Irradiation-induced Deinococcus radiodurans genome fragmentation triggers transposition of a single resident insertion sequence.

ABSTRACT: 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). High radiation levels result in genome fragmentation and reassembly in a process which generates significant amounts of single-stranded DNA. This capacity of D. radiodurans to withstand irradiation raises important questions concerning its response to radiation-induced mutagenic lesions. A recent study analyzed the mutational profile in the thyA gene following irradiation. The majority of thyA mutants r

SUBMITTER: Pasternak C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2806898 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature