Metadata for: Environmental adaptations by the intertidal Antarctic cyanobacterium Halotia branconii CENA392 as revealed using long-read genome sequencing

Antarctica poses numerous challenges to life such as cold shock, low
nutrient concentrations and periodic desiccation over a wide range of
extreme temperatures. Cyanobacteria survive this harsh environment having
evolved adaptive metabolic plasticity to become the dominant primary
producers. The type strain cyanobacterium Halotia branconii CENA392 was
isolated from an Antarctic intertidal seashore. The complete circular
genome of this strain is presented herein, which was assembled using long
sequence reads. The genome encoded some stress-related genes associated
with low-temperature adaptation and biosynthesis of mycosporine-like amino
acid (MAA) photoprotective compounds. Empirical experimentation
demonstrated constitutive production of the MAA porphyra-334 and total
carotenoids without exposure to low temperatures or ultraviolet radiation
stress. Phylogenetic analysis provided insights on the taxonomic placement
and the evolutionary history of some annotated genes. These data exemplify
the importance of generating complete quality genome sequences of
microorganisms isolated from extreme intertidal environments, facilitating
in-depth evaluation of ecological and taxonomic inferences.