Knowledge Tree
Deinococcus radiodurans
Facts (34)
Sources
The role of extremophile microbiomes in terraforming Mars - Nature nature.com Nov 17, 2025 14 facts
referenceI. Sadowska-Bartosz and G. Bartosz analyzed how the antioxidant defense system of Deinococcus radiodurans contributes to its extreme radiation resistance in the International Journal of Radiation Biology in 2023.
referenceChinchilla, O. A. & LiCata, V. J. published 'Plasmid expression of Deinococcus radiodurans RecA confers UV-A protection to Escherichia coli with an inverse protein dose dependence, which does not exceed conspecific RecA protection' in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications in 2024.
claimDeinococcus radiodurans maintains high intracellular manganese levels and low iron concentrations to protect proteins from oxidative damage and maintain enzyme functionality.
measurementDeinococcus radiodurans can survive acute doses of ionizing radiation exceeding 15,000 Gy, a tolerance level 1000 times higher than that of humans.
claimDeinococcus radiodurans repairs extensive double-strand DNA breaks using a sophisticated homologous recombination system.
referenceE. Symeonidou, U. G. Jørgensen, M. B. Madsen, and A. Priemé studied the effects of temperature, chloride, and perchlorate salt concentration on the metabolic activity of the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, published in Extremophiles in 2024.
claimEscherichia coli strains modified with genes from the extremophile Deinococcus radiodurans, specifically recA and pprA, demonstrated significantly improved survival rates under ionizing radiation in space-mimicking conditions.
claimDeinococcus radiodurans can remain metabolically active in low-temperature, perchlorate-rich environments, and mineral substrates can enhance its survival on the Martian surface.
referenceS. Dai et al. found that dynamic polyphosphate metabolism coordinating with manganese ions defends the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans against oxidative stress, as published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology in 2021.
referenceE. Ott et al. documented the molecular repertoire of the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans after one year of exposure outside the International Space Station during the Tanpopo mission, published in Microbiome in 2020.
referenceM. J. Daly proposed a new perspective on radiation resistance based on the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans in Nature Reviews Microbiology in 2009.
referenceE. Ott et al. performed proteomic and metabolomic profiling of the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans as it recovered after exposure to simulated low Earth orbit vacuum conditions, published in Frontiers in Microbiology in 2019.
claimThe bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans is one of the most resistant organisms to Mars-like conditions.
referencede La Vega, Rettberg, and Reitz (2007) simulated environmental climate conditions on the Martian surface and examined their effect on the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans.
Life on the Edge: Bioprospecting Extremophiles for Astrobiology link.springer.com May 19, 2023 14 facts
referenceVenkateswaran et al. (2000) identified the physiologic determinants of radiation resistance in the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, published in Appl Environ Microbiol 66:2620–2626.
claimNicotinic acid, amino acids, and some salts are nutritional constituents that can restore the growth of Deinococcus radiodurans in nutritionally limiting radioactive environments.
claimIt is speculated that the stress resistance observed in organisms like Deinococcus radiodurans is primarily associated with efficient DNA repair and antioxidant systems that protect cellular components from oxidative damage.
referenceDaly (2011) revised the molecular basis for radiation effects on cells in the context of Deinococcus radiodurans, published in the Extremophiles Handbook, pp 1117–1133.
referenceDeinococcus radiodurans and Antarctic dry valley bacteria exhibit resistance to low-temperature ionizing radiation, as studied by Dartnell et al. in 2010.
referenceVenkateswaran reported that Deinococcus radiodurans could grow on a rich nutrient medium in continuous radiation (6000 rads/h) without lethality, but in nutrient-limiting conditions, the cells did not grow and were killed by the radiation.
claimDeinococcus radiodurans can survive prolonged desiccation under very low relative humidity and in an ultra-high vacuum.
referenceAraujo et al. demonstrated that the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans could survive irradiation with synchrotron ultraviolet light when in a dry form.
referencede Araujo et al. (2020) probed the response of Deinococcus radiodurans when exposed to simulated space conditions, published in Int J Astrobiol 19(3):203–209.
referenceBauermeister et al. (2011) examined the effect of relative humidity on Deinococcus radiodurans' resistance to prolonged desiccation, heat, ionizing radiation, germicidal radiation, and environmentally relevant UV radiation, published in Microb Ecol 61:715–722.
claimDeinococcus radiodurans remains metabolically active even at exceptionally high ultraviolet radiation levels, provided it has access to a carbon source and a rich amino acid environment.
measurementDeinococcus radiodurans is one of Earth's two most radiation-resistant organisms, capable of surviving a radiation dose of up to 10,000 Gy.
claimIn experiments conducted on the International Space Station (ISS), Deinococcus radiodurans survived for three years outside the station in a shielded compartment, establishing the organism as a relevant model for planetary protection and panspermia.
referenceSlade and Radman (2011) reviewed oxidative stress resistance in the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, published in Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 75(1):133–191.
Extremophiles: Unlocking biomedical and industrial innovations ... cas.org Oct 29, 2025 4 facts
claimDeinococcus radiodurans and other members of the Deinococcaceae family possess extraordinary radiation resistance, allowing them to survive in environments with high levels of ionizing radiation, such as near nuclear reactors.
claimDeinococcus radiodurans and its relatives have developed efficient systems to repair DNA damage caused by radiation and other stresses like desiccation.
claimDeinococcus radiodurans provides DNA-repair templates that can enhance CRISPR accuracy and reduce off-target effects.
claimDeinococcus radiodurans is a radiophile that survives thousands of times the lethal human radiation dose due to ultra-efficient DNA repair enzymes.
Adaptive laboratory evolution – principles and applications for ... link.springer.com Jul 1, 2013 2 facts
referenceChen T, Wang J, Yang R, Li J, Lin M, and Lin Z showed that laboratory-evolved mutants of the exogenous global regulator IrrE from Deinococcus radiodurans enhance the stress tolerances of Escherichia coli in a 2011 study published in PLoS One.
claimResearchers introduced a heterologous transcriptional regulator from Deinococcus radiodurans into Escherichia coli to select for improved phenotypes, demonstrating that extensive perturbations of regulatory networks can expand possibilities in rapid laboratory evolution towards complex traits.