Suppressor system in Bacillus subtilis 168

J Bacteriol. 1969 Mar;97(3):1397-402. doi: 10.1128/jb.97.3.1397-1402.1969.

Abstract

Multiple auxotrophic strains of Bacillus subtilis 168 were tested for joint one-step reversion of two or more auxotrophic markers to the wild-type phenotype. Mu8u5u5, a strain requiring leucine, methionine, and threonine, yielded revertants that grew without added methionine or threonine and proved to have a suppressor gene. When transferred by transformation with deoxyribonucleic acid, this suppressor gene also suppressed the adenine mutation in another strain, Mu8u5u6. The one-step double revertants fell into two distinct classes: strains of class su(+) (I) grow well in broth; strains of class su(+) (II) grow poorly. Strains su(+) (II) tend to revert frequently to the su(+) (I) or su(-) state. Conditional lethal mutants of phage phie were isolated which can grow on the su(+) and not on the su(-) strains.

MeSH terms

  • Bacillus subtilis* / drug effects
  • Bacillus subtilis* / isolation & purification
  • Bacteriophages
  • Genes*
  • Genetics, Microbial*
  • Methods
  • Mutagens / pharmacology
  • Mutation
  • Suppression, Genetic
  • Transformation, Genetic

Substances

  • Mutagens