School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.
Biology (Basel). 2014 Jan 28;3(1):56-80. doi: 10.3390/biology3010056.
Polar Regions are unique and highly prolific ecosystems characterized by extreme environmental gradients. Photosynthetic autotrophs, the base of the food web, have had to adapt physiological mechanisms to maintain growth, reproduction and metabolic activity despite environmental conditions that would shut-down cellular processes in most organisms. High latitudes are characterized by temperatures below the freezing point, complete darkness in winter and continuous light and high UV in the summer. Additionally, sea-ice, an ecological niche exploited by microbes during the long winter seasons when the ocean and land freezes over, is characterized by large salinity fluctuations, limited gas exchange, and highly oxic conditions. The last decade has been an exciting period of insights into the molecular mechanisms behind adaptation of microalgae to the cryosphere facilitated by the advancement of new scientific tools, particularly "omics" techniques. We review recent insights derived from genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics studies. Genes, proteins and pathways identified from these highly adaptable polar microbes have far-reaching biotechnological applications. Furthermore, they may provide insights into life outside this planet, as well as glimpses into the past. High latitude regions also have disproportionately large inputs into global biogeochemical cycles and are the region most sensitive to climate change.
极地地区是独特且高度多产的生态系统，其特点是环境梯度极端。光合自养生物是食物网的基础，它们必须适应生理机制，以维持生长、繁殖和代谢活动，尽管在大多数生物体中，这些环境条件会关闭细胞过程。高纬度地区的特点是温度低于冰点，冬季完全黑暗，夏季持续光照和高强度紫外线。此外，海冰是微生物在海洋和陆地冻结的漫长冬季季节中利用的生态位，其特点是盐度波动大、气体交换有限以及高度氧化条件。过去十年，由于新科学工具，特别是“组学”技术的进步，人们对微藻适应冰冻圈的分子机制有了更深入的了解，这是一个令人兴奋的时期。我们回顾了最近从基因组学、转录组学和蛋白质组学研究中得出的见解。从这些高度适应极地的微生物中鉴定出的基因、蛋白质和途径具有广泛的生物技术应用。此外，它们可能为我们提供关于这颗行星之外生命的见解，以及对过去的一瞥。高纬度地区对全球生物地球化学循环的输入也不成比例地大，并且是对气候变化最敏感的地区。
