plasmid: Escherichia coli ssb Alleles Enhance Deletion Rates and Change Hot-Spot Preference for Deletion Endpoints

Genetics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 145 (3) ◽  
pp. 563-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takafumi Mukaihara ◽  
Masatoshi Enomoto
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Salmonella Typhimurium ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Direct Repeats ◽  
Replication Slippage ◽  
Detection Systems ◽  
Deletion Formation ◽  
Homologous Sequences ◽  
Deletion Detection

Deletion formation between the 5′-mostly homologous sequences and between the 3′-homeologous sequences of the two Salmonella typhimurium flagellin genes was examined using plasmid-based deletion-detection systems in various Escherichia coli genetic backgrounds. Deletions in plasmid pLC103 occur between the 5′ sequences, but not between the 3′ sequences, in both RecA-independent and RecA-dependent ways. Because the former is predominant, deletion formation in a recA background depends on the length of homologous sequences between the two genes. Deletion rates were enhanced 30- to 50-fold by the mismatch repair defects, mutS, mutL and uvrD, and 250-fold by the ssb-3 allele, but the effect of the mismatch defects was canceled by the ΔrecA allele. Rates of the deletion between the 3′ sequences in plasmid pLC107 were enhanced 17- to 130-fold by ssb alleles, but not by other alleles. For deletions in pLC107, 96% of the endpoints in the recA+ background and 88% in ΔrecA were in the two hot spots of the 60- and 33-nucleotide (nt) homologous sequences, whereas in the ssb-3 background >50% of the endpoints were in four- to 14-nt direct repeats dispersed in the entire 3′ sequences. The deletion formation between the homeologous sequences is RecA-independent but depends on the length of consecutive homologies. The mutant ssb allele lowers this dependency and results in the increase in deletion rates. Roles of mutant SSB are discussed with relation to misalignment in replication slippage.

scholarly journals Context effects in the formation of deletions in Escherichia coli.

Genetics ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 126 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Kazic ◽  
D E Berg
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Dna Sequence ◽  
Copy Number ◽  
Context Effects ◽  
Direct Repeat ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Multicopy Plasmid ◽  
Direct Repeats ◽  
Specific Manner ◽  
Allele Specific

Abstract We have examined the frequency with which identical deletions are formed in different chromosomal contexts. A panel of six mutant bla genes containing palindrome/direct repeat structures were moved from pBR322 to three locations: at lambda att, at chromosomal lac, and at F'lac. Deletion of the palindromes and one of the direct repeats results in reversion to Ampr. The frequency of deletion for all alleles declines beyond the reduction in copy number when they are moved from the multicopy plasmid environment to a single-copy chromosome. The magnitude of the declines varies in an allele-specific and location-specific manner. Our data support the hypothesis that context can influence the frequency of mutation independent of the immediate DNA sequence.

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