title: Action of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine on bacterial cells is determined by hydrogen peroxide.
abstract: Seven different recombinant bioluminescent strains of Escherichia coli containing, respectively, the promoters katG and soxS (responsive to oxidative damage), recA (DNA damage), fabA (membrane damage), grpE, and rpoE (protein damage) and lac (constitutive expression) fused to the bacterial operon from Photorhabdus luminescens, were used to describe the mechanism of toxicity of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine (1,1-DMH) on bacteria, as well as to determine whether bacteria can sensitively detect the presence of this compound. A clear response to 1,1-DMH was observed only in E. coli carrying the katG'::lux, soxS'::lux, and recA'::lux-containing constructs. Preliminary treatment with catalase of the medium containing 1,1-DMH completely diminished the stress-response of the P(katG), P(recA), and P(soxS) promoters. In the strain E. coli (pXen7), which contains a constitutive promoter, the level of cellular toxicity caused by the addition of 1,1-DMH was dramatically reduced in the presence of catalase. It is suggested that the action of 1,1-DMH on bacterial cells is determined by hydrogen peroxide, which is formed in response to reduction of the air oxygen level.
authors.affiliation: State Institute of Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms, 1st Dorozhnii pr 1, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Zavilgelsky
authors.forename: V Yu
authors.initials: VY
authors.lastname: Kotova
authors.forename: I V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Manukhov
mesh_terms: D004127:Dimethylhydrazines / Q000633:toxicity*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020637:Photorhabdus / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
chemical_list: D004127:Dimethylhydrazines; C013958:dimazine; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide