INDUCTION OF MUTATION IN CHLORAMPHENICOL-INHIBITED BACTERIA

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Mutations can be induced by caffeine in chloramphenicol-inhibited cells of Escherichia coli, in which nucleic acid, but not protein, is being synthesized. The mutations occur at about the same frequency per unit of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) formed as in control cultures. The mutagenicity of caffeine in chloramphenicol can be suppressed by the addition of adenosine. It is concluded that the DNA formed in chloramphenicol-inhibited bacteria is genetically functional and that the synthesis of this DNA is a sufficient condition for the inducibility of mutations.