Abstract
Phenol-chloroform extraction of [32P]orthophosphate-labeled Escherichia coli cells followed by alkaline gel electrophoresis revealed, besides the expected chromosomal DNA, two non-DNA species that we have identified as lipopolysaccharides and polyphosphates by using a combination of biochemical and genetic techniques. We used this serendipitously found straightforward protocol for direct polyphosphate detection to quantify polyphosphate levels in E. coli mutants with diverse defects in the DNA metabolism. We detected increased polyphosphate accumulation in the ligA, ligA recBCD, dut ung, and thyA mutants. Polyphosphate accumulation may thus be an indicator of general DNA stress.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 7410-7416 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of bacteriology |
| Volume | 191 |
| Issue number | 24 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2009 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology