Specificity of N-acetoxy-N-2-acetylaminofluorene-induced frameshift mutation spectrum in mismatch repair deficient Escherichia coli strains mutH, L, S and U

The mismatch repair system of Escherichia coli is known to contribute to the fidelity of the replicational process. This system involves the functions of mutH, mutL, mutS and mutU (uvrD) loci which recognize mispaired bases as a consequence of errors due to the polymerase itself. Chemical modifications of DNA have also been suspected to create mispaired bases which, if the mispaired bases are removed, will lead to mutations by frameshift. Using the pBR322 plasmid DNA modified by the ultimate carcinogen N-acetoxy-N-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-Aco-AAF) we have investigated this possibility in a forward mutational assay (tetracycline sensitivity). This fluorene derivative has been shown to induce predominantly frameshift mutations. Our results show that: The sensitivity of the deficient strains mutH, mutL and mutS to the AAF adducts is similar to that of the corresponding wild-type strain. However, the mutU strain appears much more sensitive to those adducts although less than a uvrA, B or C-deficient strain. This suggests that the mutU gene product is involved in the repair of AAF adducts. For the four mut deficient strains, and as it was shown with the wild-type strain, AAF adducts induced mutations to tetracycline sensitivity are only observed when the SOS system of the host bacteria is induced by irradiation of the cells prior to transformation with the modified plasmid. The mutation frequencies depend upon the ultraviolet light doses and similar maxima were found for the four mut strains and the corresponding wild-type strain. In agreement with the results obtained with wild-type or uvrA strains we observe that AAF adducts induce mostly frameshift mutations in the mut strains. Two types of hot spots of mutagenesis were described in wild-type and uvrA strains occurring either at repetitive sequences or at sequences of the type 5' G-G-C-G-C-C 3' (NarI restriction enzyme recognition sequence). While the second type of mutational hot spot does exist in the mismatch repair-deficient strains, we observe that the repetitive sequences are no longer hot spots of mutations in these strains, suggesting that the mismatch repair protein complex is involved in the establishment of AAF-induced frameshift mutations at repetitive sequences.