ANALYSIS OF THE MECHANISM OF PHOTODYNAMIC INDUCTION OF SYNTHESIS OF A POLYPEPTIDE IN ARTHROBACTER SP

Induction of a light-inducible gene in Arthrobacter sp. by exposure of cells to chelating agents and pH 5

Transcription of a light-inducible gene in the prokaryote Arthrobacter sp. is induced in the dark when cells are incubated with chelating agents or in medium at pH 5. However, repletion of metal ions such as Ca2+, Mn2+ or Zn2+ or an increase in pH is required for accumulation of the gene product, an Mr 21,000 polypeptide. But such changes in condition restore repression of the gene, and the decay in the rate of synthesis of the polypeptide follows the same time-course as when photodynamically induced cells are transferred to the dark. These results are consistent with regulation of expression of this gene at transcriptional and posttranscriptional steps by mechanisms that involve metal-protein complexes.

Photodynamic activity of acridine orange: peroxide radical induction in DNA and synthetic polynucleotides

As shown by electron paramagnetic resonance, acridine orange induces the formation of peroxide radicals in DNA when dye-DNA mixtures frozen at 77 K are irradiated with visible light. The reaction is oxygen dependent and strongly reduced by the addition of an electron scavenger. Factors of the medium can modulate the reaction: an ionic strength increased up to 0.3 greatly enhances the dye efficiency whereas the presence of phosphate ions has an inhibiting influence. Acridine orange, which is slightly less efficient than proflavine on native DNA, induces an important peroxide radical formation in poly(dG).poly(dC) but has no action on the poly(dA).poly(dT)polymer.