The Escherichia coli uvrD gene is inducible by DNA damage

The product of the uvrD gene of Escherichia coli is involved in the repair of DNA damage, mismatch repair, and recombination. Phage Mud(Amp, Lac) was used to form a uvrD-lacZ fusion allowing uvrD expression to be followed by measuring the activity of beta-galactosidase, the product of the lacZ gene. uvrD expression was inducible by DNA damage and was under the control of lexA-recA regulatory system. Mutations in the uvrD gene that result in different phenotypes in respect to DNA repair and spontaneous mutation have been previously found. The phenotype of the uvrD::Mud(Amp, Lac) mutant was mutator and UV-sensitive but not as deficient in host cell reactivation or repair of methyl methanesulfonate damage as the previously described uvrD3 mutant.