New indicator Escherichia coli strain for rapid and accurate detection of supF mutations

Background ThesupFgene of Escherichia coliis useful for forward mutation analysis in bacterial and mammalian cells used in mutagenesis and DNA repair studies. Indicator E. colistrains, such as KS40/pOF105, have been used to analyzesupFmutations. However, KS40/pOF105 is not enough to selectsupFmutants on nutrient-rich agar plates. Therefore, in this study, a new indicatorE. colistrain for rapid and accurate detection ofsupFmutations was developed. Results ThegyrAandrpsLgenes with an amber mutation were integrated into the chromosomal DNA ofE. coliKS40 to produce a new indicator strain, RF01. RF01 cells transformed by the wild-typesupFgene were sensitive to nalidixic acid and streptomycin on LB agar plates.supFmutant frequencies and mutation spectra in RF01 were similar to those in KS40/pOF105. In addition, some mutations insupFwere only detected in RF01. Conclusion RF01 is a new and useful indicatorE. colistrain for analyzingsupF mutations.