title: Restriction and modification in Bacillus subtilis: inducibility of a DNA methylating activity in nonmodifying cells.
abstract: The nonrestricting/nonmodifying strain Bacillus subtilis 222 (r-m-) can be induced to synthesize a DNA-modifying activity upon treatment with either mitomycin C (MC) or UV light. This is shown by the following facts. (i) Infection of MC-pretreated 222 cells with unmodified SPP1 phage yields about 3% modified phage that are resistant to restriction in B. subtilis R (r+m+). The induced modifying activity causes the production of a small fraction of fully modified phage in a minority class of MC-treated host cells. (ii) The MC-pretreated host cells contain a DNA cytosine methylating activity: both bacterial and phage DNAs have elevated levels of 5-methylcytosine. (iii) The MC-induced methylation of SPP1 DNA takes place at the recognition nucleotide sequences of restriction endonuclease R from B. subtilis R. (iv) Crude extracts of MC-pretreated 222 cells have enhanced DNA methyltransferase activities, with a substrate specificity similar to that found in modification enzymes present in (constitutively) modifying strains.
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000378:metabolism*; D002474:Cell-Free System; D003596:Cytosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D004248:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D008745:Methylation; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D008937:Mitomycins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004279:DNA, Viral; D008937:Mitomycins; D003596:Cytosine; D008780:Methyltransferases; D004248:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes