Protection of DNA by α/β-type small, acid-soluble proteins from Bacillus subtilis spores against cytosine deamination

Spores of Bacillus subtilis contain high levels of proteins, termed alpha/beta-type small, acid-soluble proteins (SASP), that protect the spore's DNA against different types of DNA damage. We tested one such protein, SspC, and two of its variants for their ability to protect plasmid DNA against hydrolytic deamination of cytosine to uracil. If unrepaired, such damage to DNA causes C to T mutations. We found that one SspC variant, SSpC(Delta11-D13K), protected DNA against cytosine deamination at two different temperatures (45 and 70 degreesC) and pH values (5.2 and 7.9), reducing the rate of deamination by as much as 10-fold. At 70 degreesC, pH 7.9, the wild-type SspC and its variant, SSpC(Delta11), provided little protection against deamination but were effective in protecting DNA at 45 degreesC, pH 7.9. Parallel studies of the abilities of these proteins to protect DNA against restriction digestion revealed that there was a good correlation between the abilities of the proteins to protect against restriction endonucleases and reductions in cytosine deaminations. These results show that the binding of SspC variants to DNA can prevent attack on DNA bases by water and suggest a new general mechanism by which DNA-binding proteins in cells may be able to protect chromosmes from endogenous and exogenous reactive chemicals by excluding them from the vicinity of DNA.