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Appl Environ Microbiol, May 1998, p. 1958-1962, Vol. 64, No. 5
Department of Biochemistry, University of
Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut
06032,1 and
3M/Life Sciences Sector
Laboratory, 3M Center, St. Paul, Minnesota 55144-10002
Received 15 December 1997/Accepted 10 February 1998
Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) killed wild-type Bacillus
subtilis spores as rapidly as spores lacking small, acid-soluble
proteins (SASP) of the
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Small, Acid-Soluble Spore Proteins of the
/
Type Do Not Protect the DNA in Bacillus subtilis
Spores against Base Alkylation
/
type (


spores), and 20% of the survivors had obvious mutations. A
recA mutation increased the EMS sensitivity of wild-type
and 


spores similarly but reduced
their mutagenesis; EMS treatment of dormant spores also resulted in the
induction of RecA synthesis during spore germination. EMS generated
similar levels of alkylated bases in wild-type and



spore DNAs, in purified DNA, or in
DNA saturated with
/
-type SASP. Ethylene oxide (EtO) also
generated similar levels of base alkylation in wild-type and



spore DNAs. These data indicate that
EMS and EtO kill spores at least in part by DNA damage but that
/
-type SASP, which protect DNA against many types of damage, do
not protect spore DNA from base alkylation.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Biochemistry, MC-3305, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Ave., Farmington, CT 06032. Phone: (860) 679-2607. Fax:
(860) 679-3408. E-mail: setlow{at}sun.uchc.edu.
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