Department of Biosciences, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Department of Membrane Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, München, Germany.
Environ Microbiol. 2016 Feb;18(2):565-79. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.13130. Epub 2016 Jan 18.
Live microbes have been isolated from rock salt up to Permian age. Only obligatory cellular functions can be performed in halite-buried cells. Consequently, their genomic sequences are likely to remain virtually unchanged. However, the available sequence information from these organisms is scarce and consists of mainly ribosomal 16S sequences. Here, live archaea were isolated from early Cretaceous (∼ 123 million years old) halite from the depth of 2000 m in Qianjiang Depression, Hubei Province, China. The sample was radiologically dated and subjected to rigorous surface sterilization before microbe isolation. The isolates represented a single novel species of Halobacterium, for which we suggest the name Halobacterium hubeiense, type strain Hbt. hubeiense JI20-1. The species was closely related to a Permian (225-280 million years old) isolate, Halobacterium noricense, originating from Alpine rock salt. This study is the first one to publish the complete genome of an organism originating from surface-sterilized ancient halite. In the future, genomic data from halite-buried microbes can become a key factor in understanding the mechanisms by which these organisms are able to survive in harsh conditions deep underground or possibly on other celestial bodies.
已从二叠纪时代的岩盐中分离出活体微生物。在埋于岩盐的细胞中只能进行必需的细胞功能。因此，它们的基因组序列可能几乎保持不变。然而，这些生物体的可用序列信息非常有限，主要由核糖体 16S 序列组成。在这里，从中国湖北省潜江凹陷 2000 米深处的早白垩世（约 1.23 亿年前）岩盐中分离出了活古菌。该样本经过放射性测年，并在微生物分离前进行了严格的表面消毒。分离物代表了一种新型的嗜盐菌，我们建议将其命名为 Halobacterium hubeiense，模式株为 Hbt. hubeiense JI20-1。该物种与起源于阿尔卑斯岩盐的二叠纪（2.25 亿至 2.80 亿年前）分离物 Halobacterium noricense 密切相关。这项研究首次公布了源自表面消毒的古代岩盐的生物体的完整基因组。在未来，来自埋于岩盐的微生物的基因组数据可能成为理解这些生物体如何能够在地下深处或其他天体的恶劣条件下生存的机制的关键因素。
