title: TYROSINASE INHERITANCE IN STREPTOMYCES SCABIES. II. INDUCTION OF TYROSINASE DEFICIENCY BY ACRIDINE DYES.
abstract: Gregory, Kenneth F. (Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Ontario, Canada), and Jay C. C. Huang. Tyrosinase inheritance in Streptomyces scabies. II. Induction of tyrosinase deficiency by acridine dyes. J. Bacteriol. 87:1287-1294. 1964.-Growth in minimal medium containing 1 mug of acriflavine per ml resulted in a large increase (up to 62%) in the frequency of tyrosinase-deficient (tye(-)) mutants in all of ten strains of Streptomyces scabies and eight unidentified streptomycetes studied. This increased frequency did not result from the selection of preformed mutants, since tye(-) clones were usually inhibited by lower concentrations of acriflavine than were tyrosinase-producing (tye(+)) clones, and no significant difference in mycelial yields occurred between the two types growing in a 1 mug/ml concentration of the dye. The mutations induced by X rays and acriflavine were either allelic or closely linked. This tye(-) phenotype was not caused by the production of an enzyme inhibitor, lack of a cofactor, or defect in the conversion of a protyrosinase to tyrosinase. Tye(-) mutants formed no detectable tyrosinase under a variety of conditions, including the presence of possible inducers. Mutants were able to oxidize glucose and succinate. The S. scabies tyrosinase was heat-labile (half-life at 59 C = 1.6 min) and not particle-bound. We conclude that acriflavine induces the loss of, or alteration in, a structural gene for tyrosinase production present as an extrachromosomal factor.
mesh_terms: D000166:Acridines; D000167:Acriflavine; D002170:Canada; D004396:Coloring Agents; D005823:Genetics; D006207:Half-Life; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase; D009154:Mutation; D010600:Pharmacology; D010641:Phenotype; D012106:Research; D012532:Scabies; D013302:Streptomyces; D014445:Tyrosine Decarboxylase
chemical_list: D000166:Acridines; D004396:Coloring Agents; D000167:Acriflavine; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase; D014445:Tyrosine Decarboxylase
keywords: ACRIDINES; EXPERIMENTAL LAB STUDY; GENETICS; PHARMACOLOGY; STREPTOMYCES; TYROSINE DECARBOXYLASE