Mutagenic specificity of imidazole ring-opened 7-methylpurines in M13mp18 phage DNA

The most abundant lesion formed in DNA upon modification with methylating agents 7-methylguanine, under alkaline conditions is converted into 2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5N-methyl-formamidopyrimidine (Fapy-7MeGua). We have previously shown that treatment of dimethylsulfate methylated DNA with NaOH creates mutagenic base derivatives leading to a 60-fold increase in the frequency of A-->G transitions and a 2-3-fold increase of G-->T and G-->C transversions. We have analyzed which lesions lead to these mutations. We compared mutagenic spectra in the lacZ gene of M13mp18 phage DNA modified with dimethylsulfate and NaOH after selective elimination of damaged bases from molecules used for transfection into SOS-induced E. coli. Partial elimination of Fapy-7MeGua from phage DNA performed by its digestion with formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase resulted in a 2-3-fold decrease of G-->T and G-->C transversions. Selective depurination of methylated bases (9 h, 37 degrees C, pH 7.0) resulting in almost complete loss of 7MeAde as demonstrated by HPLC analysis of [3H]MNU alkylated phage DNA used as a probe, caused a dramatic, 9-fold decrease of A-->G transitions. Alkali-catalysed rearrangement of 7MeAde was followed by HPLC analysis of [3H]MNU alkylated poly(A) and poly(dA). After incubation of these oligonucleotides in NaOH, 7MeAde disappeared from both chromatograms, but only in polyA, 2 new peaks migrating with retention time different from that of 1MeAde, 3MeAde or 7MeAde were detected, suggesting formation of two rotameric forms of Fapy-7MeAde as observed for Fapy-7MeGua. Thus the miscoding lesion, giving rise to A-->G transitions derived from 7MeAde was Fapy-7MeAde. Fapy-7MeGua was at least an order of magnitude less mutagenic, but in SOS-induced cells it gave rise to G-->T and G-->C transversions.     

Biological properties of imidazole ring-opened N7-methylguanine in M13mp18 phage DNA.

Guanine residues methylated at the N-7 position (7-MeGua) are susceptible to cleavage of the imidazole ring yielding 2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5N-methyl-formamidopyrimidine (Fapy-7-MeGua). The presence of Fapy-7-MeGua in DNA template causes stops in DNA synthesis in vitro by E. coli DNA polymerase I. The biological consequences of Fapy-7-MeGua lesions for survival and mutagenesis were investigated using single-stranded M13mp18 phage DNA. Fapy-7-MeGua lesions were generated in vitro in phage DNA by dimethylsulfate (DMS) methylation and subsequent ring opening of 7-MeGua by treatment with NaOH (DMS-base). The presence of Fapy-7-MeGua residues in M13 phage DNA correlated with a significant decrease in transfection efficiency and an increase in mutation frequency in the lacZ gene, when transfected into SOS-induced JM105 E.coli cells. Sequencing analysis revealed unexpectedly, that mutation rate at guanine sites was only slightly increased, suggesting that Fapy-7-MeGua was not responsible for the overall increase in the mutagenic frequency of DMS-base treated DNA. In contrast, mutation frequency at adenine sites yielding A----G transitions was the most frequent event, 60-fold increased over DMS induced mutations. These results show that treatment with alkali of methylated single-stranded DNA generates a mutagenic adenine derivative, which mispairs with cytosine in SOS induced bacteria. The results also imply that the Fapy-7-MeGua in E. coli cells is primarily a lethal lesion.     

Long-chain adducts of trans-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal to DNA bases cause recombination, base substitutions and frameshift mutations in M13 phage

Oxidative stress enhances lipid peroxidation (LPO) implicated in the promotion and progression of carcinogenesis. One of the major LPO products is trans-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), which was shown to react with guanosine and under peroxidizing conditions also with adenosine. We show here that all four DNA bases are targets for HNE, although displaying different reactivity: dG > dC > dA approximately equal to dT. HPLC and mass spectrometry analyses of HNE reactions with deoxynucleosides showed in each case the formation of several products, with mass peaks corresponding to HNE-dN adducts at a 1:1 and also 2:1 and 3:1 ratios. In the dA, dC and dG reactions, mass peaks corresponding to heptyl-substituted etheno-adducts were also detected, indicating HNE oxidation to its epoxide by air oxygen. In DNA pretreated with HNE, DNA synthesis by T7 DNA polymerase was stopped in a sequence-dependent manner at G > or = C > A and T sites. HNE increased the mutation rates in the lac Z gene of M13 phage transfected into wild type Escherichia coli. The most frequent event was the recombination between lacZ gene sequences in M13 and the E. coli F' factor DNA. Base substitutions and frameshifts were also observed in approximately similar numbers. Over 50% of base substitutions were the C-->T transitions, followed by the G-->C and A-->C transversions. In the E. coli recA strain recombination was not observed, although one mutational G-->T hot-spot appeared within the DNA fragment undergoing recombination in the wild type E. coli. We conclude that long chain HNE adducts to DNA bases arrest DNA synthesis and cause recombination, base substitutions and frameshift mutations in ssDNA.     

Pyrimidine dimers are not the principal pre-mutagenic lesions induced in lambda phage DNA by ultraviolet light

Experiments were performed to examine the role of cyclobutyl pyrimidine dimers in the process of mutagenesis by ultraviolet (u.v.) light. Lambda phage DNA was irradiated with u.v. and then incubated with an Escherichia coli photoreactivating enzyme, which monomerizes cyclobutyl pyrimidine dimers upon exposure to visible light. The photoreactivated DNA was packaged into lambda phage particles, which were used to infect E. coli uvr- host cells that had been induced for SOS functions by ultraviolet irradiation. Photoreactivation removed most toxic lesions from irradiated phage, but did not change the frequency of induction of mutations to the clear-plaque phenotype. This implies that cyclobutyl pyrimidine dimers can be lethal, but usually do not serve as sites of mutations in the phage. The DNA sequences of mutants derived from photoreactivated DNA showed that almost two-thirds (16/28) were transitions, the same fraction found for u.v. mutagenesis without photoreactivation. These results show that in this system, the lesion inducing transitions (the major type of u.v.-induced mutation) is not the cyclobutyl pyrimidine dimer; a strong candidate for a mutagenic lesion is the Pyr(6-4)Pyo photoproduct. On the other hand, photoreactivation of SOS-induced host cells before infection with u.v.-irradiated phage reduced mutagenesis substantially. In this case, photoreversal of cyclobutyl dimers serves to reduce expression of the SOS functions that are required in the process of targeted u.v. mutagenesis.     

In vivo bypass efficiencies and mutational signatures of the guanine oxidation products 2-aminoimidazolone and 5-guanidino-4-nitroimidazole

The in vivo mutagenic properties of 2-aminoimidazolone and 5-guanidino-4-nitroimidazole, two products of peroxynitrite oxidation of guanine, are reported. Two oligodeoxynucleotides of identical sequence, but containing either 2-aminoimidazolone or 5-guanidino-4-nitroimidazole at a specific site, were ligated into single-stranded M13mp7L2 bacteriophage genomes. Wild-type AB1157 Escherichia coli cells were transformed with the site-specific 2-aminoimidazolone- and 5-guanidino-4-nitroimidazole-containing genomes, and analysis of the resulting progeny phage allowed determination of the in vivo bypass efficiencies and mutational signatures of the DNA lesions. 2-Aminoimidazolone was efficiently bypassed and 91% mutagenic, producing almost exclusively G to C transversion mutations. In contrast, 5-guanidino-4-nitroimidazole was a strong block to replication and 50% mutagenic, generating G to A, G to T, and to a lesser extent, G to C mutations. The G to A mutation elicited by 5-guanidino-4-nitroimidazole implicates this lesion as a novel source of peroxynitrite-induced transition mutations in vivo. For comparison, the error-prone bypass DNA polymerases were overexpressed in the cells by irradiation with UV light (SOS induction) prior to transformation. SOS induction caused little change in the efficiency of DNA polymerase bypass of 2-aminoimidazolone; however, bypass of 5-guanidino-4-nitroimidazole increased nearly 10-fold. Importantly, the mutation frequencies of both lesions decreased during replication in SOS-induced cells. These data suggest that 2-aminoimidazolone and 5-guanidino-4-nitroimidazole in DNA are substrates for one or more of the SOS-induced Y-family DNA polymerases and demonstrate that 2-aminoimidazolone and 5-guanidino-4-nitroimidazole are potent sources of mutations in vivo.     

Changes in DNA Base Sequence Induced by Gamma-Ray Mutagenesis of Lambda Phage and Prophage

Mutations in the cI (repressor) gene were induced by gamma-ray irradiation of lambda phage and of prophage, and 121 mutations were sequenced. Two-thirds of the mutations in irradiated phage assayed in recA host cells (no induction of the SOS response) were G:C to A:T transitions; it is hypothesized that these may arise during DNA replication from adenine mispairing with a cytosine product deaminated by irradiation. For irradiated phage assayed in host cells in which the SOS response had been induced, 85% of the mutations were base substitutions, and in 40 of the 41 base changes, a preexisting base pair had been replaced by an A:T pair; these might come from damaged bases acting as AP (apurinic or apyrimidinic) sites. The remaining mutations were 1 and 2 base deletions. In irradiated prophage, base change mutations involved the substitution of both A:T and of G:C pairs for the preexisting pairs; the substitution of G:C pairs shows that some base substitution mechanism acts on the cell genome but not on the phage. In the irradiated prophage, frameshifts and a significant number of gross rearrangements were also found.     

Molecular analysis of alpha/beta-thalassemia in a southern Chinese population

Thalassemia is endemic to many regions in southern China. The screening of severe determinants of thalassemia is of critical importance in management and control of thalassemia. We designed a protocol based on microarray technology to screen for a spectrum of alpha/beta-globin gene mutations in the Chinese population. A total of 38 probes were capable of screening 98% of alpha/beta-globin gene mutations in the China population, including 16 mutations of beta-globin [beta(41-42)(-TCTT), IVSII-654(C-->T), beta17(A-->T), -28(A-->G), beta(71-72)(+A), beta(71-72)(+T), HbE26(G-->A), -29(A-->G), beta(27-28)(+C), IVSI-1(G-->T), IVSI-5(G-->C), beta(14-15)(+G), IVSII-5(G-->C), beta41(+T), 37(G-->A), and beta43(G-->T)] and five mutations of alpha/beta[three deletions of -alpha;(3.7), -alpha(4.2), and --(SEA); two nondeletions of alpha(Quong Sze) codon alpha125(T-->C) and alpha(Constant Spring) codon alpha142(T-->C)]. Multiplex PCR products were amplified from human genomic DNA and allowed to hybridize with the oligonucleotide array. alpha/beta-Globin genotypes were assigned by quantitative analysis of the hybridization results. The protocol, standardized by analysis of 100 thalassemia samples with known mutations and 13 recombinant plasmids, was 100% reliable in genotyping all mutant alleles. In subsequent screening of 2,030 Chinese with unknown mutations, the protocol was 100% accurate. This method provides unambiguous detection of complex combinations of heterozygous, compound heterozygous, and homozygous alpha/beta-thalassemia genotypes. The protocol was also flexible, detecting globin gene mutations from different population groups.     

Different mechanisms for SOS induced alleviation of DNA restriction in Escherichia coli.

The alleviation of DNA restriction during the SOS response in Escherichia coli has been further investigated. With the EcoK DNA restriction system UV irradiated wild-type cells show a 10(4)-fold increase in ability to plate non-modified lambda phage and a 3-4 fold increase in transformation by non-modified plasmid DNA. A role for the umuDC genes of E coli in the process of SOS-induced restriction alleviation was identified by showing that a umuC122::Tn5 mutant could alleviate EcoK restriction to only 5% that of wild-type levels. Although umuDC are better characterized for their pivotal role in SOS induced mutagenesis, it is demonstrated here that umu-dependent alleviation of EcoK restriction is a transient process in which umu-dependent mutagenesis plays little part. A second form of SOS induced alleviation of DNA restriction is described in this paper involving the McrA restriction system. The mcrA gene is shown to be encoded within a defective prophage called e14 situated at the 25 min region on the Escherichia coli genetic map. e14 is known to abortively excise from the chromosome after SOS induction and it is demonstrated in this report that mcrA is lost from the genome after SOS induction as part of e14. This results in co-ordinate decrease in the level of McrA restriction within a population of cells.     

Specificity of mutagenesis resulting from the induction of the SOS system in the absence of mutagenic treatment

Strains in which the E. coli SOS system is continuously induced, in the absence of mutagenic treatment, have been used to generate nonsense mutations in the lacl gene. The examination of over 600 independently occurring amber and ochre mutations reveals that inducing the SOS system stimulates specifically G:C----T:A and, to a lesser extent, A:T----T:A transversions. This specificity is similar to that seen for a number of carcinogens that form bulky adducts to DNA, such as benzo(a)pyrene diolepoxide (BPDE) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), and which are dependent on the SOS system to mutagenize bacteria. However, G:C----T:A transversions resulting from SOS induction alone display a unique site specificity. One possibility is that the SOS-induced mutations result from cryptic, spontaneous lesions, such as apurinic sites, which cannot induce the SOS system themselves but which can target mutations once the SOS system is induced.     

Repair and recombination of nonreplicating UV-irradiated phage DNA in E. coli III. Enhancement of excision repair in UV-treated bacteria

Summary The question of whether induction of the SOS response in Escherichia coli increases the efficiency of excision repair was addressed by measuring repair of UV-damaged nonreplicating lambda phage DNA in previously irradiated bacteria. Prior UV irradiation of lex ⁺ bacteria enhanced both the rate of regeneration of infective phage DNA (about 10-fold) and the rate of cyclobutane dimer removal early in repressed infections. Indirect induction of SOS-regulated repair activities by the nonreplicating irradiated phage DNA itself seemed negligible. Prior bacterial irradiation reduced the frequency of recombination (loss of a tandem chromosomal duplication) of nonreplicating UV-irradiated DNA. In this respect UV-stimulated recombination of nonreplicating DNA differs from RecF-dependent recombination processes that are stimulated by increased SOS expression.Surprisingly, prior UV irradiation of lexA3 bacteria caused a small but reproducible increase in the regeneration of infective phage DNA.     

Mutagenesis of uracil-DNA glycosylase deficient mutants of the extremely thermophilic eubacterium Thermus thermophilus

Thermus thermophilus is an extremely thermophilic, aerobic, and gram-negative eubacterium that grows optimally at 70-75 degrees C, pH 7.5. In extremely high temperature environment, DNA damages in cells occur at a much higher frequency in thermophiles than mesophiles such as E. coli. When temperature rises, the deamination of cytosine residues in double-strand DNA is expected to increase greatly. T. thermophilus HB27 has two putative uracil-DNA glycosylase genes (udgA and udgB). Expression level of udgA gene was 2-3 times higher than that of udgB at 70, 74, and 78 degrees C when it was monitored by beta-glucosidase reporter assay. We developed hisD(3110), hisD(3113), hisD(3115), and hisD(174) marker allele that can specifically detect G:C-->A:T, C:G-->A:T, T:A-->A:T, and A:T-->G:C base-substitutions, respectively, by His(+) reverse mutations. We then disrupted udgA and udgB by thermostable kanamycin-resistant gene (htk) or pyrE gene insertion in each hisD background, and their spontaneous His(+) reversion frequencies were compared. A udgA,B double mutant showed a pronounced increase in G:C-->A:T reversion frequency compared with each single udg mutant, udgA or udgB. Estimated mutation rates of the udgA,B mutant cultured at 60, 70, and 78 degrees C were about 2, 12, and 117 His(+)/10(8)/generation, respectively. At 70 degrees C culture, increased ratio of the mutation rate compared with the udg(+) strain was 12-fold in udgA, 3-fold in udgB, and 56-fold in udgA,B mutant. On the other hand, no difference was observed in other mutations of C:G-->A:T, T:A-->A:T, and A:T-->G:C between udgA,B double mutant and the parent udg(+) strain. The present results indicated that gene products of udgB as well as udgA functioned in vivo to remove uracil in DNA and prevent G:C-->A:T transition mutations.     

Singlet oxygen-induced mutations in M13 lacZ phage DNA

The mutagenic consequences of damages to M13 mp19 RF DNA produced by singlet oxygen have been determined in a forward mutational system capable of detecting all classes of mutagenic events. When the damaged M13 mp19 RF DNA is used to transfect competent E. coli JM105 cells, a 16.6-fold increase in mutation frequency is observed at 5% survivors when measured as a loss of alpha-complementation. The enhanced mutagenicity is largely due to single-nucleotide substitutions, frameshift events and double-mutations. The single-nucleotide substitutions occur in the regulatory and in the structural part of the lacZ gene under the predominant form of a G:C to T:A transversion. The spectrum of mutations detected among the M13 lacZ phages surviving the singlet oxygen treatment is totally different from those appearing spontaneously. SOS induction mediated through u.v.-irradiation of bacteria leads to an increase of the mutation frequency in the M13 surviving to the singlet oxygen treatment. The mutation spectrum in this case is a mixture between those observed with the spontaneous mutants and the mutants induced by singlet oxygen. Lesions introduced in the M13 mp19 RF DNA can be partly repaired by the enzymatic machinery of the bacteria. It turns out that excision-repair and SOS repair are probably involved in the removal of these lesions by singlet oxygen.     

Effect of photoreactivation on mutagenesis of lambda phage by ultraviolet light

There is disagreement in the literature as to whether the major mutagenic photoproduct induced in DNA by ultraviolet light is the cyclobutane dipyrimidine dimer, the most common product, or the [6-4] photoproduct, the next most frequent. In the experiments reported here, cyclobutane dimers were removed from irradiated lambda phage DNA by enzymatic photoreactivation, a process thought to affect no other photoproduct. Photoreactivation of lambda phage in host cells and of lambda DNA in solution reduced clear plaque mutants per plaque-forming unit by two-thirds, in host cells with a constant and near-maximal expression of the SOS functions required for mutagenesis. This result is interpreted to mean that removal of cyclobutane dimers in or near the mutated gene reduces mutation induced by ultraviolet light by two-thirds; therefore, cyclobutane dimers in the phage DNA are responsible for most observed mutations. DNA sequences of mutations in photoreactivated phage showed a smaller fraction of G.C to A.T transitions and a larger fraction of A.T to G.C transitions, compared to phage that were not photoreactivated. This suggests that cyclobutane dimers at TC and CC sites are particularly mutagenic.     

氟氏链霉菌离子束注入突变谱的分析

用低能N⁺离子束注入转谷氨酰胺酶产生菌氟氏链霉菌后,通过试验,初步确定了注入的效应曲线,获得了一系列突变菌株。提取原始菌株和突变菌株的DNA,采用PCR反应分段扩增出转谷氨酰胺酶基因进行单链构象多态性分析(SSCP),并将特异性条带克隆测序进行基因突变型的鉴定,分析离子束注入引起链霉菌基因的基因突变类型及特点。结果显示:碱基变异的类型包括转换、颠换和缺失。在检测到的24个碱基突变中,主要是碱基的置换(87.5%),碱基缺失的比例比较小(12.5%)。在碱基置换中,转换的频率(58.3%)高于颠换的频率(29.2%)。转换主要以C→T,A→G为主,颠换以G→T,C→G为主。此外构成DNA的4种碱基均可以被离子束辐照诱发变异,其中胞嘧啶发生突变的频率较高。     

Escherichia coli mutator (Delta)polA is defective in base mismatch correction: the nature of in vivo DNA replication errors

We constructed a set of Escherichia coli strains containing deletions in genes encoding three SOS polymerases, and defective in MutS and DNA polymerase I (PolI) mismatch repair, and estimated the rate and specificity of spontaneous endogenous tonB(+)-->tonB- mutations. The rate and specificity of mutations in strains proficient or deficient in three SOS polymerases was compared and found that there was no contribution of SOS polymerases to the chromosomal tonB mutations. MutS-deficient strains displayed elevated spontaneous mutation rates, consisting of dominantly minus frameshifts and transitions. Minus frameshifts are dominated by warm spots at run-bases. Among 57 transitions (both G:C-->A:T and A:T-->G:C), 35 occurred at two hotspot sites. PolI-deficient strains possessed an increased rate of deletions and frameshifts, because of a deficiency in postreplicative deletion and frameshift mismatch corrections. Frameshifts in PolI-deficient strains occurred within the entire tonB gene at non-run and run sequences. MutS and PolI double deficiency indicated a synergistic increase in the rate of deletions, frameshifts and transitions. In this case, mutS-specific hotspots for frameshifts and transitions disappeared. The results suggested that, unlike the case previously known pertaining to postreplicative MutS mismatch repair for frameshifts and transitions and PolI mismatch repair for frameshifts and deletions, PolI can recognize and correct transition mismatches. Possible mechanisms for distinct MutS and PolI mismatch repair are discussed. A strain containing deficiencies in three SOS polymerases, MutS mismatch repair and PolI mismatch repair was also constructed. The spectrum of spontaneous mutations in this strain is considered to represent the spectrum of in vivo DNA polymerase III replication errors. The mutation rate of this strain was 219x10(-8), about a 100-fold increase relative to the wild-type strain. Uncorrected polymerase III replication errors were predominantly frameshifts and base substitutions followed by deletions.     

Non-targeted mutagenesis of unirradiated lambda phage in Escherichia coli host cells irradiated with ultraviolet light

Non-targeted mutagenesis of lambda phage by ultraviolet light is the increase over background mutagenesis when non-irradiated phage are grown in irradiated Escherichia coli host cells. Such mutagenesis is caused by different processes from targeted mutagenesis, in which mutations in irradiated phage are correlated with photoproducts in the phage DNA. Non-irradiated phage grown in heavily irradiated uvr+ host cells showed non-targeted mutations, which were 3/4 frameshifts, whereas targeted mutations were 2/3 transitions. For non-targeted mutagenesis in heavily irradiated host cells, there were one to two mutant phage per mutant burst. From this and the pathways of lambda DNA synthesis, it can be argued that non-targeted mutagenesis involves a loss of fidelity in semiconservative DNA replication. A series of experiments with various mutant host cells showed a major pathway of non-targeted mutagenesis by ultraviolet light, which acts in addition to "SOS induction" (where cleavage of the LexA repressor by RecA protease leads to din gene induction): (1) the induction of mutants has the same dependence on irradiation for wild-type and for umuC host cells; (2) a strain in which the SOS pathway is constitutively induced requires irradiation to the same level as wild-type cells in order to fully activate non-targeted mutagenesis; (3) non-targeted mutagenesis occurs to some extent in irradiated recA recB cells. In cells with very low levels of PolI, the induction of non-targeted mutagenesis by ultraviolet light is enhanced. We propose that the major pathway for non-targeted mutagenesis in irradiated host cells involves binding of the enzyme DNA polymerase I to damaged genomic DNA, and that the low polymerase activity leads to frameshift mutations during semiconservative DNA replication. The data suggest that this process will play a much smaller role in ultraviolet mutagenesis of the bacterial genome than it does in the mutagenesis of lambda phage.     

Translesion synthesis is the main component of SOS repair in bacteriophage lambda DNA.

Agents that interfere with DNA replication in Escherichia coli induce physiological adaptations that increase the probability of survival after DNA damage and the frequency of mutants among the survivors (the SOS response). Such agents also increase the survival rate and mutation frequency of irradiated bacteriophage after infection of treated bacteria, a phenomenon known as Weigle reactivation. In UV-irradiated single-stranded DNA phage, Weigle reactivation is thought to occur via induced, error-prone replication through template lesions (translesion synthesis [P. Caillet-Fauquet, M: Defais, and M. Radman, J. Mol. Biol. 117:95-112, 1977]). Weigle reactivation occurs with higher efficiency in double-stranded DNA phages such as lambda, and we therefore asked if another process, recombination between partially replicated daughter molecules, plays a major role in this case. To distinguish between translesion synthesis and recombinational repair, we studied the early replication of UV-irradiated bacteriophage lambda in SOS-induced and uninduced bacteria. To avoid complications arising from excision of UV lesions, we used bacterial uvrA mutants, in which such excision does not occur. Our evidence suggests that translesion synthesis is the primary component of Weigle reactivation of lambda phage in the absence of excision repair. The greater efficiency in Weigle reactivation of double-stranded DNA phage could thus be attributed to some inducible excision repair unable to occur on single-stranded DNA. In addition, after irradiation, lambda phage replication seems to switch prematurely from the theta mode to the rolling circle mode.     

SOS-dependent replication past a single trans-syn T-T cyclobutane dimer gives a different mutation spectrum and increased error rate compared with replication past this lesion in uninduced cells.

We have transfected SOS-induced and uninduced cells of a uvrA6 strain of Escherichia coli with single-stranded M13mp7-based vectors that carried a single trans-syn T-T cyclobutane dimer at a unique site. Unlike constructs carrying the cis-syn isomer of this lesion, these vectors could be replicated with modest efficiency (14%) in the absence of SOS induction and therefore provided an opportunity to measure directly the influence of such induction on error rate and mutation spectrum. We found that translesion synthesis in the absence of SOS induction was remarkably accurate; only 4% of the replicated bacteriophage contained mutations, which were exclusively targeted single T deletions. In SOS-induced cells, error frequency increased to 11% and the resulting mutations included targeted substitutions and near-targeted single base additions, as well as the T deletions. Replication efficiency was 29% in these conditions. SOS induction therefore leads not only to an enhanced capacity to replicate damaged DNA but also to a marked change in mutation frequency and spectrum.