DeepHotMicrobe: Otaniemi bacterial community 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing

The Fennoscandian Shield in Finland dates back to the Archaean and Proterozoic eons, and hosts ancient fluids (> 50 million year old) and thriving microbial life, but little is known about the limits of life in this harsh environment. This project explores the adaptability and metabolic potential of the deep biosphere by defining the features that allow microbes to survive in these extreme habitats and estimates the possibility of the emergence, development and sustainability of life in nutrient-limited and anaerobic deep subsurface planetary settings. We utilized metagenomics and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize the microbial communities from rock material fromSt1 DeepHeat Ltd's two geothermal drillholes reaching depth of 4.4 km.

芬兰境内的芬诺斯坎底亚地盾（Fennoscandian Shield）形成于太古宙与元古宙时期，蕴藏着距今超5000万年的古流体与繁盛的微生物群落，但目前对于该极端环境中生命的生存极限仍知之甚少。本研究通过阐明微生物在这类极端生境中存活所需的特征，探究深部生物圈（deep biosphere）的适应性与代谢潜能，并评估了在营养受限、厌氧的深部地下类行星环境中，生命诞生、演化与持续存续的可能性。本研究采用宏基因组学（metagenomics）与16S rRNA基因扩增子测序技术，对来自St1 DeepHeat有限公司两口深度达4.4千米的地热钻井所采集的岩石样本中的微生物群落进行了表征分析。