Derepression of colicin E1 synthesis in the constitutive tif mutant strain (spr tif sfi) and in a tif sfi mutant strain of Escherichia coli K-12.

We show here that expression of the colicin gene of the ColE1 plasmid is greatly derepressed in Escherichia coli K-12 strain DM1187 spr tif sfi, which is a constitutive tif mutant, altered in the lexA gene, and which shows constitutive expression of various pathways of the recA-dependent, lexA-blocked (SOS) repair system. In this strain colicin E1 synthesis is at least 100-fold greater than that observed in uninduced control strains (spr+ tif sfi and spr+ tif+ sfi). This result confirms the regulatory role of the lexA product in colicin E1 synthesis. Colicin yields by the uninduced strain DM1187 are as high as the maximum yields from mitomycin-induced control strains and often are several-fold higher. When the nonconstitutive tif sfi strain GC467 is raised to 43 degrees C to induce the SOS system, a low level of colicin synthesis is observed which is less than one-tenth of the yield obtained by induction with mitomycin C. Addition of adenine at the time of shift-up can increase the colicin yield of tif sfi to about one-third of the yield obtained with mitomycin C. We have also found that colicin overproduction can be detected by altered colony appearance in an overlay assay with colicin-sensitive bacteria. In addition, the lethality of the process of colicin synthesis is observed here without the use of bacteriostatic inducing agents.