E.COLI GENES WHOSE EXPRESSION IS ALTERED BY SALICYL ALCOHOL

Salicylates, like heat shock and UV damage, induce a panoply of changes in
E.coli including (but not limited to): the induction of resistance to
certain classes of antibiotics and sensitivity to others; alteration in
outer membrane protein composition; and increase sensitivity to Cd++.
Some of these effects may be of the weak acid variety, but the majority
are not as they are also induced by salicyl alcohol. In an attempt to
dissect and define the action of salicyl alcohol on E. coli, we have
constructed two libraries of 10/5 independent transpositional events, each
containing the lac Z gene (with and without translational initiation
signals) inserted at random about the E. coli genome. We are currently in
the process of screening these libraries for transpositional events in
which the lac Z gene is induced or repressed by salicyl alcohol and in
which the resistance of nalidixic acid is not increased by salicyl
alcohol. A number of potential mutants have been identified and we are
beginning to map and characterize them.