Project description:In the present study, the susceptibility of the purple pigmented photosynthetic alphaproteobacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum S1H to gamma irradiation was investigated and its molecular response was characterised by means of gene expression analysis. R. rubrum S1H appears to be about 4 times more sensitive than the model strain Escherichia coli MG1655 to cobalt-60 gamma irradiation. Whole genome response of R. rubrum to 25 Gy revealed the common expression of SOS response related genes in both rich and minimal media. Quantitative expression of the lexA gene was followed after various recovery time following gamma irradiation and showed differential gene expression pattern between minimal and rich medium. This work paves the way for forthcoming molecular studies on the effect of ionizing radiation on R. rubrum S1H and the other MELiSSA strains. Keywords: Rhodospirillum rubrum; ionizing radiation tolerance; microarray; quantitative PCR.
