Isolation of Viable Haloarchaea from Ancient Salt Deposits and Application of Fluorescent Stains for in Situ Detection of Halophiles in Hypersaline Environmental Samples and Model Fluid Inclusions

Leuko, Stefan; Legat, Andrea; Fendrihan, Sergiu; Wieland, H.; Radax, Christian; Gruber, Claudia; Pfaffenhuemer, M.; Weidler, Gerhard; Stan‐Lotter, Helga

doi:10.1007/1-4020-3633-7_7

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(33 reference statements)

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“…In contrast, a rigid cell wall composed of heteropolysaccharides is present in the coccoid species Halococcus and Natronococcus (Schleifer et al 1982; Niemetz et al 1997). Placing these cells in hypotonic solutions will not cause lysis; cells maintain their viability as was detected by staining with the LIVE/DEAD kit (Leuko et al 2004, 2005); see also below.…”

Section: Morphology Envelopes and Inner Structuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extremely halophilic archaea and the issue of long-term microbial survival

Fendrihan

Legat

Pfaffenhuemer

et al. 2006

Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol

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105

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Halophilic archaebacteria (haloarchaea) thrive in environments with salt concentrations approaching saturation, such as natural brines, the Dead Sea, alkaline salt lakes and marine solar salterns; they have also been isolated from rock salt of great geological age (195-250 million years). An overview of their taxonomy, including novel isolates from rock salt, is presented here; in addition, some of their unique characteristics and physiological adaptations to environments of low water activity are reviewed. The issue of extreme long-term microbial survival is considered and its implications for the search for extraterrestrial life. The development of detection methods for subterranean haloarchaea, which might also be applicable to samples from future missions to space, is presented.

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Section: Morphology Envelopes and Inner Structuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extremely halophilic archaea and the issue of long-term microbial survival

Fendrihan

Legat

Pfaffenhuemer

et al. 2006

Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol

Self Cite

105

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“…are encountered (12,14,(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33), extrapolation of diversity and community structure studies to these atypical, nonhypersaline habitats is warranted. Such studies would expand our knowledge regarding overall diversity and ecological distribution within the Halobacteria and aid in deciphering the importance of various factors, e.g., salinity, physical characteristics, and geographical location, on shaping their diversity and community structure patterns.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns and Determinants of Halophilic Archaea (Class Halobacteria) Diversity in Tunisian Endorheic Salt Lakes and Sebkhet Systems

Najjari

Elshahed

Chérif

et al. 2015

Appl Environ Microbiol

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We examined the diversity and community structure of members of the halophilic Archaea (class Halobacteria) in samples from central and southern Tunisian endorheic salt lakes and sebkhet (also known as sebkha) systems using targeted 16S rRNA gene diversity survey and quantitative PCR (qPCR) approaches. Twenty-three different samples from four distinct locations exhibiting a wide range of salinities (2% to 37%) and physical characteristics (water, salt crust, sediment, and biofilm) were examined. A total of 4,759 operational taxonomic units at the 0.03 (species-level) cutoff (OTU 0.03 s) belonging to 45 currently recognized genera were identified, with 8 to 43 genera (average, 30) identified per sample. In spite of the large number of genera detected per sample, only a limited number (i.e., 2 to 16) usually constituted the majority (>80%) of encountered sequences. Halobacteria diversity showed a strong negative correlation to salinity (Pearson correlation coefficient ‫؍‬ ؊0.92), and community structure analysis identified salinity, rather than the location or physical characteristics of the sample, as the most important factor shaping the Halobacteria community structure. The relative abundance of genera capable of biosynthesis of the compatible solute(s) trehalose or 2-sulfotrehalose decreased with increasing salinities (Pearson correlation coefficient ‫؍‬ ؊0.80). Indeed, qPCR analysis demonstrated that the Halobacteria otsB (trehalose-6-phosphatase)/16S rRNA gene ratio decreases with increasing salinities (Pearson correlation coefficient ‫؍‬ ؊0.87). The results highlight patterns and determinants of Halobacteria diversity at a previously unexplored ecosystem and indicate that genera lacking trehalose biosynthetic capabilities are more adapted to growth in and colonization of hypersaline (>25% salt) ecosystems than trehalose producers.T he class Halobacteria represents a physiologically and phylogenetically distinct lineage within the archaeal phylum Euryarchaeota. Members of the Halobacteria are encountered in a wide range of environments where their absolute requirement for salt is satisfied. Within various hypersaline (Ͼ25% salt), thalassohaline (e.g., crystallizer ponds in solar salterns), and athalassohaline (e.g., the Dead Sea, hypersaline lakes, and soda lakes) water bodies, members of the Halobacteria represent the majority of the cellular biomass (1-6). However, in environments with relatively lower salinity and/or fluctuating salinities, e.g., saline soils (salt plains and alpine salt sediments, soils adjacent to salt-processing plants), traditional Asian salted and fermented seafood products (e.g., jeotgal), and marine sponges, they usually coexist as a smaller fraction of the more diverse prokaryotic community inhabiting these settings (7-13). These habitats with moderate or low salinity and/or fluctuating salinity have been the source of species of many recently described novel Halobacteria taxa (14-18) and are partially responsible for the rapid expansion of recognized Halobacteria spp. during the ...

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