What is Deinococcus radiodurans?
Q: What is Deinococcus radiodurans?
A: Deinococcus radiodurans is a gram-positive, nonmotile, red-pigmented bacterium that was originally identified as a contaminant of irradiated canned meat in 1956.
Q: What systems does Deinococcus radiodurans have and what can it recover from?
A: Deinococcus radiodurans has the systems for DNA repair, DNA damage export, and genetic redundancy. It can recover from desiccation (loss of water) and starvation.
Q: What is Deinococcus radiodurans' tolerance to radiation?
A: Deinococcus radiodurans has a very high tolerance to radiation forms like gamma radiation, and it is known as the most radioactive resistant organism.
Q: What is Thioredoxin reductase?
A: Thioredoxin reductase is an enzyme found in the cells' response to double-strand DNA breaks.
Q: What is the RecD-like protein in D. radiodurans and what does this suggest?
A: D. radiodurans has a gene sequence that encodes for a protein that is very similar to the RecD enzyme found in E. coli. This significant finding suggests that this RecD-like protein in D. radiodurans is an important part of the repair system it uses.
Q: Is it possible to make other bacteria as radiation resistant as D. radiodurans?
A: It may be possible to make other bacteria as radiation resistant as D. radiodurans by changing their genetics.
Q: What is the real challenge in inserting an expressive recombinant Mn-SOD protein from D. radiodurans into E.coli BL21?
A: The real challenge in inserting an expressive recombinant Mn-SOD protein from D. radiodurans into E.coli BL21 is making the protein self-sustaining in the new species.
