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J C Loper

Publications and source records attributed to J C Loper.

42 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Histidinol dehydrogenase (his D) mutants of Salmonella typhimurium.

A multidisciplinary analysis has been applied to over 150 hisD mutants of Salmonella typhimurium in a study of gene-enzyme relationship. The mutants were examined for production of immunologically cross-reacting material by using antibody to purified histidinol dehydrogenase, and for genetic complementation by using a set of F' factors bearing Escherichia coli hisD complementing mutants. Classifications as to missense, nonsense, frameshift, or deletion mutant are proposed on the basis of mutagenesis and suppression tests. For the suppression tests the mutants were examined both by a simultaneous suppression technique and by testing for response to E. coli F' factors bearing a recessive lethal amber and a recessive lethal ochre suppressor. The data are interpreted in relation to the position of the mutations in the recombination and complementation maps and in relation to the known composition of histidinol dehydrogenase. The gene hisD appears to be single cistron for the production of a single biosynthetic polypeptide.

Acridines↗

Transcription initiation in the histidine operon of Salmonella typhimurium.

Evidence is presented for two natural transcription initiators positioned internally in the histidine operon of Salmonella typhimurium. They were detected using highly polar S. typhimurium his mutants as recipients for F' Escherichia coli his episomes. These intergeneric complementation tests provide a sensitive method for the detection of other initiators and of terminators. That at least part of the operator for the his operon lies distal to the transcription initiator is suggested by transduction analysis of a new highly polar mutant described in this paper.

Escherichia coli↗

Residue organic mixtures from drinking water show in vitro mutagenic and transforming activity.

Indications of possible health effects of residue organics in drinking water have been sought using short-term tests of mutagenic and transforming activity. Ten percent or less of the total organic material in drinking water has been identified; the remainder is believed to include thousands of unknown nonvolatile compounds. Residual organics were concentrated from drinking water from representative U.S. cities by reverse osmosis followed by liquid-liquid extraction [yielding the reverse osmosis concentrate-organic extract (ROC-OE) fraction] and sorption-desorption on XAD-2 resin. Samples of these residue organics were provided by the Environmental Protection Agency for bioassay. They were examined for mutagenic activity by using Salmonella tester strains (primarily TA98 and TA100) and for transforming activity by using mouse fibroblasts (BALB/3T3 clone 1-13). City-specific patterns of dose-dependent bacterial mutagenesis and of bacterial toxicity were observed for these samples and for subfractions generated by sequential extractions with hexane, ethyl ether, and acetone. Mutagenic effects were essentially independent of a microsome activation system prepared from liver of Aroclor 1254-induced rats. On the basis of strain-specific effects in mutagenesis and differential distributions of mutagenic activity during liquid-liquid extraction, at least some of the active compounds are thought to be acidic, frameshift mutagens. The ROC-OE fraction of a New Orleans sample transformed BALB/3T3 cells in replicate experiments. By comparison with the bacterial mutagenesis data, cell transformation is a relatively sensitive method for detecting possible mutagenic and carcinogenic activity in this sample. The appropriateness of these systems for the assay of complex mixtures and the degree to which reverse osmosis concentrates contain the unaltered organic compounds in the original samples are discussed.

Animals↗