Escherichia coli ada ogt mutants, which are totally deficient in O 6 -methylguanine-DNA methyltransferases, have an increased spontaneous mutation rate. This phenotype is particularly evident in starving cells and suggests the generation of an endogenous DNA alkylating agent under this growth condition. We have found that in wild-type cells, the level of the inducible Ada protein is 20-fold higher in stationary-phase and starving cells than in rapidly growing cells, thus enhancing the defense of these cells against DNA damage. The increased level of Ada in stationary cells is dependent on RpoS, a stationary-phase-specific sigma subunit of RNA polymerase. We have also identified a potential source of the mutagenic agent. Nitrosation of amides and related compounds can generate directly acting methylating agents and can be catalyzed by bacterial enzymes. E. coli moa mutants, which are defective in the synthesis of a molybdopterin cofactor required by several reductases, are deficient in nitrosation activity. It is reported here that a moa mutant shows reduced generation of a mutagenic methylating agent from methylamine (or methylurea) and nitrite added to agar plates. Moreover, a moa mutation eliminates much of the spontaneous mutagenesis in ada ogt mutants. These observations indicate that the major endogenous mutagen is not S-adenosylmethionine but arises by bacterially catalyzed nitrosation.Only a few types of cancer have been attributed to environmental agents. Other carcinogens of primary concern may be transient but highly reactive metabolites that arise during normal metabolism (24, 36). Indeed, several metabolites of amino acids, sugars, oxygen, and lipids are known to be mutagenic. It is, therefore, important to identify metabolites that damage DNA in vivo and result in spontaneous mutagenesis in the absence of adequate DNA repair. For example, reactive oxygen species generated during aerobic metabolism damage DNA bases and sugar residues. Specific oxygen radical detoxification and DNA repair mechanisms prevent or remove this damage (13,14). The increase in the rate of spontaneous mutagenesis in bacteria and yeast mutants that are specifically deficient in the repair of aberrantly methylated DNA bases indicates that methylation of DNA also occurs endogenously (16,34,52,53). Rodent cells may be similarly affected (2).The major mutagenic adduct induced in DNA by methylating agents is O 6 -methylguanine (O 6 -meG). This modified base mispairs with thymine during DNA replication, resulting in GC-to-AT transition mutations. In wild-type cells, O 6 -meG is repaired by ubiquitous O 6 -meG-DNA methyltransferases that directly transfer the methyl group from the modified base to one of their own cysteine residues. As a result of this process, the methyltransferases are inactivated (25). Escherichia coli has two O 6 -meG-DNA methyltransferases, a constitutive Ogt protein and an inducible Ada protein. Each exponentially growing cell contains only two to four molecules of Ada protein and 10-fold more Ogt protein (32,3...