Temperature-Sensitive Lipids Reveal Intraspecific Diversity in Bacteria Isolated from an Ancient Antarctic Microbial Mat.

ABSTRACT: Ancient Antarctic microbial mats harbour viable bacteria that have been exposed to extreme cold and arid conditions for hundreds of years. To delve into the molecular mechanisms underlaying their survival, we isolated 12 bacterial strains from a 1,000-year-old desiccated microbial mat from the McMurdo Ice Shelf and studied their lipid composition as a function of temperature. Six of the bacterial strains were classified as Paenisporosarcina macmurdoensis, and the other six as Arthrobacter sp., according to 16S rRNA gene analyses. Two strains of each taxon were incubated at their minimum and maximum growth temperatures, and the changes in their lipid profiles were analyzed. The proportion of major fatty acids (saturated, unsaturated, and iso- and anteiso-) remained relatively constant acros

SUBMITTER: Lezcano MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12313772 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature