Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Physiological and genomic insights into abiotic stress of halophilic archaeon Natrinema altunense 4.1R isolated from a saline ecosystem of Tunisian desert

Najjari, Afef ; Boussetta, Ayoub ; Youssef, Noha ; Linares-Pastén, Javier A. LU orcid ; Mahjoubi, Mouna ; Belloum, Rahma ; Sghaier, Haitham ; Cherif, Ameur and Ouzari, Hadda Imene (2023) In Genetica 151(2). p.133-152
Abstract
Halophilic archaea are polyextremophiles with the ability to withstand fluctuations in salinity, high levels of ultraviolet radiation, and oxidative stress, allowing them to survive in a wide range of environments and making them an excellent model for astrobiological research. Natrinema altunense 4.1R is a halophilic archaeon isolated from the endorheic saline lake systems, Sebkhas, located in arid and semi-arid regions of Tunisia. It is an ecosystem characterized by periodic flooding from subsurface groundwater and fluctuating salinities. Here, we assess the physiological responses and genomic characterization of N. altunense 4.1R to UV-C radiation, as well as osmotic and oxidative stresses. Results showed that the... (More)
Halophilic archaea are polyextremophiles with the ability to withstand fluctuations in salinity, high levels of ultraviolet radiation, and oxidative stress, allowing them to survive in a wide range of environments and making them an excellent model for astrobiological research. Natrinema altunense 4.1R is a halophilic archaeon isolated from the endorheic saline lake systems, Sebkhas, located in arid and semi-arid regions of Tunisia. It is an ecosystem characterized by periodic flooding from subsurface groundwater and fluctuating salinities. Here, we assess the physiological responses and genomic characterization of N. altunense 4.1R to UV-C radiation, as well as osmotic and oxidative stresses. Results showed that the 4.1R strain is able to survive up to 36% of salinity, up to 180 J/m2 to UV-C radiation, and at 50 mM of H2O2, a resistance profile similar to Halobacterium salinarum, a strain often used as UV-C resistant model. In order to understand the genetic determinants of N. altunense 4.1R survival strategy, we sequenced and analyzed its genome. Results showed multiple gene copies of osmotic stress, oxidative stress, and DNA repair response mechanisms supporting its survivability at extreme salinities and radiations. Indeed, the 3D molecular structures of seven proteins related to responses to UV-C radiation (excinucleases UvrA, UvrB, and UvrC, and photolyase), saline stress (trehalose-6-phosphate synthase OtsA and trehalose-phosphatase OtsB), and oxidative stress (superoxide dismutase SOD) were constructed by homology modeling. This study extends the abiotic stress range for the species N. altunense and adds to the repertoire of UV and oxidative stress resistance genes generally known from haloarchaeon. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Haloarchaea, Natrinema altunense, UV-C radiation, Oxidative stress, Osmotic stress, Genomic analysis, Molecular modeling
in
Genetica
volume
151
issue
2
pages
20 pages
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • pmid:36795306
  • scopus:85148245440
ISSN
1573-6857
DOI
10.1007/s10709-023-00182-0
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
d951b6b1-d703-41a3-bb0a-6714d5669408
date added to LUP
2023-02-17 03:00:58
date last changed
2023-10-26 14:51:14
@article{d951b6b1-d703-41a3-bb0a-6714d5669408,
  abstract     = {{Halophilic archaea are polyextremophiles with the ability to withstand fluctuations in salinity, high levels of ultraviolet radiation, and oxidative stress, allowing them to survive in a wide range of environments and making them an excellent model for astrobiological research. <i>Natrinema altunense</i> 4.1R is a halophilic archaeon isolated from the endorheic saline lake systems, Sebkhas, located in arid and semi-arid regions of Tunisia. It is an ecosystem characterized by periodic flooding from subsurface groundwater and fluctuating salinities. Here, we assess the physiological responses and genomic characterization of <i>N</i>. <i>altunense</i> 4.1R to UV-C radiation, as well as osmotic and oxidative stresses. Results showed that the 4.1R strain is able to survive up to 36% of salinity, up to 180 J/m<sup>2</sup> to UV-C radiation, and at 50 mM of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>, a resistance profile similar to <i>Halobacterium salinarum</i>, a strain often used as UV-C resistant model. In order to understand the genetic determinants of <i>N</i>. <i>altunense</i> 4.1R survival strategy, we sequenced and analyzed its genome. Results showed multiple gene copies of osmotic stress, oxidative stress, and DNA repair response mechanisms supporting its survivability at extreme salinities and radiations. Indeed, the 3D molecular structures of seven proteins related to responses to UV-C radiation (excinucleases UvrA, UvrB, and UvrC, and photolyase), saline stress (trehalose-6-phosphate synthase OtsA and trehalose-phosphatase OtsB), and oxidative stress (superoxide dismutase SOD) were constructed by homology modeling. This study extends the abiotic stress range for the species <i>N. altunense</i> and adds to the repertoire of UV and oxidative stress resistance genes generally known from haloarchaeon.}},
  author       = {{Najjari, Afef and Boussetta, Ayoub and Youssef, Noha and Linares-Pastén, Javier A. and Mahjoubi, Mouna and Belloum, Rahma and Sghaier, Haitham and Cherif, Ameur and Ouzari, Hadda Imene}},
  issn         = {{1573-6857}},
  keywords     = {{Haloarchaea; Natrinema altunense; UV-C radiation; Oxidative stress; Osmotic stress; Genomic analysis; Molecular modeling}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{02}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{133--152}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Genetica}},
  title        = {{Physiological and genomic insights into abiotic stress of halophilic archaeon <i>Natrinema altunense</i> 4.1R isolated from a saline ecosystem of Tunisian desert}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10709-023-00182-0}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10709-023-00182-0}},
  volume       = {{151}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}