The absence of strand-specific repair for the DNA polymerase pol gene in Deinococcus radiodurans

Deinococcus radiodurans is characterized by its extreme resistance to ionizing radiation. Although Mn+2 was taken up by the cells at a high speed, the absorption of Mn+2 by the cells did not affect their survival rate when irradiated by UV light. However, the Mn-induced-cell-division (Mn-CD) cells do lose their resistance to UV radiation. This can be explained by the fact that the Mn-CD cells were less efficient to remove pyrimidine dimers on damaged DNA. We also found that there is no strand-specific repair of the pol gene in this organism.