The complete genome sequence of the bacterium, Deinococcus radiodurans R1 has been released. This achievement will greatly aid efforts to study this organism, but analysis of the sequence reveals little that helps explain the extreme ionizing radiation resistance of this species.

Microbes are known to withstand environmental stresses by using chromosomal toxin-antitoxin systems. MazEF is one of the most extensively studied toxin-antitoxin systems. In stressful environments, MazF toxins modulate translation by cleaving single-stranded RNAs in a sequence-specific fashion. Previously, a chromosomal gene located at DR0417 in Deinococcus radiodurans was predicted to code for...

The bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans can withstand extraordinary levels of ionizing radiation, reflecting an equally extraordinary capacity for DNA repair. The hypothetical gene product DR0423 has been implicated in the recovery of this organism from DNA damage, indicating that this protein is a novel component of the D. radiodurans DNA repair system. DR0423 is a homologue of the eukaryotic Ra...

Immense volumes of radioactive wastes, which were generated during nuclear weapons production, were disposed of directly in the ground during the Cold War, a period when national security priorities often surmounted concerns over the environment. The bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans is the most radiation-resistant organism known and is currently being engineered for remediation of the toxic me...

Interplasmidic and intrachromosomal recombination in Deinococcus radiodurans has been studied recently and has been found to occur at high frequency following exposure to ionizing radiation. In the current work, we document plasmid-chromosome recombination following exposure of D. radiodurans to 1.75 Mrad (17.5 kGy) 60Co, when the plasmid is present in the cell at the time of irradiation. Recom...

In 1956 a food technologist at Oregon State University made a startling discovery: cans of meat that had supposedly been sterilized with gamma radiation contained a thriving organism, subsequently named Deinococcus radiodurans. D. radiodurans has been shown to survive and continue to function after being exposed to radiation doses up to 10 times those that would kill most bacteria. In addition,...

Stress-induced transposition is an attractive notion since it is potentially important in creating diversity to facilitate adaptation of the host to severe environmental conditions. One common major stress is radiation-induced DNA damage. Deinococcus radiodurans has an exceptional ability to withstand the lethal effects of DNA-damaging agents (ionizing radiation, UV light, and desiccation). Hig...