Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T08:08:00.307Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Genetic studies of class 2 nonsense suppressors in Escherichia coli

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 April 2009

M. Anne Rothwell
Affiliation:
MRC Cell Mutation Unit, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, England
Michael H. L. Green
Affiliation:
MRC Cell Mutation Unit, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, England
Bryn A. Bridges
Affiliation:
MRC Cell Mutation Unit, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, England
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Three genetically distinct ochre suppressors have been identified in a strain of Escherichia coli B/r, all of which suppress a tyrosine auxotrophy and classify as class 2 by phage suppression pattern. One ochre suppressor, which was obtained by conversion from a class 2 amber suppressor, and a second ochre suppressor obtained directly from the non-suppressing parent, were found to have separate map locations, though a peculiar phenotype with regard to a leucine auxotrophy is exhibited by strains carrying either suppressor. We suggest that both suppressors correspond to separate genes for glutamine-inserting tRNA. A Leu+ mutant of a strain carrying one of these suppressors was studied and was found to contain a further nonsense suppressor having amber-suppressing activity at a reduced level. We suggest that this suppressor might result from a mutation in another part of the translational machinery concerned with glutamine insertion. The third ochre suppressor has no effect on the leucine auxotrophy and mapping data suggest that it may be supL, an ochre suppressor probably inserting a different amino acid, from glutamine.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1973

References

REFERENCES

Adams, M. H. (1959). Bacteriophages, p. 456. New York: Interscience.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Altman, S., Brenner, S. & Smith, J. D. (1971). Identification of an ochre suppressing anticodon. Journal of Molecular Biology 56, 195197.Google Scholar
Brenner, S. & Beckwith, J. R. (1965). Ochre mutants, a new class of suppressible nonsense mutants. Journal of Molecular Biology 13, 629637.Google Scholar
Bridges, B. A., Dennis, R. E. & Munson, R. J. (1970). Mutagenesis in Escherichia coli. V. Attempted interconversion of ochre and amber suppressors and mutational instability due to an ochre suppressor. Molecular and General Genetics 107, 351360.Google Scholar
Davis, B. D. & Mingioli, E. S. (1950). Mutants of Escherichia coli requiring methionine or vitamin B12. Journal of Bacteriology 60, 1728.Google Scholar
Eggertsson, G. (1968). Mapping of ochre suppressors in Escherichia coli. Genetical Research 11, 1520.Google Scholar
Eggertsson, G. & Adelberg, E. A. (1965). Map positions and specificities of suppressor mutations in Escherichia coli K-12. Genetics 52, 319340.Google Scholar
Folk, W. R. & Yaniv, M. (1972). Coding properties and nucleotide sequences of E. coli glutamine tRNAs. Nature New Biology 237, 165166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gallucci, E. & Garen, A. (1966). Suppressor genes for nonsense mutations. II. The su-4 and su-5 suppressor genes of Escherichia coli. Journal of Molecular Biology 15, 193200.Google Scholar
Garen, A., Garen, S. & Wilhelm, R. C. (1965). Suppressor genes for nonsense mutations. I. The su-1, su-2 and su-3 genes of Escherichia coli. Journal of Molecular Biology 14, 167178.Google Scholar
George, J. & Devoret, R. (1971). Conjugal transfer of UV-damaged F-prime sex factors and indirect induction of prophage λ. Molecular and General Genetics 111, 103119.Google Scholar
Gesteland, R. F., Salser, W. & Bolle, A. (1967). In vitro synthesis of T4 lysozyme by suppression of amber mutations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Washington 58, 20362042.Google Scholar
Goodman, H. M., Abelson, J., Landy, A., Brenner, S. & Smith, J. D. (1968). Amber suppression: a nucleotide change in the anticodon of a tyrosine transfer RNA. Nature 217, 10191024.Google Scholar
Gorint, L. (1970). Informational suppression. Annual Review of Genetics 4, 107134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenberg, J. (1967). Loci for radiation sensitivity in Escherichia coli strain B3–1. Genetics 55, 193201.Google Scholar
Hirsch, D. (1971). Tryptophan transfer RNA as the UGA suppressor. Journal of Molecular Biology 58, 439458.Google Scholar
Kaplan, S., Stretton, A. O. W. & Brenner, S. (1965). Amber suppressors: efficiency of chain propagation and suppressor specific amino acids. Journal of Molecular Biology 14, 528533.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lennox, E. S. (1955). Transduction of linked genetic characters of the host by bacteriophage P1. Virology 1, 190206.Google Scholar
Ohlsson, B. M., Strigini, P. F. & Beckwith, J. R. (1968). Allelic amber and ochre suppressors. Journal of Molecular Biology 36, 209218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osborn, M. & Person, S. (1967). Characterization of revertants of E. coli WU36–10 and WP2 using amber mutants and an ochre mutant of bacteriophage T4. Mutation Research 4, 504507.Google Scholar
Osborn, M., Person, S., Phillips, S. & Funk, F. (1967). A determination of mutagen specificity in bacteria using nonsense mutants of bacteriophage T4. Journal of Molecular Biology 26, 437447.Google Scholar
Person, S. & Osborn, M. (1968). The conversion of amber suppressors to ochre suppressors. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences for the United States of America, Washington 60, 10301037.Google Scholar
Signer, E. R., Beckwith, J. R. & Brenner, S. (1965). Mapping of suppressor loci in Escherichia coli. Journal of Molecular Biology 14, 153166.Google Scholar
Taylor, A. L. (1970). Current linkage map of Escherichia coli. Bacteriological Reviews 34, 155175.Google Scholar
Taylor, A. L. & Trotter, C. D. (1967). Revised linkage map of Escherichia coli. Bacteriological Reviews 31, 332353.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weigert, M. G., Lanka, E. & Garen, A. (1965). Amino acid substitutions resulting from suppression of nonsense mutations. II. Glutamine insertion by the su-2 gene; Tyrosine insertion by the su-3 gene. Journal of Molecular Biology 14, 522527.Google Scholar
Wilhelm, R. S. (1966). In discussion of J. Carbon, P. Berg and C. Yanofsky. Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology 31, 496.Google Scholar