Roles of the Major, Small, Acid-Soluble Spore Proteins and Spore-Specific and Universal DNA Repair Mechanisms in Resistance of
            <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>
            Spores to Ionizing Radiation from X Rays and High-Energy Charged-Particle Bombardment

Moeller, Ralf; Setlow, Peter; Horneck, G.; Berger, Thomas; Reitz, Günther; Rettberg, Petra; Doherty, Aidan J.; Okayasu, Ryuichi; Nicholson, Wayne L.

doi:10.1128/jb.01644-07

Cited by 82 publications

(119 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…The B. subtilis Ku and LigD-like gene products are encoded in an operon, by the ykoV and ykoU genes, respectively (103). Deletion of ykoV or ykoU sensitizes B. subtilis strains to ionizing radiation in stationary phase (445) and sensitizes spores to X-ray and high-energy charged particle challenge (270). These results are consistent with a role of Ku and LigD in DSB repair.…”

Section: Nonhomologous End Joiningsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…In addition, NHEJ has been associated with prokaryotes that undergo extended periods with one genome copy as part of their life-style, whether during sporulation or during extended periods in stationary phase, in the case of M. tuberculosis (34,96,137,444,445). These observations support the idea that NHEJ in B. subtilis contributes to genome maintenance during stationary phase and during germination of B. subtilis spores, when B. subtilis has predominantly 1C chromosomal DNA content per cell (270,440,445).…”

Section: Nonhomologous End Joiningsupporting

confidence: 60%

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DNA Repair and Genome Maintenance in Bacillus subtilis

Lenhart

Schroeder

Walsh

et al. 2012

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

151

155

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SUMMARY From microbes to multicellular eukaryotic organisms, all cells contain pathways responsible for genome maintenance. DNA replication allows for the faithful duplication of the genome, whereas DNA repair pathways preserve DNA integrity in response to damage originating from endogenous and exogenous sources. The basic pathways important for DNA replication and repair are often conserved throughout biology. In bacteria, high-fidelity repair is balanced with low-fidelity repair and mutagenesis. Such a balance is important for maintaining viability while providing an opportunity for the advantageous selection of mutations when faced with a changing environment. Over the last decade, studies of DNA repair pathways in bacteria have demonstrated considerable differences between Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms. Here we review and discuss the DNA repair, genome maintenance, and DNA damage checkpoint pathways of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We present their molecular mechanisms and compare the functions and regulation of several pathways with known information on other organisms. We also discuss DNA repair during different growth phases and the developmental program of sporulation. In summary, we present a review of the function, regulation, and molecular mechanisms of DNA repair and mutagenesis in Gram-positive bacteria, with a strong emphasis on B. subtilis.

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Section: Nonhomologous End Joiningsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Nonhomologous End Joiningsupporting

confidence: 60%

DNA Repair and Genome Maintenance in Bacillus subtilis

Lenhart

Schroeder

Walsh

et al. 2012

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

151

155

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This observation needs to be confirmed by repetition, and other Geobacillus isolates should be similarly tested. However, there is already a considerable body of evidence documenting a bacterial structure that clearly protects genomic DNA not only from ionizing radiation (Moeller et al, 2008) but also from many forms of environmental damage (Nicholson et al, 2000;Setlow, 2006): the Bacillus spore. It may be that the same mechanisms that protect spores from these sudden environmental crises could also dramatically extend their lifespans under ordinary conditions by protecting them from more gradual damage over time.…”

Section: Desert Dustmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Geobacillus paradox: why is a thermophilic bacterial genus so prevalent on a mesophilic planet?

2014

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The genus Geobacillus comprises endospore-forming obligate thermophiles. These bacteria have been isolated from cool soils and even cold ocean sediments in anomalously high numbers, given that the ambient temperatures are significantly below their minimum requirement for growth. Geobacilli are active in environments such as hot plant composts, however, and examination of their genome sequences reveals that they are endowed with a battery of sensors, transporters and enzymes dedicated to hydrolysing plant polysaccharides. Although they appear to be relatively minor members of the plant biomass-degrading microbial community, Geobacillus bacteria have achieved a significant population with a worldwide distribution, probably in large part due to adaptive features of their spores. First, their morphology and resistance properties enable them to be mobilized in the atmosphere and transported long distances. Second, their longevity, which in theory may be extreme, enables them to lie quiescent but viable for long periods of time, accumulating gradually over time to achieve surprisingly high population densities. Introduction: an environmental enigmaGeobacillus bacteria are rod-shaped, aerobic or facultatively anaerobic, endospore-forming microbes. Depending on the strain, the temperature range for growth can extend as low as 35 u C or as high as 80 u C. But for most isolates, temperatures between about 45 and 70 u C are required (Nazina et al., 2001). These characteristics make Geobacillus bacteria (geobacilli) attractive to the biotechnology industry as sources of thermostable enzymes (de Champdoré et al., 2007; Karagüler et al., 2007), as platforms for biofuel production (Cripps et al., 2009;Taylor et al., 2009) and as potential components of bioremediation strategies (Markossian et al., 2000;Obojska et al., 2002;Perfumo et al., 2007). Obligate thermophiles, however, face a significant challenge outside the lab: they must survive on a planet with an average annual land surface temperature that has only ranged between 7 and 10 uC over the past three centuries (Rohde et al., 2013). It would be logical to assume, then, that Geobacillus would only be found in substantial numbers in the warmest regions of the planet, such as equatorial deserts or naturally occurring geothermal and hydrothermal hotspots. The truth, however, is rather more complicated.As Fig. 1 illustrates, people have been able to detect Geobacillus nearly everywhere they have thought to look. (This figure is based on a survey of 146 mostly recent references describing the isolation of Geobacillus in natural or human-made environments; for full details, see Table S1, available in Microbiology Online.) One can see at a glance that these bacteria have been isolated from sources on all seven continents as well as the Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. What may not be obvious from a twodimensional map is that there has been much diversity in the third dimension as well. Geobacillus has been isolated from the Bolivian Andes at an altitude of 3653 m (Ma...

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“…These include rejoining the broken ends, by homologous recombination with a sister strand molecule (71) or by nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) (22). In spores of B. subtilis, which contain a single chromosome arranged in a toroidal shape (70), NHEJ is the most efficient repair pathway during germination of spores exposed to ionizing radiation, such as X-rays (170) or HZE particles (173).…”

Section: Biological Effectiveness Of Cosmic Radiationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Space Microbiology

Horneck

Klaus

Mancinelli

2010

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

Self Cite

575

489

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SUMMARY The responses of microorganisms (viruses, bacterial cells, bacterial and fungal spores, and lichens) to selected factors of space (microgravity, galactic cosmic radiation, solar UV radiation, and space vacuum) were determined in space and laboratory simulation experiments. In general, microorganisms tend to thrive in the space flight environment in terms of enhanced growth parameters and a demonstrated ability to proliferate in the presence of normally inhibitory levels of antibiotics. The mechanisms responsible for the observed biological responses, however, are not yet fully understood. A hypothesized interaction of microgravity with radiation-induced DNA repair processes was experimentally refuted. The survival of microorganisms in outer space was investigated to tackle questions on the upper boundary of the biosphere and on the likelihood of interplanetary transport of microorganisms. It was found that extraterrestrial solar UV radiation was the most deleterious factor of space. Among all organisms tested, only lichens (Rhizocarpon geographicum and Xanthoria elegans) maintained full viability after 2 weeks in outer space, whereas all other test systems were inactivated by orders of magnitude. Using optical filters and spores of Bacillus subtilis as a biological UV dosimeter, it was found that the current ozone layer reduces the biological effectiveness of solar UV by 3 orders of magnitude. If shielded against solar UV, spores of B. subtilis were capable of surviving in space for up to 6 years, especially if embedded in clay or meteorite powder (artificial meteorites). The data support the likelihood of interplanetary transfer of microorganisms within meteorites, the so-called lithopanspermia hypothesis.

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Roles of the Major, Small, Acid-Soluble Spore Proteins and Spore-Specific and Universal DNA Repair Mechanisms in Resistance of Bacillus subtilis Spores to Ionizing Radiation from X Rays and High-Energy Charged-Particle Bombardment

Cited by 82 publications

References 67 publications

DNA Repair and Genome Maintenance in Bacillus subtilis

DNA Repair and Genome Maintenance in Bacillus subtilis

The Geobacillus paradox: why is a thermophilic bacterial genus so prevalent on a mesophilic planet?

Space Microbiology

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