Leibniz-Institut DSMZCarol A. D. Litchfield (1936-2012) was a microbiologist whose research focused on organisms that thrive in high salt concentrations. She was a pioneer in characterising the microbiota of salt flats and developing techniques for industrial microbiology. To honour her great contributions to the microbiology of oceans and extreme environments, DSMZ researchers named the strain Streptomyces litchfieldiae (DSM 44938) after her.
CellBioNewsExploring the unseen: #Microbial wonders in Earth's #saltiest #waters.
https://phys.org/news/2024-02-exploring-unseen-microbial-earth-saltiest.html
Exploring the unseen: Microbial wonders in Earth's saltiest waters
A recent study published in the journal Environmental Science and Ecotechnology explores the largely unknown metabolic capabilities of unclassified microbial species in extreme environments, particularly hypersaline lakes, and their potential applications in biotechnology, medicine, and environmental remediation.
michael1-FEB-2024
Exploring the unseen: microbial wonders in earth's saltiest waters
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1033119
#science #LifeOnTheEdge #ExtremeConditions #salinity #halophiles
ISEPNew #ISEPpapers! Enchelyothrix muria n. gen, n. sp., (#Ciliophora, Litostomatea, Spathidiida), an extreme halotroph spathidiid from #MaharlooLake, #Iran: Mahnaz Barmshuri et al. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0932473923000500 #protists #ciliates #microbes #NewSpecies #microorganisms #halophiles #extremophiles
Researchers identify a pigment present in the Santa Pola salt flats as an anticarcinogenic agent.
#halophiles #archea #carotenoid #bacteriorruberins
https://phys.org/news/2023-05-pigment-santa-pola-salt-flats.html
Researchers identify a pigment present in the Santa Pola salt flats as an anticarcinogenic agent
The University of Alicante Applied Biochemistry research group—in collaboration with researchers from the Alicante University Hospital Dr. Balmis (HGUDB) and the Alicante Health and Biomedical Research Institute (ISABIAL)—has identified the anti-cancer capacity of a pigment present in the Santa Pola salt flats. This pigment is produced by certain microorganisms, the "halophilic archaea," in order to protect themselves from the sun, and its anti-tumor capacity has been tested in several types of breast cancer.
Dr Adrienne Kish🚨 Now out in Frontiers in Microbiology (Extreme Microbiology) : PhD candidate Charly Favreau & the rest of our team of collabs present new methods for proteomics of #halophiles in halite to show how Halobacterium acclimates to survival inside halite brine inclusions #extremophiles
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1075274/full
This is a 1st article for Charly Favreau & Marie Marugan, featuring the work of Alicia Tribondeau (defending her PhD in 2 weeks) #proudPImoment #NextGenerationOfExtremophileResearchersIsHere
Molecular acclimation of Halobacterium salinarum to halite brine inclusions
Halophilic microorganisms have long been known to survive within the brine inclusions of salt crystals, as evidenced by the change in color for salt crystals containing pigmented halophiles. However, the molecular mechanisms allowing this survival has remained an open question for decades. While protocols for the surface sterilization of halite (NaCl) have enabled isolation of cells and DNA from within halite brine inclusions, “-omics” based approaches have faced two main technical challenges: (1) removal of all contaminating organic biomolecules (including proteins) from halite surfaces, and (2) performing selective biomolecule extractions directly from cells contained within halite brine inclusions with sufficient speed to avoid modifications in gene expression during extraction. In this study, we tested different methods to resolve these two technical challenges. Following this method development, we then applied the optimized methods to perform the first examination of the early acclimation of a model haloarchaeon (Halobacterium salinarum NRC-1) to halite brine inclusions. Examinations of the proteome of Halobacterium cells two months post-evaporation revealed a high degree of similarity with stationary phase liquid cultures, but with a sharp down-regulation of ribosomal proteins. While proteins for central metabolism were part of the shared proteome between liquid cultures and halite brine inclusions, proteins involved in cell mobility (archaellum, gas vesicles) were ...