Salinity-driven niche differentiation within the aquatic Luna-1 subcluster.

ABSTRACT: Salinity imposes a major barrier to microbial dispersal and colonization due to the requirement for osmoadaptations to maintain cell turgor and protein stability. Estuaries may facilitate infrequent evolutionary transitions between freshwater and marine habitats, which are characterized by differences in both salinity and resource availability. Here we illustrate niche differentiation of the Actinomycetota Luna-1 subcluster sister lineages within an estuarine system: freshwater-adapted Rhodoluna and saltwater-adapted Aquiluna. Comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses highlighted key differences in osmoregulation, photoheterotrophy, and nutrient acquisition. Both genera are differentiated by mechanisms for osmoregulation, phosphate and iron uptake, and carbohydra

SUBMITTER: West AG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12422013 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature