Multiple Photolyases Protect the Marine Cyanobacterium from Ultraviolet Radiation.

Marine cyanobacteria depend on light for photosynthesis, restricting their growth to the photic zone. The upper part of this layer is exposed to strong UV radiation (UVR), a DNA mutagen that can harm these microorganisms. To thrive in UVR-rich waters, marine cyanobacteria employ photoprotection strategies that are still not well defined. Among these are photolyases, light-activated enzymes that repair DNA dimers generated by UVR. Our analysis of genomes of 81 strains of , , and isolated from the world's oceans shows that they possess up to five genes encoding different members of the photolyase/cryptochrome family, including a photolyase with a novel domain arrangement encoded by either one or two separate genes. We disrupted the putative photolyase-encoding genes in sp. strain RS9916 and discovered that each gene contributes to the overall capacity of this organism to survive UVR. Additionally, each conferred increased survival after UVR exposure when transformed into Escherichia coli lacking its photolyase and SOS response. Our results provide the first evidence that this large set of photolyases endows with UVR resistance that is far superior to that of E. coli, but that, unlike for E. coli, these photolyases provide with the vast majority of its UVR tolerance. Cells use DNA photolyases to protect their DNA from the damaging effects of UV radiation. Marine cyanobacteria possess many genes that appear to encode photolyases, but the function of the proteins encoded by these genes is unclear. The study uses comparative genomics and molecular genetic approaches to describe and characterize the roles of these proteins in DNA damage repair in the marine cyanobacterium . This study identifies the important role of DNA photolyases in DNA repair for these cells and describes a previously undescribed structural class of DNA of these enzymes.