GENETIC ANALYSIS OF STREPTOMYCIN RESISTANCE IN <i>ESCHERICHIA COLI</i>

Abstract

H E strA locus in Escherichia coli determines the primary structure of a protein of the 30s ribosomal subunit (TRAUB and NOMURA 1968; OZAKI, MI-ZUSHIMA and NOMURA 1969). The phenotype classically used for selecting strA mutants is survival to the bactericidal action of streptomycin. These survivors either are indifferent to streptomycin ("resistant") or they require the presence of the aminoglycoside for growth ("dependent"). In addition to its bactericidal action, streptomycin has other effects on the wild-type strA+ sensitive cell and on the ribosomes extracted from it, including the ability to promote phenotypic suppression in uiuo (GORINI and KATAJA 1964) and to induce misreading in uitro (DAVIES, These effects are similarly eliminated or reduced in strA mutants.