Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, March 2011, p. 133-191, Vol. 75, No. 1
1092-2172/11/$12.00+0 doi:10.1128/MMBR.00015-10
Copyright © 2011, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Oxidative Stress Resistance in Deinococcus radiodurans
Dea Slade1* and Miroslav Radman1,2
Université de Paris-Descartes, Faculté de Médecine, INSERM U1001, 156 Rue de Vaugirard, 75015 Paris, France,1 Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences, Mestrovicevo Setaliste bb, 21000 Split, Croatia2
Summary: Deinococcus radiodurans is a robust bacterium bestknown for its capacity to repair massive DNA damage efficientlyand accurately. It is extremely resistant to many DNA-damagingagents, including ionizing radiation and UV radiation (100 to295 nm), desiccation, and mitomycin C, which induce oxidativedamage not only to DNA but also to all cellular macromoleculesvia the production of reactive oxygen species. The extreme resilienceof D. radiodurans to oxidative stress is imparted synergisticallyby an efficient protection of proteins against oxidative stressand an efficient DNA repair mechanism, enhanced by functionalredundancies in both systems. D. radiodurans assets for theprevention of and recovery from oxidative stress are extensivelyreviewed here. Radiation- and desiccation-resistant bacteriasuch as D. radiodurans have substantially lower protein oxidationlevels than do sensitive bacteria but have similar yields ofDNA double-strand breaks. These findings challenge the conceptof DNA as the primary target of radiation toxicity while advancingprotein damage, and the protection of proteins against oxidativedamage, as a new paradigm of radiation toxicity and survival.The protection of DNA repair and other proteins against oxidativedamage is imparted by enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidantdefense systems dominated by divalent manganese complexes. Giventhat oxidative stress caused by the accumulation of reactiveoxygen species is associated with aging and cancer, a comprehensiveoutlook on D. radiodurans strategies of combating oxidativestress may open new avenues for antiaging and anticancer treatments.The study of the antioxidation protection in D. radioduransis therefore of considerable potential interest for medicineand public health.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Université de Paris-Descartes, Faculté de Médecine, INSERM U1001, 156 Rue de Vaugirard, 75015 Paris, France. Phone: 0033140615494. Fax: 0033140615322. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://mmbr.asm .org/.
Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, March 2011, p. 133-191, Vol. 75, No. 1
1092-2172/11/$12.00+0 doi:10.1128/MMBR.00015-10
