Cold-active acetogenic bacteria from surficial sediments of perennially ice-covered Lake Fryxell, Antarctica

• Published in: FEMS Microbiology Letters
• Main Authors: Sattley, W. Matthew, Madigan, Michael T.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 2007
• Subjects: Research Letters; Antarctic; Fryxell; Lake Fryxell; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://femsle.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/272/1/48; https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6968.2007.00737.x

Cold-active acetogenic bacteria in the permanently cold sediments of Lake Fryxell, Antarctica were investigated using culture-based methods. Two psychrophilic, acetogenic strains were isolated and found to be physiologically and phylogenetically related to Acetobacterium bakii and Acetobacterium tundrae . However, the Antarctic isolates showed a lower growth temperature range than other species of Acetobacterium , with growth occurring from −2.5 to 25°C and optimally at 19–21°C. Cultures incubated at +5 and +1°C grew with generation times of 7 and 9 days, respectively. The rapid growth of these strains at low temperatures suggests that acetogenesis may be an important anaerobic process in the sediments of Lake Fryxell.