Protein Oxidation Implicated as the Primary Determinant of Bacterial Radioresistance
The amount of DNA damage caused by a given dose of γ-radiation for resistant and sensitive bacteria is very similar. Yet, the range of ionizing radiation (IR) resistances is large, with a factor of 200 separating the most-resistant from the most-sensitive species. For example, Deinococcus radiodurans can survive levels of IR (10 kGy) that induce approximately 100 DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) per genome, whereas Shewanella oneidensis is killed by levels of IR (0.07 kGy) that result in less than 1 DSB per genome.
