Biomaterial Database

Spontaneous DNA breakage in single living Escherichia coli cells. 2007

Jeanine M Pennington, and Susan M Rosenberg

Interdepartmental Program in Cell and Molecular Biology and Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Houston, Texas 77030-3411, USA.

Spontaneous DNA breakage is predicted to be a frequent, inevitable consequence of DNA replication and is thought to underlie much of the genomic change that fuels cancer and evolution. Despite its importance, there has been little direct measurement of the amounts, types, sources and fates of spontaneous DNA lesions in living cells. We present a direct, sensitive flow cytometric assay in single living Escherichia coli cells for DNA lesions capable of inducing the SOS DNA damage response, and we report its use in quantification of spontaneous DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). We report efficient detection of single chromosomal DSBs and rates of spontaneous breakage approximately 20- to 100-fold lower than predicted. In addition, we implicate DNA replication in the origin of spontaneous DSBs with the finding of fewer spontaneous DSBs in a mutant with altered DNA polymerase III. The data imply that spontaneous DSBs induce genomic changes and instability 20-100 times more potently than previously appreciated. Finally, FACS demonstrated two main cell fates after spontaneous DNA damage: viability with or without resumption of proliferation.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D002876	Chromosomes, Bacterial	Structures within the nucleus of bacterial cells consisting of or containing DNA, which carry genetic information essential to the cell.	Bacterial Chromosome,Bacterial Chromosomes,Chromosome, Bacterial
D004249	DNA Damage	Injuries to DNA that introduce deviations from its normal, intact structure and which may, if left unrepaired, result in a MUTATION or a block of DNA REPLICATION. These deviations may be caused by physical or chemical agents and occur by natural or unnatural, introduced circumstances. They include the introduction of illegitimate bases during replication or by deamination or other modification of bases; the loss of a base from the DNA backbone leaving an abasic site; single-strand breaks; double strand breaks; and intrastrand (PYRIMIDINE DIMERS) or interstrand crosslinking. Damage can often be repaired (DNA REPAIR). If the damage is extensive, it can induce APOPTOSIS.	DNA Injury,DNA Lesion,DNA Lesions,Genotoxic Stress,Stress, Genotoxic,Injury, DNA,DNA Injuries
D004260	DNA Repair	The removal of DNA LESIONS and/or restoration of intact DNA strands without BASE PAIR MISMATCHES, intrastrand or interstrand crosslinks, or discontinuities in the DNA sugar-phosphate backbones.	DNA Damage Response
D004261	DNA Replication	The process by which a DNA molecule is duplicated.	Autonomous Replication,Replication, Autonomous,Autonomous Replications,DNA Replications,Replication, DNA,Replications, Autonomous,Replications, DNA
D004269	DNA, Bacterial	Deoxyribonucleic acid that makes up the genetic material of bacteria.	Bacterial DNA
D004926	Escherichia coli	A species of gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria (GRAM-NEGATIVE FACULTATIVELY ANAEROBIC RODS) commonly found in the lower part of the intestine of warm-blooded animals. It is usually nonpathogenic, but some strains are known to produce DIARRHEA and pyogenic infections. Pathogenic strains (virotypes) are classified by their specific pathogenic mechanisms such as toxins (ENTEROTOXIGENIC ESCHERICHIA COLI), etc.	Alkalescens-Dispar Group,Bacillus coli,Bacterium coli,Bacterium coli commune,Diffusely Adherent Escherichia coli,E coli,EAggEC,Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli,Enterococcus coli,Diffusely Adherent E. coli,Enteroaggregative E. coli,Enteroinvasive E. coli,Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli
D005434	Flow Cytometry	Technique using an instrument system for making, processing, and displaying one or more measurements on individual cells obtained from a cell suspension. Cells are usually stained with one or more fluorescent dyes specific to cell components of interest, e.g., DNA, and fluorescence of each cell is measured as it rapidly transverses the excitation beam (laser or mercury arc lamp). Fluorescence provides a quantitative measure of various biochemical and biophysical properties of the cell, as well as a basis for cell sorting. Other measurable optical parameters include light absorption and light scattering, the latter being applicable to the measurement of cell size, shape, density, granularity, and stain uptake.	Cytofluorometry, Flow,Cytometry, Flow,Flow Microfluorimetry,Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting,Microfluorometry, Flow,Cell Sorting, Fluorescence-Activated,Cell Sortings, Fluorescence-Activated,Cytofluorometries, Flow,Cytometries, Flow,Flow Cytofluorometries,Flow Cytofluorometry,Flow Cytometries,Flow Microfluorometries,Flow Microfluorometry,Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting,Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sortings,Microfluorimetry, Flow,Microfluorometries, Flow,Sorting, Fluorescence-Activated Cell,Sortings, Fluorescence-Activated Cell
D013014	SOS Response, Genetics	An error-prone mechanism or set of functions for repairing damaged microbial DNA. SOS functions (a concept reputedly derived from the SOS of the international distress signal) are involved in DNA repair and mutagenesis, in cell division inhibition, in recovery of normal physiological conditions after DNA repair, and possibly in cell death when DNA damage is extensive.	SOS Response (Genetics),SOS Box,SOS Function,SOS Induction,SOS Region,SOS Repair,SOS Response,SOS System,Box, SOS,Function, SOS,Functions, SOS,Genetics SOS Response,Genetics SOS Responses,Induction, SOS,Inductions, SOS,Region, SOS,Regions, SOS,Repair, SOS,Repairs, SOS,Response, Genetics SOS,Response, SOS,Response, SOS (Genetics),Responses, Genetics SOS,Responses, SOS,Responses, SOS (Genetics),SOS Functions,SOS Inductions,SOS Regions,SOS Repairs,SOS Responses,SOS Responses (Genetics),SOS Responses, Genetics,SOS Systems,System, SOS,Systems, SOS
D043211	Exodeoxyribonuclease V	An ATP-dependent exodeoxyribonuclease that cleaves in either the 5'- to 3'- or the 3'- to 5'-direction to yield 5'-phosphooligonucleotides. It is primarily found in BACTERIA.	ATP-Dependent DNase,Exodeoxyribonuclease V, alpha Chain,Exodeoxyribonuclease V, beta Chain,Exodeoxyribonuclease V, gamma Chain,Exonuclease V,RecBC DNase,RecBC Deoxyribonuclease,RecBCD Enzyme,ATP Dependent DNase,Deoxyribonuclease, RecBC
D053903	DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded	Interruptions in the sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA, across both strands adjacently.	Double-Stranded DNA Breaks,Double-Strand DNA Breaks,Double-Stranded DNA Break,Break, Double-Strand DNA,Break, Double-Stranded DNA,Breaks, Double-Strand DNA,Breaks, Double-Stranded DNA,DNA Break, Double-Strand,DNA Break, Double-Stranded,DNA Breaks, Double Stranded,DNA Breaks, Double-Strand,Double Strand DNA Breaks,Double Stranded DNA Break,Double Stranded DNA Breaks,Double-Strand DNA Break