Survival of thermophilic and hyperthermophilic microorganisms after exposure to UV-C, ionizing radiation and desiccation

Beblo, Kristina; Douki, Thierry; Schmalz, Gottfried; Rachel, Reinhard; Wirth, Reinhard; Huber, Harald; Reitz, Guenther; Rettberg, Petra

doi:10.1007/s00203-011-0718-5

Cited by 39 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 90 publications

(87 reference statements)

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“…In general, H. marinus unites some properties which are of essential importance when discussing the past and present habitability of Mars: the organisms can only grow at low oxygen concentrations (down to 0.5 vol % O 2 , Stöhr et al, 2001), the Martian atmosphere contains today an average oxygen concentration of 0.13% (Horneck, 2000); the cells are able to grow in the presence of Martian concentrations of perchlorates in combination with an exceptional desiccation tolerance (Beblo et al, 2009); they are tolerant to salt concentrations up to 1.2 M (Stöhr et al, 2001; Beblo-Vranesevic et al, 2017); the organism shows survival after exposure to UV-C and ionizing radiation (Beblo et al, 2011). The radiation dose rate of ionizing radiation on the surface of Mars was measured and calculated to be up to 0.21 mGy per day (Hassler et al, 2014; Matthiä et al, 2016) and is therefore significantly lower than in the applied experiments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Tolerance of Hydrogenothermus marinus to Sodium Perchlorate

2017

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On Mars, significant amounts (0.4–0.6%) of perchlorate ions were detected in dry soil by the Phoenix Wet Chemistry Laboratory and later confirmed with the Mars Science Laboratory. Therefore, the ability of Hydrogenothermus marinus, a desiccation tolerant bacterium, to survive and grow in the presence of perchlorates was determined. Results indicated that H. marinus was able to tolerate concentrations of sodium perchlorate up to 200 mM ( 1.6%) during cultivation without any changes in its growth pattern. After the addition of up to 440 mM ( 3.7%) sodium perchlorate, H. marinus showed significant changes in cell morphology; from single motile short rods to long cell chains up to 80 cells. Furthermore, it was shown that the known desiccation tolerance of H. marinus is highly influenced by a pre-treatment with different perchlorates; additive effects of desiccation and perchlorate treatments are visible in a reduced survival rate. These data demonstrate that thermophiles, especially H. marinus, have so far, unknown high tolerances against cell damaging treatments and may serve as model organisms for future space experiments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Tolerance of Hydrogenothermus marinus to Sodium Perchlorate

2017

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“…Theremophilic archaea, including Archaeoglobus and Pyrococcus, tolerate high doses of UV light (25,26), notable given their apparent lack of recognizable lesion repair or bypass mechanisms. UV induces DNA lesions, particularly crosslinks between adjacent pyrimidine bases including: cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and 6-4 photoproducts (6-4PPs) modifications (27).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Archaeal replicative primases can perform translesion DNA synthesis

Jóźwiakowski

Gholami

Doherty

2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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DNA replicases routinely stall at lesions encountered on the template strand, and translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) is used to rescue progression of stalled replisomes. This process requires specialized polymerases that perform translesion DNA synthesis. Although prokaryotes and eukaryotes possess canonical TLS polymerases (Y-family Pols) capable of traversing blocking DNA lesions, most archaea lack these enzymes. Here, we report that archaeal replicative primases (Pri S, primase small subunit) can also perform TLS. Archaeal Pri S can bypass common oxidative DNA lesions, such as 8-Oxo-2'-deoxyguanosines and UV light-induced DNA damage, faithfully bypassing cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers. Although it is well documented that archaeal replicases specifically arrest at deoxyuracils (dUs) due to recognition and binding to the lesions, a replication restart mechanism has not been identified. Here, we report that Pri S efficiently replicates past dUs, even in the presence of stalled replicase complexes, thus providing a mechanism for maintaining replication bypass of these DNA lesions. Together, these findings establish that some replicative primases, previously considered to be solely involved in priming replication, are also TLS proficient and therefore may play important roles in damage tolerance at replication forks.archaea | replication | translesion synthesis | AEP | primase T he DNA replication machinery rapidly and accurately copies genomes but is prone to stalling at lesions and physical barriers (1). A variety of cellular pathways have evolved to restart stalled replication forks. These include translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) that is performed by specialized polymerases that synthesize short tracts of DNA opposite lesions, thus enabling reinitiation of replication (2). Error-free bypass mechanisms, mediated by homologous recombination, use an alternative undamaged template to rescue stalled replication forks (3). Stalled replisomes can also be rescued by repriming downstream of the blockage, leaving a gap opposite the lesion (4, 5).Eukaryotes and prokaryotes encode distinct TLS polymerases required for DNA damage tolerance (e.g., Y-family Pols). Although much of our understanding of TLS mechanisms has come from studies of archaeal Y-family DNA polymerases, the majority of archaeal species lack canonical TLS enzymes ( Fig. 1A) (6), surprising given the otherwise high degree of conservation between eukaryotic and archaeal replisomes. Many archaea do not appear to encode nucleotide excision repair or photolyase pathways that remove UV light-induced damage (6). These anomalies pose the question as to how archaea, lacking canonical TLS or lesion repair pathways, tolerate the presence of lesions that stall replication. This is particularly pertinent to archaea because of the harsh environmental conditions under which many species reside, including extreme temperatures, which promote increased levels of DNA damage.Archaeal replicases (B-and D-family Pols) specifically arrest at deoxyuracil (dU) (7,8). This unique featu...

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“…Thus, it would be logical that N. thermophilus is susceptible to both desiccation and ionizing radiation. However, a recent study concluded that there is not a direct correlation between desiccation tolerance and tolerance to radiation among hyperthermophilic archaea (1). It is possible that desiccation or a decrease in water activity in N. thermophilus results in irreversible destabilization and denaturation of intracellular proteins.…”

Section: Desiccation Radiation and Uv Resistance Of The Halophilic mentioning

confidence: 99%

Life under Multiple Extreme Conditions: Diversity and Physiology of the Halophilic Alkalithermophiles

Mesbah

Wiegel

2012

Appl Environ Microbiol

100

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ABSTRACTAround the world, there are numerous alkaline, hypersaline environments that are heated either geothermally or through intense solar radiation. It was once thought that such harsh environments were inhospitable and incapable of supporting a variety of life. However, numerous culture-dependent and -independent studies revealed the presence of an extensive diversity of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and archaea that survive and grow under these multiple harsh conditions. This diversity includes the halophilic alkalithermophiles, a novel group of polyextremophiles that require for growth and proliferation the multiple extremes of high salinity, alkaline pH, and elevated temperature. Life under these conditions undoubtedly involves the development of unique physiological characteristics, phenotypic properties, and adaptive mechanisms that enable control of membrane permeability, control of intracellular osmotic balance, and stability of the cell wall, intracellular proteins, and other cellular constituents. This minireview highlights the ecology and growth characteristics of the extremely halophilic alkalithermophiles that have been isolated thus far. Biochemical, metabolic, and physiological properties of the extremely halophilic alkalithermophiles are described, and their roles in resistance to the combined stressors of high salinity, alkaline pH, and high temperature are discussed. The isolation of halophilic alkalithermophiles broadens the physicochemical boundaries for life and extends the boundaries for the combinations of the maximum salinity, pH, and temperature that can support microbial growth.

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Survival of thermophilic and hyperthermophilic microorganisms after exposure to UV-C, ionizing radiation and desiccation

Cited by 39 publications

References 90 publications

High Tolerance of Hydrogenothermus marinus to Sodium Perchlorate

High Tolerance of Hydrogenothermus marinus to Sodium Perchlorate

Archaeal replicative primases can perform translesion DNA synthesis

Life under Multiple Extreme Conditions: Diversity and Physiology of the Halophilic Alkalithermophiles

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