Abstract
To characterize its enzymic property we cloned and sequenced the gene of Deinococcus radiodurans encoding UV-endonuclease β, an alternative enzyme to UvrABC repairing damaged DNA. Amino acid substitutions were found in UV-sensitive mutants. The putative amino acid sequence had some similarity with those of eukaryotic UV-endonucleases and with a sequence found in a protein data base of Bacillus subtilis.