Genome sequence and transcriptome analysis of the radioresistant bacterium Deinococcus gobiensis: insights into the extreme environmental adaptations

The desert is an excellent model for studying evolution under extreme environments. We present here the complete genome and ultraviolet (UV) radiation-induced transcriptome of Deinococcus gobiensis I-0, which was isolated from the cold Gobi desert and shows higher tolerance to gamma radiation and UV light than all other known microorganisms. Nearly half of the genes in the genome encode proteins of unknown function, suggesting that the extreme resistance phenotype may be attributed to unknown genes and pathways. D. gobiensis also contains a surprisingly large number of horizontally acquired genes and predicted mobile elements of different classes, which is indicative of adaptation to extreme environments through genomic plasticity. High-resolution RNA-Seq transcriptome analyses indicated that 30 regulatory proteins, including several well-known regulators and uncharacterized protein kinases, and 13 noncoding RNAs were induced immediately after UV irradiation. Particularly interesting is the UV irradiation induction of the phrB and recB genes involved in photoreactivation and recombinational repair, respectively. These proteins likely include key players in the immediate global transcriptional response to UV irradiation. Our results help to explain the exceptional ability of D. gobiensis to withstand environmental extremes of the Gobi desert, and highlight the metabolic features of this organism that have biotechnological potential.