Vitamin B Auxotrophy in Isolates from the Deep Subsurface of the Iberian Pyrite Belt.

Vitamin B is an enzymatic cofactor that is essential for both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. The development of life in extreme environments depends on cofactors such as vitamin B as well. The genomes of twelve microorganisms isolated from the deep subsurface of the Iberian Pyrite Belt have been analyzed in search of enzymatic activities that require vitamin B or are involved in its synthesis and import.

sp. T2.3D-1.1 a Novel Microorganism Sustaining the Iron Cycle in the Deep Subsurface of the Iberian Pyrite Belt.

The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) is one of the largest deposits of sulphidic minerals on Earth. Río Tinto raises from its core, presenting low a pH and high metal concentration. Several drilling cores were extracted from the IPB's subsurface, and strain T2.