During the development of competency in Bacillus subtilis there was an increased sensitivity to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) treatments. The frequency of reverse mutation also increased among the MMS-revertible markers by a factor of 100 as compared to vegetative cultures. The frequency of 2-aminopurine(AP)-induced mutagenesis was the same in competent and noncompetent cultures. Studies with DNA-polymerase-deficient mutants showed a direct involvement of DNA polymerase I in promoting MMS and transformation-induced mutagenesis in competent cells.