Genetic modification of substrate specificity of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase in Salmonella typhimurium

Salmonella typhimurium strain GP660 (proAB-gpt deletion, purE) lacks guanine phosphoribosyltransferase and hence cannot utilize guanine as a purine source and is resistant to inhibition by 8-azaguanine. Strain GP660 was mutagenized and a derivative strain (GP36) was isolated for utilization of guanine and hypoxanthine, but not xanthine, as purine sources. This alteration was designated sug. The strain was then sensitive to inhibition by 8-azaguanine. Column chromatographic analysis revealed the altered phosphoribosyltransferase peaks for both hypoxanthine and guanine to be located together, in the same position as hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (hpt gene product) of the wild-type strain. Genetic analysis showed the sug mutation to be allelic with hpt. Therefore sug represented a modification of the substrate specificity of the hpt gene product.