Microorganisms in the accreted ice of Lake Vostok, Antarctica.
Analysis of a portion of Vostok ice core number 5G, which is thought to contain frozen water derived from Lake Vostok, Antarctica (a body of liquid water located beneath about 4 kilometers of glacial ice), revealed between 2 x 10(2) and 3 x 10(2) bacterial cells per milliliter and low concentrations of potential growth nutrients. Lipopolysaccharide (a Gram-negative bacterial cell biomarker) was also detected at concentrations consistent with the cell enumeration data, which suggests a predominance of Gram-negative bacteria. At least a portion of the microbial assemblage was viable, as determined by the respiration of carbon-14-labeled acetate and glucose substrates during incubations at 3 degrees C and 1 atmosphere. These accreted ice data suggest that Lake Vostok may contain viable microorganisms.
Karl
D M
DM
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
Bird
D F
DF
Björkman
K
K
Houlihan
T
T
Shackelford
R
R
Tupas
L
L
D000085:Acetates / Q000378:metabolism; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000032:analysis; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018533:Biomass; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D017753:Ecosystem; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D007053:Ice; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000032:analysis; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D014871:Water Microbiology
D000085:Acetates; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007053:Ice; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D009696:Nucleic Acids; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D005947:Glucose