The mef(A)/msr(D)-carrying streptococcal prophage Φ1207.3 encodes an SOS-like system, induced by UV-C light, responsible for increased survival and increased mutation rate.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial SOS response is an inducible system of DNA repair and mutagenesis. Streptococci lack a canonical SOS response, but an SOS-like response was reported in some species. The mef(A)-msr(D)-carrying prophage Ф1207.3 of Streptococcus pyogenes contains a region, spanning orf6 to orf11, showing homology to characterized streptococcal SOS-like cassettes. Genome-wide homology search showed the presence of the whole Φ1207.3 SOS-like cassette in three S. pyogenes prophages, while parts of it were found in other bacterial species. To investigate whether this cassette confers an SOS-mutagenesis phenotype, we constructed Streptococcus pneumoniae R6 isogenic derivative strains: (i) FR172, streptomycin resistant, (ii) FR173, carrying Φ1207.3,

SUBMITTER: Fox V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10521357 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature