Abstract: The unique global regulator IrrE, found in Deinococcus, can up-regulate the expression of DNA repair genes in response to DNA damage. 5 types of IrrE protein had been identified in different strains of Deinococcus, the results of sequence alignment and homology modeling suggest that they share a high identity in amino acid sequence and have the same conserved protein regions, which may indicate the similarity in their functions. Besides, when gene irrE expressed in E.coli and B. napus, the salt tolerance of both hosts can be significantly enhanced, which show a very promising future in application. This review introduced the basic traits of Deinococcus and the discovery, structure and related functions of the global regulator IrrE, then we analyzed and prospected its potential application.  

Key words: Deinococcus, global regulator IrrE, stress resistance