Article
Microbiology
Charly Favreau, Alicia Tribondeau, Marie Marugan, Francois Guyot, Beatrice Alpha-Bazin, Arul Marie, Remy Puppo, Thierry Dufour, Arnaud Huguet, Severine Zirah, Adrienne Kish
Summary: Halophilic microorganisms are able to survive within the brine inclusions of salt crystals, but the molecular mechanisms supporting this survival have been a mystery for a long time. This study developed methods to address technical challenges and examined the early acclimation of a model haloarchaeon in halite brine inclusions. The proteome analysis revealed down-regulation of ribosomal proteins and shared proteomics with liquid cultures, but differences in proteins related to cell mobility in halite samples. These findings provide valuable insights for future studies on the survival of halophiles.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Zlata Vershinin, Marianna Zaretsky, Ziqiang Guan, Jerry Eichler
Summary: The study identified three novel glycosyltransferases in the N-glycosylation pathway of Halobacterium salinarum and demonstrated the impacts of compromised N-glycosylation on various aspects of cell behavior, including protein modification and gene transcription.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Jerry Eichler
Summary: Halobacterium salinarum is a salt-loving archaeon that has been studied extensively since the discovery of bacteriorhodopsin in 1971. It has contributed to scientific advancements in various disciplines, such as membrane protein structure determination and glycoprotein research. Additionally, research on Hbt. salinarum has provided insights into molecular workings in the third domain and adaptations to high salt environments.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Olga A. Smitienko, Tatiana B. Feldman, Lada E. Petrovskaya, Oksana Nekrasova, Marina A. Yakovleva, Ivan Shelaev, Fedor E. Gostev, Dmitry A. Cherepanov, Irina B. Kolchugina, Dmitry A. Dolgikh, Victor A. Nadtochenko, Mikhail P. Kirpichnikov, Mikhail A. Ostrovsky
Summary: The primary stages of the Exiguobacterium sibiricum rhodopsin (ESR) photocycle were investigated using femtosecond absorption laser spectroscopy. The dynamics of the ESR photoreaction were compared with bacteriorhodopsin (bR) reactions, showing similar primary intermediates. The study found a similar photoreaction pattern for all studied retinal proteins, with different timescales for excited state decays and retinal photoisomerization.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Zlata Vershinin, Marianna Zaretsky, Ziqiang Guan, Jerry Eichler
Summary: This article describes two key components of the N-glycosylation pathway in the halophilic archaea Halobacterium salinarum. The roles of VNG1053G and VNG1054G, two proteins encoded by genes clustered together with a set of genes demonstrated to encode N-glycosylation pathway components, were investigated. It was determined that VNG1053G is the glycosyltransferase responsible for adding the linking glucose, while VNG1054G is the flippase that translocates the lipid-bound tetrasaccharide across the plasma membrane. The absence of VNG1053G or VNG1054G compromises cell growth and motility in Hbt. salinarum, highlighting their importance in N-glycosylation.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Alessandra Fontana, Irene Falasconi, Paolo Bellassi, Elisabetta Fanfoni, Edoardo Puglisi, Lorenzo Morelli
Summary: This study isolated and sequenced the genomes of 9 Halobacterium salinarum strains from different salted foods. Comparative genomic analysis revealed unique gene clusters associated with the ecological niches of isolation. Additionally, genome mining identified the metabolic potential of one strain, UC4242, which possessed genes related to vitamins and myo-inositol biosynthesis, aroma and texture-related features, and antimicrobial compounds. All food isolates also had archaeocin-related genes.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jiang-Yu Ye, Yue Pan, Yong Wang, Yi-Chao Wang
Summary: This study investigated the impact of purple membrane fragments (PM) produced by H. salinarum on the hydrogen production of R. sphaeroides. Results showed that adding additional electricity under 0.3V increased the hydrogen production rate in the coupled system.
ANNALS OF MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Fabrizio Greco, Paolo Lonetti
Summary: Vulnerability analyses of coastal or inland bridges in terms of flood actions and structural and fluid flow characteristics were conducted. The results showed that existing formulas cannot accurately predict the maximum design effects, and the dynamic amplification factors vary significantly in different directions. In addition, the study found that the performance of the protection fairing system is able to efficiently reduce the effects of wave load on the structure, with 40% more accuracy than the unprotected configuration.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria S. Fando, Alisa O. Mikhaylina, Nataliya Lekontseva, Svetlana Tishchenko, Alexey D. Nikulin
Summary: The length of the L4 loop does not determine the number of monomers in Lsm protein particles or affect their RNA-binding properties.
BIOCHEMISTRY-MOSCOW
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Anthony N. Consiglio, Yu Ouyang, Matthew J. Powell-Palm, Boris Rubinsky
Summary: The propensity of water to remain in a metastable liquid state at temperatures below its equilibrium melting point holds potential for cryopreserving biological material. However, the unpredictable behavior of water freezing in bulk systems has hindered the implementation of supercooling in larger volumes. This study develops a statistical model to evaluate the natural variability of nucleation parameters and provides a basis for the rational design of stable supercooled biopreservation protocols.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Helena Oliveira, Ana L. Maulvault, Catarina P. Santos, Marlene Silva, Narcisa M. Bandarra, Luisa M. P. Valente, Rui Rosa, Antonio Marques, Patricia Anacleto
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of a simulated marine heatwave event on physiological parameters of a tropical fish species, Zebrasoma scopas. The results showed that the event negatively influenced the fatty acid composition, growth rates, and energy loss for respiration of the fish.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Sagorika Nag, Priya DasSarma, David J. Crowley, Rafael Hamawi, Samantha Tepper, Brian P. Anton, Daniel Guzman, Shiladitya DasSarma
Summary: This study compared the ultraviolet (UV) radiation responses of extremophilic and archaeal microorganisms isolated from different environments. The results showed that Haloarchaea from high solar irradiance environments exhibited the highest UV tolerance, while those from subsurface halite deposits had the least UV tolerance due to deviations in key amino acid residues in the DNA photolyase enzyme or the absence of the photolyase gene. This study provides insights into the UV tolerance and survival strategies of Haloarchaea in their respective environments, including ancient halite deposits and potentially on the surface of Mars.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Seyyed Rashid Khazeiynasab, Junjian Qi
Summary: This paper proposes an AC power flow based cascading failure model that takes into account external weather conditions, particularly extreme temperatures, to evaluate the impact of temperature disturbances on the initiation and propagation of cascading blackouts. The model simulates load and dynamic line rating changes due to temperature disturbances, evaluates probabilities for transmission line and generator outages, and calculates event timing to decide event sequences. Control strategies such as undervoltage load shedding and operator re-dispatch are modeled to prevent cascading failures, with simulation results validating the proposed model's effectiveness in assessing the risk of cascading and voltage instability caused by temperature disturbances.
JOURNAL OF MODERN POWER SYSTEMS AND CLEAN ENERGY
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Massoud Behboudian, Sara Anamaghi, Najmeh Mahjouri, Reza Kerachian
Summary: This paper presents a methodology for assessing the resilience of ecosystem services (ESs), taking into account seven resilience principles, and applies it to Zarrinehroud River Basin in north-western Iran. The results show that implementing a set of projects, such as improving irrigation networks and drainage facilities, can significantly increase the resilience of sub-basins in the study area and reduce vulnerability to droughts.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Jose M. Martinez, Cristina Escudero, Nuria Rodriguez, Sergio Rubin, Ricardo Amils
Summary: Salar de Uyuni is a polyextreme environment with a more heterogeneous bacterial community than the archaeal community, both of which vary geographically and seasonally. The most abundant genera in SdU include Salinibacter, Halonotius, and Halorubrum, with unidentified archaea also present. Studies of subsurface samples have provided an evolutionary record of a multilayer hypersaline ecosystem.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jasmina Vandrich, Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Gabriela Alfaro-Espinoza, Hans Joerg Kunte
Article
Microbiology
Mohd Farid Abdul-Halim, Stefan Schulze, Anthony DiLucido, Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Alexandre Wilson Bisson Filho, Mechthild Pohlschroder
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Michiyah Collins, Simisola Afolayan, Aime B. Igiraneza, Heather Schiller, Elise Krespan, Daniel P. Beiting, Mike Dyall-Smith, Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Mechthild Pohlschroder
Summary: Motility regulation is crucial for prokaryotic responses to environmental stimuli. In this study, hypermotile mutants of Haloferax volcanii were isolated and found to be affected by mutations in genes encoding HVO_1357 and HVO_2248, providing a foundation for further characterization of hypermotility in Hfx. volcanii.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Mike Dyall-Smith, Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Pei-Wen Chiang, Sen-Lin Tang
Summary: Hardycor1 virus, isolated in 1998 infecting Halorubrum coriense, has a large genome with low similarity to known viruses. The virus stock also contains two induced proviruses of the host.
Article
Microbiology
Colin Tittes, Sabine Schwarzer, Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Mike Dyall-Smith, Marta Rodriguez-Franco, Hanna M. Oksanen, Tessa E. F. Quax
Summary: LR2-5, a newly discovered strain of Haloferax gibbonsii, lacks obvious viral defense systems and has a different cell surface composition compared to Hfx. volcanii, potentially explaining its different viral host range. This work provides new insights into the relationship between the host of halovirus HFTV1 and other members of the genus Haloferax.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stefan Schulze, Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Benjamin A. Garcia, Mechthild Pohlschroder
Summary: This study extended the phenotypic characterization of N-glycosylation pathway mutants in Haloferax volcanii and provided a detailed glycoproteome for this model archaeon. Through in-depth glycoproteomic analyses, the largest archaeal glycoproteome described so far was identified, revealing the complexity of N-glycosylation pathways in archaeal cell biology.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Mike Dyall-Smith
Summary: Annotation ambiguities and errors are common challenges in genomics. This study identified incorrectly annotated proteins in Haloferax volcanii and proposed alternative, possibly correct, functions as well as likely invalid functions. By compiling and summarizing these issues, the study aims to improve the evaluation of protein function assignments and provide a framework for experimental validation or discovery of unexpected functions in the scientific community.
Article
Virology
Brendan Russ, Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Mike Dyall-Smith
Summary: The genome of Halovirus HF2 contains two classes of intergenic repeat sequences with AT-rich motifs that are believed to be promoters. These sequences are highly conserved among other members of the same virus genus. Furthermore, transcription analysis using RT-PCR revealed the production of long transcripts from both strands, indicating potential regulatory roles or unrecognized coding potential.
Article
Microbiology
Karina Hobmeier, Martina Cantone, Quynh Anh Nguyen, Katharina Pflueger-Grau, Andreas Kremling, Hans Joerg Kunte, Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Alberto Marin-Sanguino
Summary: The halophilic gamma-proteobacterium Halomonas elongata DSM 2581(T) adapts to high saline environments primarily through ion accumulation, which plays a greater role in salt tolerance than previously assumed. Transcriptome analysis reveals that glucose is degraded via the cytoplasmic Entner-Doudoroff pathway, while the Embden-Meyerhoff-Parnas pathway is employed for gluconeogenesis. The cytoplasmic proteomes of extreme halophiles and moderate halophiles suggest adaptation to an increased cytoplasmic ion concentration.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Beate Schneider, Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Mike Dyall-Smith, Hans-Joerg Kunte
Summary: Nine bacterial isolates capable of degrading polyethylene were obtained from landfills. The complete genome sequence of strain G9, identified as Micromonospora aurantiaca, was determined using PacBio sequencing and taxonomically classified using the TYGS server.
MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Beate Schneider, Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Mike Dyall-Smith, Hans-Joerg Kunte
Summary: Nine different bacterial isolates were obtained from landfills, which can collectively degrade polyethylene. The complete genome sequence of strain G2, identified as Pseudomonas veronii using taxonomic classification, was determined by PacBio sequencing.
MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Beate Schneider, Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Mike Dyall-Smith, Hans-Joerg Kunte
Summary: Nine different bacterial isolates capable of degrading polyethylene were obtained from landfills. The complete genome sequence of strain G5, assigned to Cupriavidus campinensis species using TYGS for taxonomic classification, was determined using PacBio sequencing.
MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Mike Dyall-Smith
Summary: The recent report of the genome of Halobacterium strain 63-R2 provides an opportunity to determine the source of the widely used model strains of Halobacterium salinarum, NRC-1 and R1. Comparative analysis of the genomes revealed that strain 63-R2 is highly similar to NRC-1 and R1, with only a few differences in the chromosome and plasmids. Based on these findings, it is proposed that strain 63-R2 is the immediate ancestor of the twin laboratory strains NRC-1 and R1.
Article
Microbiology
Madeleine Huber, Nico Vogel, Andreas Borst, Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Svetlana Karamycheva, Yuri I. Wolf, Eugene V. Koonin, Joerg Soppa
Summary: The genomes of bacteria and archaea contain a higher proportion of unidirectional gene pairs with short overlaps compared to convergent or divergent gene pairs. Experimental and bioinformatic analyses show that translational coupling requires short gene overlaps, while scanning of intergenic regions by the post-termination ribosome occurs rarely, if at all.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Mike Dyall-Smith, Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Pei-Wen Chiang, Sen-Lin Tang
Summary: Hardyhisp2 virus infects the halophilic archaeon Haloarcula hispanica DSM 4426T and is closely related to His2. The viral genome is 16,133 bp long, with a spike protein that is weakly similar to that of His2.
MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2021)