ATP hydrolysis during SOS induction in Escherichia coli

Changes in cellular ATP concentration during SOS induction in strains of Escherichia coli with different levels of RecA and LexA proteins were studied. UV irradiation of RecA+ strains induced a twofold increase in the ATP concentration around the first 20 min, followed by a decrease to the values of nonirradiated cells. On the other hand, mutants defective in RecA protein or with either deficient RecA protease activity or cleavage-resistant LexA repressor did not show any decrease, suggesting that ATP consumption is related to LexA repressor hydrolysis. Furthermore, strains presenting a constitutive synthesis of RecA protein showed the same changes in ATP concentration as the wild-type strain. Likewise, the presence in a RecA+ strain of a LexA(Def) protein, which is defective in its capacity for binding specifically to SOS operators, did not disturb the changes in ATP when compared with the LexA+ RecA+ strain. Moreover, after UV irradiation, a LexA(Def) RecA- double mutant showed an important increase in ATP concentration, which remained elevated for at least 120 min after UV treatment.