Distinct DNA repair pathways involving RecA and nonhomologous end joining in Mycobacterium smegmatis

Malgorzata Korycka-Machala, Anna Brzostek, Sylwia Rozalska, Anna Rumijowska-Galewicz, Renata Dziedzic, Richard Bowater, Jaroslaw Dziadek

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Abstract

Mycobacterium smegmatis was used to study the relationship between DNA repair processes involving RecA and nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ). The effect of gene deletions in recA and/or in two genes involved in NHEJ (ku and ligD) was tested on the ability of bacteria to join breaks in plasmids transformed into them and in their response to chemicals that damage DNA. The results provide in vivo evidence that only NHEJ is required for the repair of noncompatible DNA ends. By contrast, the response of mycobacteria to mitomycin C preferentially involved a RecA-dependent pathway.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)83-91
Number of pages9
JournalFEMS Microbiology Letters
Volume258
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2006

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