Adaptive response
The adaptive response is a form of direct DNA repair in E. coli that protects DNA from damage by external agents or by errors during replication. It is initiated against alkylation, particularly methylation, of guanine or thymine nucleotides or phosphate groups on the sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA. Under sustained exposure to low-level treatment with alkylating mutagens, E. coli can adapt to the presence of the mutagen, rendering subsequent treatment with high doses of the same agent less effective.
This mechanism has four related genes, also known as “SOS genes”: ada, alkA, alkB, and aidB, each one working in specific residues, all regulated by Ada protein.