Comparative genomic analysis of two putative novel Idiomarina species from hypersaline miocene deposits.

Background: Hypersaline habitats, as extreme environments, are a great source of well-adapted organisms with unique properties as they have evolved various strategies to cope with these extreme conditions. Bioinformatics and genomic mining may shed light on evolutionary relationships among them. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the biodiversity and especially the strategies evolved within the Idiomarina genus, with the primary focus on the taxonomy and genomic adaptations of two novel strains affiliated with Idiomarina genus isolated from unique environment - brines of two Early Miocene salt deposits.

Genomic insights into the adaptation of Acinetobacter johnsonii RB2-047 to the heavy metal-contaminated subsurface mine environment.

The subsurface mine environments characterized by high levels of toxic metals and low nutrient availability represent an extreme threat to bacterial persistence. In recent study, the genomic analysis of the Acinetobacter johnsonii strain RB2-047 isolated from the Rozália Gold Mine in Slovakia was performed. As expected, the studied isolate showed a high level of heavy metal tolerance (minimum inhibitory concentrations were 500 mg/L for copper and nickel, 1,500 mg/L for lead, and 250 mg/L for zinc).

How Different Molecular Markers Estimate the Diversity of European Species of the Genus.

Based on published anatomical-morphological and ecological characteristics and phylogenetic evidence, six species of the genus are known to occur in Europe, namely, (Pers.) Pat., (Schulzer) Donk, Bres.

Thiothrix and Sulfurovum genera dominate bacterial mats in Slovak cold sulfur springs.

Microbiota of sulfur-rich environments has been extensively studied due to the biotechnological potential of sulfur bacteria, or as a model of ancient life. Cold terrestrial sulfur springs are less studied compared to sulfur-oxidizing microbiota of hydrothermal vents, volcanic environments, or soda lakes. Despite that, several studies suggested that sulfur springs harbor diverse microbial communities because of the unique geochemical conditions of upwelling waters.

Cold Sulfur Springs-Neglected Niche for Autotrophic Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacteria.

Since the beginning of unicellular life, dissimilation reactions of autotrophic sulfur bacteria have been a crucial part of the biogeochemical sulfur cycle on Earth. A wide range of sulfur oxidation states is reflected in the diversity of metabolic pathways used by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. This metabolically and phylogenetically diverse group of microorganisms inhabits a variety of environments, including extreme environments.

Diversity, heavy metals, and antibiotic resistance in culturable heterotrophic bacteria isolated from former lead-silver-zinc mine heap in Tarnowskie Gory (Silesia, Poland).

Mine tailings represent a great environmental concern due to their high contents of heavy metals. Cultivation analysis of microbiota of Tarnowskie Góry (Poland) mine tailing showed the occurrence of bacteria with colony-forming units as low as 5.7 × 10 per one gram of dried substrate.

Deep Subsurface Hypersaline Environment as a Source of Novel Species of Halophilic Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacteria.

The sulfur cycle participates significantly in life evolution. Some facultatively autotrophic microorganisms are able to thrive in extreme environments with limited nutrient availability where they specialize in obtaining energy by oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds. In our experiments focused on the characterization of halophilic bacteria from a former salt mine in Solivar (Presov, Slovakia), a high diversity of cultivable bacteria was observed.

High frequency of antibiotic tolerance in deep subsurface heterotrophic cultivable bacteria from the Rozália Gold Mine, Slovakia.

The Rozália Mine, with its long mining history, could represent an environmental threat connected with metal contamination and associated antibiotic tolerance. Metal and antibiotic tolerance profiles of heterotrophic, cultivable bacteria isolated from the Rozália Gold Mine in Hodruša-Hámre, Slovakia, and the surrounding area were analysed. Subsurface samples were collected from different mine levels or an ore storage dump.