Exposure to 6 kGy dose of Co-60 gamma-rays resulted in immediate growth arrest, followed by complete recovery of Deinococcus radiodurans strain R1 cells. Selective degradation and resynthesis of several predicted highly expressed proteins (including major chaperones, key TCA cycle enzymes, and few stress proteins) and several hypothetical proteins marked the lag period, preceding resumption of growth. A major exercise in protein recycling appears to be an integral component of post-irradiation recovery in D. radiodurans and complements the extensive DNA repair, characteristic of this extremely radioresistant bacterium. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.