Radiation resistant E. coli

Scientists have coaxed the model bacterium Escherichia coli to resist ionizing radiation and, in the process, reveal the genetic mechanisms that make the feat possible. The study provides evidence that just a handful of genetic mutations give E. coli the capacity to withstand doses of radiation.

The findings are important because they have implications for better understanding how organisms can resist radiation damage to cells and repair damaged DNA.

For further details, refer to the following paper:

R. T. Byrne, A. J. Klingele, E. L. Cabot, W. S. Schackwitz, J. A. Martin, J. Martin, Z. Wang, E. A. Wood, C. Pennacchio, L. A. Pennacchio, N. T. Perna, J. R. Battista, M. M. Cox. Evolution of extreme resistance to ionizing radiation via genetic adaptation of DNA repair. eLife, 2014; 3 (0): e01322 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.01322

Posted by Tim Sandle