Adaptation of the Endolithic Biome in Antarctic Volcanic Rocks
Endolithic microorganisms, ranging from microeukaryotes to bacteria and archaea, live within the cracks and crevices of rocks. Deception Island in Antarctica constitutes an extreme environment in which endoliths face environmental threats such as intense cold, lack of light in winter, high solar rad...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:709a3a94eeb24012ba8cb33fb219f055 2023-10-29T02:32:28+01:00 Adaptation of the Endolithic Biome in Antarctic Volcanic Rocks Andrea Hidalgo-Arias Víctor Muñoz-Hisado Pilar Valles Adelina Geyer Eva Garcia-Lopez Cristina Cid 2023-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241813824 https://doaj.org/article/709a3a94eeb24012ba8cb33fb219f055 EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/18/13824 https://doaj.org/toc/1661-6596 https://doaj.org/toc/1422-0067 doi:10.3390/ijms241813824 1422-0067 1661-6596 https://doaj.org/article/709a3a94eeb24012ba8cb33fb219f055 International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Vol 24, Iss 13824, p 13824 (2023) endolithic microorganisms Deception Island extremophiles volcanic rock 16S/18S rRNA sequencing bioinformatics Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Chemistry QD1-999 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241813824 2023-10-01T00:38:09Z Endolithic microorganisms, ranging from microeukaryotes to bacteria and archaea, live within the cracks and crevices of rocks. Deception Island in Antarctica constitutes an extreme environment in which endoliths face environmental threats such as intense cold, lack of light in winter, high solar radiation in summer, and heat emitted as the result of volcanic eruptions. In addition, the endolithic biome is considered the harshest one on Earth, since it suffers added threats such as dryness or lack of nutrients. Even so, samples from this hostile environment, collected at various points throughout the island, hosted diverse and numerous microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, diatoms, ciliates, flagellates and unicellular algae. These endoliths were first identified by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). To understand the molecular mechanisms of adaptation of these endoliths to their environment, genomics techniques were used, and prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms were identified by metabarcoding, sequencing the V3–V4 and V4–V5 regions of the 16S and 18S rRNA genes, respectively. Subsequently, the sequences were analyzed by bioinformatic methods that allow their metabolism to be deduced from the taxonomy. The results obtained concluded that some of these microorganisms have activated the biosynthesis routes of pigments such as prodigiosin or flavonoids. These adaptation studies also revealed that microorganisms defend themselves against environmental toxins by activating metabolic pathways for the degradation of compounds such as ethylbenzene, xylene and dioxins and for the biosynthesis of antioxidant molecules such as glutathione. Finally, these Antarctic endolithic microorganisms are of great interest in astrobiology since endolithic settings are environmentally analogous to the primitive Earth or the surfaces of extraterrestrial bodies. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Deception Island Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles International Journal of Molecular Sciences 24 18 13824 |
institution |
Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
endolithic microorganisms Deception Island extremophiles volcanic rock 16S/18S rRNA sequencing bioinformatics Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Chemistry QD1-999 |
spellingShingle |
endolithic microorganisms Deception Island extremophiles volcanic rock 16S/18S rRNA sequencing bioinformatics Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Chemistry QD1-999 Andrea Hidalgo-Arias Víctor Muñoz-Hisado Pilar Valles Adelina Geyer Eva Garcia-Lopez Cristina Cid Adaptation of the Endolithic Biome in Antarctic Volcanic Rocks |
topic_facet |
endolithic microorganisms Deception Island extremophiles volcanic rock 16S/18S rRNA sequencing bioinformatics Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Chemistry QD1-999 |
description |
Endolithic microorganisms, ranging from microeukaryotes to bacteria and archaea, live within the cracks and crevices of rocks. Deception Island in Antarctica constitutes an extreme environment in which endoliths face environmental threats such as intense cold, lack of light in winter, high solar radiation in summer, and heat emitted as the result of volcanic eruptions. In addition, the endolithic biome is considered the harshest one on Earth, since it suffers added threats such as dryness or lack of nutrients. Even so, samples from this hostile environment, collected at various points throughout the island, hosted diverse and numerous microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, diatoms, ciliates, flagellates and unicellular algae. These endoliths were first identified by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). To understand the molecular mechanisms of adaptation of these endoliths to their environment, genomics techniques were used, and prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms were identified by metabarcoding, sequencing the V3–V4 and V4–V5 regions of the 16S and 18S rRNA genes, respectively. Subsequently, the sequences were analyzed by bioinformatic methods that allow their metabolism to be deduced from the taxonomy. The results obtained concluded that some of these microorganisms have activated the biosynthesis routes of pigments such as prodigiosin or flavonoids. These adaptation studies also revealed that microorganisms defend themselves against environmental toxins by activating metabolic pathways for the degradation of compounds such as ethylbenzene, xylene and dioxins and for the biosynthesis of antioxidant molecules such as glutathione. Finally, these Antarctic endolithic microorganisms are of great interest in astrobiology since endolithic settings are environmentally analogous to the primitive Earth or the surfaces of extraterrestrial bodies. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Andrea Hidalgo-Arias Víctor Muñoz-Hisado Pilar Valles Adelina Geyer Eva Garcia-Lopez Cristina Cid |
author_facet |
Andrea Hidalgo-Arias Víctor Muñoz-Hisado Pilar Valles Adelina Geyer Eva Garcia-Lopez Cristina Cid |
author_sort |
Andrea Hidalgo-Arias |
title |
Adaptation of the Endolithic Biome in Antarctic Volcanic Rocks |
title_short |
Adaptation of the Endolithic Biome in Antarctic Volcanic Rocks |
title_full |
Adaptation of the Endolithic Biome in Antarctic Volcanic Rocks |
title_fullStr |
Adaptation of the Endolithic Biome in Antarctic Volcanic Rocks |
title_full_unstemmed |
Adaptation of the Endolithic Biome in Antarctic Volcanic Rocks |
title_sort |
adaptation of the endolithic biome in antarctic volcanic rocks |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241813824 https://doaj.org/article/709a3a94eeb24012ba8cb33fb219f055 |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Deception Island |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Deception Island |
op_source |
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Vol 24, Iss 13824, p 13824 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/18/13824 https://doaj.org/toc/1661-6596 https://doaj.org/toc/1422-0067 doi:10.3390/ijms241813824 1422-0067 1661-6596 https://doaj.org/article/709a3a94eeb24012ba8cb33fb219f055 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241813824 |
container_title |
International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
container_volume |
24 |
container_issue |
18 |
container_start_page |
13824 |
_version_ |
1781053910996221952 |