Project description:Deinococcus deserti is a desiccation- and radiation-tolerant desert bacterium. Differential RNA sequencing was performed to explore the specificities of its transcriptome. Strikingly, for 1174 (60%) mRNAs the transcription start site was found exactly at (916 cases, 47%) or very close to the translation initiation codon AUG or GUG. Such proportion of leaderless mRNAs, which may resemble ancestral mRNAs, is unprecedented for a bacterial species. Proteomics showed that leaderless mRNAs are efficiently translated in D. deserti. Interestingly, we also found 173 additional transcripts with a 5’-AUG or 5’-GUG that would make them competent for ribosome binding and translation into novel small polypeptides. Fourteen of these are predicted to be leader peptides involved in transcription attenuation. Another 30 correlated with new gene predictions and/or showed conservation with annotated and non-annotated genes in other Deinococcus species, and five of these novel polypeptides were indeed detected by mass spectrometry. The data also allowed re-annotation of the start codon position of 257 genes, including several DNA repair genes. Moreover, several novel highly radiation-induced genes were found and their potential roles are discussed. Based on our RNA sequencing and proteogenomics data, we propose that translation of many of the novel leaderless transcripts, which may have resulted from single nucleotide changes and maintained by selective pressure, provides a new explanation for the generation of a cellular pool of small peptides important for protection of proteins against oxidation and thus for radiation/desiccation tolerance and adaptation to harsh environmental conditions.
Project description:Radiation-resistant Deinococcus radiodurans is an extreme microorganism capable of withstanding high levels of ionizing radiation and chemical mutagens. It possesses remarkable DNA repair capabilities and serves as a model organism for studying stress resistance mechanisms. However, our understanding of the relationship between the biological characteristics of this species and its chromosomal 3D structure remains limited. In this study, we employed chromosome conformation capture and sequencing (3C-seq) technology to determine the 3D genome structure of D. radiodurans and to further investigate the changes of chromosome conformation induced by ultraviolet irradiation. We observed that the overall chromatin folding structure of the cells became much looser after UV irradiation, with smaller chromosomal interaction domains (CIDs) merging to form larger CIDs. Integrating transcriptomic data analysis, we found that the majority of upregulated differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched near specific CID boundaries. Additionally, we comprehensively elucidated that Dr_ebfC as a nuclear-associated protein, serves as a global regulatory factor in gene expression processes and may modulate transcriptional regulation by altering chromosomal structure, thereby influencing the physiological state of the bacterium. Overall, our study provides insights into the chromosomal conformational changes of D. radiodurans under different conditions, offering valuable resources for further understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying its extreme resistance.
Project description:To better understand adaptation to harsh conditions encountered in hot arid deserts, we report the first complete genome sequence and proteome analysis of a bacterium, Deinococcus deserti VCD115, isolated from Sahara surface sand. Its genome consists of a 2.8-Mb chromosome and three large plasmids of 324 kb, 314 kb, and 396 kb. Accurate primary genome annotation of its 3,455 genes was guided by extensive proteome shotgun analysis. From the large corpus of MS/MS spectra recorded, 1,348 proteins were uncovered and semiquantified by spectral counting. Among the highly detected proteins are several orphans and Deinococcus-specific proteins of unknown function. The alliance of proteomics and genomics high-throughput techniques allowed identification of 15 unpredicted genes and, surprisingly, reversal of incorrectly predicted orientation of 11 genes. Reversal of orientation of two Deinococcus-specific radiation-induced genes, ddrC and ddrH, and identification in D. deserti of supplementary genes involved in manganese import extend our knowledge of the radiotolerance toolbox of Deinococcaceae. Additional genes involved in nutrient import and in DNA repair (i.e., two extra recA, three translesion DNA polymerases, a photolyase) were also identified and found to be expressed under standard growth conditions, and, for these DNA repair genes, after exposure of the cells to UV. The supplementary nutrient import and DNA repair genes are likely important for survival and adaptation of D. deserti to its nutrient-poor, dry, and UV-exposed extreme environment.