Halophilic microorganisms genome sequencing and assembly project.. brine metagenome

The objective of the project is the analysis of microbial diversity of selected extreme environments located in Poland, namely some salt mines and brine deposits. Microbiological analysis of these environments is expected to provide the knowledge on their microbiome, number and variety of halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms living in these placesThe extreme environments are characterized by unusual conditions gaining outermost values. Among these environments hot springs, acidic or salty outflows from mines, salterns, hydrothermal ocean vents, salty or sulfur lakes, geysers, polar waters and ice may be listed. For a long time these environments have raised the interest of researchers as they are inhabited by various unusual microorganisms adapted to the atypical attributes of the occupied ecosystems. Also in Poland such environments in which extreme conditions appear may be found , e.g. carbon, salt or metal mines, brine deposits, caves or hot springs. It may be expected that such places are inhabited by autochthonic extremophilic microflora, halo-, acido-, thermophilic or heavy metal resistant microorganisms. Also allochthonic extremotolerant microorganisms may appear there. However, extreme environments in Poland were so far investigated only on a limited scale in respect of inhabiting microflora.The aim of the planned research is the microbiological and molecular analyses of salty environments existing in several places in Poland, which are: Barycz unexploited mining area (near Wieliczka), the salt mine in Bochnia, iodine-bromine brine deposits in Łapczyca (near Bochnia), brines in Ciechocinek. From the managers of the objects the authors received oral or written agreements on the scientific research conduction.The brines in these places are characterized by 10, 15, 25 or even over 30 % (saturated solution) salt concentrations. In these environments the moderate (10-20 % NaCl) or extreme (more than 20 % NaCl) halophiles may exist, such as bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, and protozoa. In the brines containing over 20 % NaCl concentrations archaea dominate over the bacteria which are sometimes absent, although in the saturated brines from cold (12-14 ºC) salt mines the extremely halophilic bacteria dominated.