title: Genomic and phenotypic attributes of novel salinivibrios from stromatolites, sediment and water from a high altitude lake.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Salinivibrios are moderately halophilic bacteria found in salted meats, brines and hypersaline environments. We obtained three novel conspecific Salinivibrio strains closely related to S. costicola, from Socompa Lake, a high altitude hypersaline Andean lake (approx. 3,570 meters above the sea level).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The three novel Salinivibrio spp. were extremely resistant to arsenic (up to 200 mM HAsO42-), NaCl (up to 15%), and UV-B radiation (19 KJ/m2, corresponding to 240 minutes of exposure) by means of phenotypic tests. Our subsequent draft genome ionsequencing and RAST-based genome annotation revealed the presence of genes related to arsenic, NaCl, and UV radiation resistance. The three novel Salinivibrio genomes also had the xanthorhodopsin gene cluster phylogenetically related to Marinobacter and Spiribacter. The genomic taxonomy analysis, including multilocus sequence analysis, average amino acid identity, and genome-to-genome distance revealed that the three novel strains belong to a new Salinivibrio species.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Arsenic resistance genes, genes involved in DNA repair, resistance to extreme environmental conditions and the possible light-based energy production, may represent important attributes of the novel salinivibrios, allowing these microbes to thrive in the Socompa Lake.
authors.forename: Marta F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Gorriti
authors.forename: Graciela M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: Luciane A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Chimetto
authors.forename: Amaro E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Trindade-Silva
authors.forename: Bruno S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Milene M A
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Mesquita
authors.forename: Gustavo B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Gregoracci
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Farias
authors.forename: Cristiane C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Microbiologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. fabiano.thompson@biologia.ufrj.br.
authors.forename: Fabiano L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D001118:Argentina; D001151:Arsenic / Q000494:pharmacology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology; D060106:Lakes / Q000382:microbiology; D058889:Molecular Typing; D064587:Osmoregulation / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D025604:Rhodopsins, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D055049:Salt Tolerance; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D014737:Vibrionaceae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000528:radiation effects; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D025604:Rhodopsins, Microbial; D001151:Arsenic