Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 1, 2026

Following Cell-fate in E. coli After Infection by Phage Lambda
06:10

Following Cell-fate in E. coli After Infection by Phage Lambda

Published on: October 14, 2011

Singlet oxygen-induced mutations in M13 lacZ phage DNA

D Decuyper-Debergh1, J Piette, A Van de Vorst

  • 1Institute of Pathology, University of Liège, Belgium.

The EMBO Journal
|October 1, 1987
PubMed

Insights

Singlet oxygen damages M13 mp19 DNA, significantly increasing mutation frequency in E. coli. This damage primarily causes G:C to T:A transversions and frameshift mutations, highlighting DNA repair mechanisms.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Singlet oxygen is a reactive oxygen species that can damage DNA.
  • Understanding DNA damage and repair mechanisms is crucial for comprehending mutagenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mutagenic effects of singlet oxygen on M13 mp19 RF DNA.
  • To characterize the types of mutations induced by singlet oxygen.
  • To explore the role of bacterial repair systems in response to singlet oxygen-induced DNA damage.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing a forward mutational system in E. coli JM105 to detect all mutagenic events.
  • Transfecting competent E. coli with M13 mp19 RF DNA damaged by singlet oxygen.
  • Analyzing mutation spectra, including single-nucleotide substitutions and frameshift events.
  • Investigating the impact of SOS induction via UV irradiation on mutation frequency.

Main Results:

  • A 16.6-fold increase in mutation frequency was observed in E. coli transfected with singlet oxygen-damaged DNA.
  • The predominant mutations were G:C to T:A transversions, frameshift events, and double mutations.
  • The mutation spectrum induced by singlet oxygen differed significantly from spontaneous mutations.
  • SOS induction increased mutation frequency, resulting in a mixed mutation spectrum.

Conclusions:

  • Singlet oxygen is a potent mutagen, primarily inducing G:C to T:A transversions.
  • Bacterial repair mechanisms, including excision-repair and SOS repair, are involved in removing singlet oxygen-induced DNA lesions.

More Related Videos

Identifying DNA Mutations in Purified Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells11:06

Identifying DNA Mutations in Purified Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells

Published on: February 24, 2014

Precise Phage Mutagenesis with NgTET-Assisted CRISPR-Cas Systems10:52

Precise Phage Mutagenesis with NgTET-Assisted CRISPR-Cas Systems

Published on: October 14, 2025

Related Concept Videos

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation02:53

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
Single-Strand DNA Binding Proteins01:03

Single-Strand DNA Binding Proteins

For successful DNA replication, the unwinding of double-stranded DNA must be accompanied by stabilization and protection of the separated single strands of the DNA. This crucial task is performed by single-strand DNA-binding (SSB) proteins. They bind to the DNA in a sequence-independent manner, which means that the nitrogenous bases of the DNA need not be present in a specific order for binding of SSB proteins to it. The binding of SSB proteins straightens single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and makes...
Mismatch Repair01:20

Mismatch Repair

Organisms are capable of detecting and fixing nucleotide mismatches that occur during DNA replication. This sophisticated process requires identifying the new strand and replacing the erroneous bases with correct nucleotides. Mismatch repair is coordinated by many proteins in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
The human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...
Spontaneous and Induced Mutations01:30

Spontaneous and Induced Mutations

Spontaneous mutations arise infrequently during DNA replication due to errors in the process. A key factor behind these errors is tautomeric shifts in nitrogenous bases, where bases transition from keto to enol forms or amino to imino forms. This shift can alter base-pairing rules, leading to mutations. Additionally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) arising from aerobic metabolism can damage DNA, resulting in depurination (loss of a purine base) or depyrimidination (loss of a pyrimidine base).
DNA Bacteriophages01:26

DNA Bacteriophages

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect bacteria, utilizing their genetic material to hijack host cellular machinery for replication. DNA bacteriophages employ single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes. These phages exhibit diverse replication strategies and host interactions, influencing their ecological roles and applications in biotechnology and medicine.ssDNA BacteriophagesssDNA phages, with their small genomes, utilize unique strategies to...