Deinococcus radiodurans, which the Guinness Book of World Records has dubbed the world’s toughest bacterium, can tolerate doses of ionizing radiation ∼3000-fold greater than those that are lethal to humans (it was fi rst discovered growing in a can of ground meat that had been “sterilized” by radiation). It appears to have several strategies to repair radiation damage to its DNA (which large doses of ionizing radiation fragment to many pieces) including a particularly large number of genes encoding proteins involved in DNA repair and 4 to 10 copies per cell of its genome, which consists of two circular chromosomes and two circular plasmids. Yet, these strategies, alone, do not account for D. radiodurans’ enormously high radiation resistance. However, in an additional strategy, it organizes its multiple identical dsDNA circles into stacks in which, it is thought, the identical genes in the neighboring circles are aligned side by side. How would this latter strategy help D. radiodurans effi ciently repair its fragmented DNA?

Human Anatomy & Physiology (11th Edition)
11th Edition
ISBN:9780134580999
Author:Elaine N. Marieb, Katja N. Hoehn
Publisher:Elaine N. Marieb, Katja N. Hoehn
Chapter1: The Human Body: An Orientation
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Problem 1RQ: The correct sequence of levels forming the structural hierarchy is A. (a) organ, organ system,...
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Deinococcus radiodurans, which the Guinness Book of World Records has dubbed the world’s toughest bacterium, can tolerate doses of ionizing radiation ∼3000-fold greater than those that are lethal to humans (it was fi rst discovered growing in a can of ground meat that had been “sterilized” by radiation). It appears to have several strategies to repair radiation damage to its DNA (which large doses of ionizing radiation fragment to many pieces) including a particularly large number of genes encoding proteins involved in DNA repair and 4 to 10 copies per cell of its genome, which consists of two circular chromosomes and two circular plasmids. Yet, these strategies, alone, do not account for D. radiodurans’ enormously high radiation resistance. However, in an additional strategy, it organizes its multiple identical dsDNA circles into stacks in which, it is thought, the identical genes in the neighboring circles are aligned side by side. How would this latter strategy help D. radiodurans effi ciently repair its fragmented DNA? 

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