Role of Escherichia coli DnaK and DnaJ chaperones in spontaneous and induced mutagenesis and their effect on UmuC stability

The frequency of spontaneous as well as induced reversions of auxotrophic mutations in Escherichia coli AB1157 and its ΔdnaK and ΔdnaKdnaJ derivatives was estimated. The obtained results demonstrate that both mutants tested are characterized by elevated frequency of spontaneous reversions compared to their AB1157 parent. In contrast, the frequency of reversions induced by UV and MMS, i.e. agents inducing the SOS response, is reduced in ΔdnaJ and ΔdnaKdnaJ mutants, pointing to the possible defect of these mutants in error prone repair. Due to the fact that UmuC protein is one of the main players executing the error prone repair, its stability in ΔdnaJ and ΔdnaKdnaJ mutants was also studied. Reduced UmuC stability was demonstrated only in the ΔdnaKdnaJ mutant.