title: Effect of relative humidity on Deinococcus radiodurans' resistance to prolonged desiccation, heat, ionizing, germicidal, and environmentally relevant UV radiation.
abstract: To test the effect of humidity on the radiation resistance of Deinococcus radiodurans, air-dried cells were irradiated with germicidal 254 nm UV, and simulated environmental UV or γ-radiation and survival was compared to cells in suspension. It was observed that desiccated cells exhibited higher levels of resistance than cells in suspension toward UV or γ-radiation as well as after 85°C heat shock. It was also shown that low relative humidity improves survival during long-term storage of desiccated D. radiodurans cells. It can be concluded that periods or environments in which cells exist in a dehydrated state are beneficial for D. radiodurans' survival exposed to various other stresses.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne (Koeln), Germany.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bauermeister
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moeller
authors.forename: Günther
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reitz
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sommer
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rettberg
mesh_terms: D034301:Deinococcus / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D003890:Desiccation; D005720:Gamma Rays; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006813:Humidity; D050296:Microbial Viability; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014867:Water / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D014867:Water