Deinococcus (from theGreek:δεινός,deinos, "dreadful, strange" and κόκκος,kókkos, "granule"[1]) is in themonotypic familyDeinococcaceae, and one genus[2] of three in the order Deinococcales[3][4] of the bacterial phylumDeinococcota highly resistant to environmental hazards. These bacteria have thick cell walls that give themGram-positive stains, but they also include a second membrane and are therefore closer in structure toGram-negative bacteria.Deinococcus survive when their DNA is exposed to high doses of gamma and UV radiation. Whereas other bacteria change their structure in the presence of radiation, such as by forming endospores,Deinococcus tolerate it without changing their cellular form and do not retreat into a hardened structure. They are also characterized by the presence of the carotenoid pigmentdeinoxanthin that give them their pink color. They are usually isolated according to these two criteria. In August 2020, scientists reported thatbacteria from Earth, particularlyDeinococcus bacteria, were found to survive for three years inouter space, based on studies conducted on theInternational Space Station. These findings support the notion ofpanspermia, the hypothesis thatlife exists throughout theUniverse, distributed in various ways, includingspace dust,meteoroids,asteroids,comets,planetoids orcontaminatedspacecraft.[5][6]
Members ofDeinococcus can be distinguished from all other bacteria through molecular signatures known asconserved signature indels (CSIs) and proteins (CSPs). An earlier study onDeinococcus identified nine CSIs and 58 CSPs which were exclusively shared by members of this genus.[7] Some of the identified CSPs such as the DNA damage repair protein PprA and the single-strandedDNA-binding protein DdrB are thought to have functional roles in the DNA repair mechanism and radioresistance phenotype ofDeinococcus.[7]
In a more recent work focused on DNA repair proteins an additional 22 CSIs were identified as specific to this genus, including a 30 amino acid insert in theUvrA1 protein that is suggested to play in a role in the resistance ability ofDeinococcus species against radiation and oxidation damage.[8]
TheuvrA1 gene inDeinococcus was found to form a novel genetic linkage with the genes of the proteins dCSP-1 (a transmembrane protein found only inDeinococcus species),DsbA andDsbB. The latter two proteins play a central role in the formation of disulfide bonds in proteins via oxidation-reduction of cysteine rich motifs (CXXC).[9] The above cluster of genes forms a novel operon unique toDeinococcus species and the encoded proteins are predicted to function together to combat against DNA damage caused by reactive oxidative species from radiation.[8]
The 30 aa CSI present in UvrA1 and another 5-7 aa CSI present in DsbA are located on surface loops of the proteins. The surface exposed loops/patches formed by these CSIs are thought to mediate protein-protein interactions with the transmembrane protein dCSP-1, thus facilitating a sequence of electron transfers that ultimately ameliorates oxidative damage.[8]
Orthologous gene comparison between three sequencedDeinococcus strains. The numbers correspond to the number of shared orthologs between two or all three species.[10]
Although all species of the genusDeinococcus are related by definition, they exhibit substantial differences across theirgenomes. Most species appear to have about 3,000 genes, but only a fraction of them are shared in other species. For example, a 3-species comparison amongD. radiodurans,D. deserti, andD. geothermalis shows that about two thirds of each genome is shared by all three species, but close to a third is specific and only found in one of the species (see figure). Once more genomes are included in such comparisons, the core genome will almost certainly be much smaller.[10]
^Brooks BW, Murray RGE (1981) Nomenclature for" Micrococcus radiodurans" and other radiation-resistant cocci: Deinococcaceae fam. nov. and Deinococcus gen. nov., including five species. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 31: 353.
^Ekman JV, Raulio M, Busse HJ, Fewer DP, Salkinoja-Salonen M (2010) Deinobacterium chartae gen. nov., sp. nov., an extremely radiation resistantbiofilm-forming bacterium isolated from a Finnish paper mill. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.
^Albuquerque L, Sims C, Nobre MF, Pino NM, Battista JR, et al. (2005)Truepera radiovictrix gen. nov., sp. nov., a new radiation-resistant species and the proposal ofTrueperaceae fam. nov. FEMS Microbiology Letters 247: 161-169.
^Rainey FA, Ferreira M, Nobre MF, Ray K, Bagaley D, Earl AM, Battista JR, Gómez-Silva B, McKay CP, da Costa MS.Deinococcus peraridilitoris sp. nov., isolated from a coastal desert. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2007 Jul;57(Pt 7):1408-12.
^abcdefghiRainey FA, Ray K, Ferreira M, Gatz BZ, Nobre MF, Bagaley D, Rash BA, Park MJ, Earl AM, Shank NC, Small AM, Henk MC, Battista JR, Kämpfer P, da Costa MS. Extensive diversity of ionizing-radiation-resistant bacteria recovered from Sonoran Desert soil and description of nine new species of the genusDeinococcus obtained from a single soil sample. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2005 Sep;71(9):5225-35. Erratum in: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2005 Nov;71(11):7630.
^abAsker D, Awad TS, Beppu T, Ueda K.Deinococcus misasensis andDeinococcus roseus, novel members of the genusDeinococcus, isolated from a radioactive site in Japan. Syst Appl Microbiol. 2008 Mar;31(1):43-9.
^Weon HY, Kim BY, Schumann P, Son JA, Jang J, Go SJ, Kwon SW.Deinococcus cellulosilyticus sp. nov., isolated from air. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2007 Aug;57(Pt 8):1685-8.
^abcdCallegan RP, Nobre MF, McTernan PM, Battista JR, Navarro-González R, McKay CP, da Costa MS, Rainey FA. Description of four novel psychrophilic, ionizing radiation-sensitiveDeinococcus species from alpine environments. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2008 May;58(Pt 5):1252-8.
^Asker D, Awad TS, Beppu T, Ueda K.Deinococcus aquiradiocola sp. nov., isolated from a radioactive site in Japan. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2009 Jan;59(Pt 1):144-9.
^Lewis NF. Radio-resistant Micrococcus radiophilus sp. nov. isolated from irradiated Bombay duck (Harpodon nehereus). Curr. Sci. (India)1976, v. 42, no. 14, p. 504
^Kobatake, M., Tanabe, S., Hasegawa, S. Nouveau micrococcus radioresistant a pigment rouge, isole de feces deLama glama, et son utilisation comme indicateur microbiologique de la radiosterilisation. C.R. Seances Soc. Biol. Fil. (1973)167, 1506–1510.
^Shashidhar R, Bandekar JR.Deinococcus piscis sp. nov., a radiation-resistant bacterium isolated from a marine fish. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2009 Nov;59(Pt 11):2714-7
^abFerreira AC, Nobre MF, Rainey FA, Silva MT, Wait R, Burghardt J, Chung AP, da Costa MS.Deinococcus geothermalis sp. nov. andDeinococcus murrayi sp. nov., two extremely radiation-resistant and slightly thermophilic species from hot springs. Int J Syst Bacteriol. 1997 Oct;47(4):939-47.
^Yang Y, Itoh T, Yokobori S, Shimada H, Itahashi S, Satoh K, Ohba H, Narumi I, Yamagishi A.Deinococcus aetherius sp. nov., isolated from the stratosphere. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2010 Apr;60(Pt 4):776-9
^Yang Y, Itoh T, Yokobori S, Itahashi S, Shimada H, Satoh K, Ohba H, Narumi I, Yamagishi A.Deinococcus aerius sp. nov., isolated from the high atmosphere. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2009 Aug;59(Pt 8):1862-6.
^Yuan M, Zhang W, Dai S, Wu J, Wang Y, Tao T, Chen M, Lin M.Deinococcus gobiensis sp. nov., an extremely radiation-resistant bacterium. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2009 Jun;59(Pt 6):1513-7
^Zhang YQ, Sun CH, Li WJ, Yu LY, Zhou JQ, Zhang YQ, Xu LH, Jiang CL.Deinococcus yunweiensis sp. nov., a gamma- and UV-radiation-resistant bacterium from China. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2007 Feb;57(Pt 2):370-5.
^abYoo SH, Weon HY, Kim SJ, Kim YS, Kim BY, Kwon SW.Deinococcus aerolatus sp. nov. andDeinococcus aerophilus sp. nov., isolated from air samples. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2010 May;60(Pt 5):1191-5.
^abcHirsch P, Gallikowski CA, Siebert J, Peissl K, Kroppenstedt R, Schumann P, Stackebrandt E, Anderson R.Deinococcus frigens sp. nov.,Deinococcus saxicola sp. nov., andDeinococcus marmoris sp. nov., low temperature and draught-tolerating, UV-resistant bacteria from continental Antarctica. Syst Appl Microbiol. 2004 Nov;27(6):636-45.
^Davis, N.S., Silverman, G.J., Mausurosky, E.B. Radiation-resistant, pigmented coccus isolated from haddock tissue. J. Bacteriol. 1963;86, 294–298.
^Chen W, Wang B, Hong H, Yang H, Liu SJ.Deinococcus reticulitermitis sp. nov., isolated from a termite gut.Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2011 Feb 18
^Peng F, Zhang L, Luo X, Dai J, An H, Tang Y, Fang C.Deinococcus xinjiangensis sp. nov., isolated from desert soil. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2009 Apr;59(Pt 4):709-13.
^de Groot A, Chapon V, Servant P, Christen R, Saux MF, Sommer S, Heulin T.Deinococcus deserti sp. nov., a gamma-radiation-tolerant bacterium isolated from the Sahara Desert. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2005 Nov;55(Pt 6):2441-6.
^Kämpfer P, Lodders N, Huber B, Falsen E, Busse HJ.Deinococcus aquatilis sp. nov., isolated from water. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2008 Dec;58(Pt 12):2803-6.
^Anderson, A W; H C Nordan, R F Cain, G Parrish, D Duggan (1956). "Studies on a radio-resistant micrococcus. I. Isolation, morphology, cultural characteristics, and resistance to gamma radiation". Food Technol. 10 (1): 575–577.
^abWang W, Mao J, Zhang Z, Tang Q, Xie Y, Zhu J, Zhang L, Liu Z, Shi Y, Goodfellow M.Deinococcus wulumuqiensis sp. nov., andDeinococcus xibeiensis sp. nov., isolated from radiation-polluted soil. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2010 Sep;60(Pt 9):2006-10
^Lai WA, Kämpfer P, Arun AB, Shen FT, Huber B, Rekha PD, Young CC.Deinococcus ficus sp. nov., isolated from the rhizosphere of Ficus religiosa L. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2006 Apr;56(Pt 4):787-91
^Suresh K, Reddy GS, Sengupta S, Shivaji S.Deinococcus indicus sp. nov., an arsenic-resistant bacterium from an aquifer in West Bengal, India. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2004 Mar;54(Pt 2):457-61.
^abIm WT, Jung HM, Ten LN, Kim MK, Bora N, Goodfellow M, Lim S, Jung J, Lee ST.Deinococcus aquaticus sp. nov., isolated from fresh water, andDeinococcus caeni sp. nov., isolated from activated sludge. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2008 Oct;58(Pt 10):2348-53.
^Asker D, Awad TS, McLandsborough L, Beppu T, Ueda K.Deinococcus depolymerans sp. nov., a gamma- and UV-radiation-resistant bacterium, isolated from a naturally radioactive site. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2011 Jun;61(Pt 6):1448-53
^Oyaizu H, Stackebrandt E, Schleifer KH, Ludwig W, Pohla H, Ito H, Hirata A, Oyaizu Y, Komagata K. A radiation-resistant rod-shaped bacterium,Deinobacter grandis gen. nov., sp. nov., with peptidoglycan containing ornithine. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1987, 37, 62-67.
^Rainey FA, Nobre MF, Schumann P, Stackebrandt E, Da Costa MS. Phylogenetic diversity of the deinococci as determined by 16S ribosomal DNA sequence comparison. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1997, 47, 510-514
^Srinivasan S, Kim MK, Lim S, Joe M, Lee M.Deinococcus daejeonensis sp. nov., isolated from sludge in a sewage disposal plant. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2011 Jul 15
