title: Halophiles: biology, adaptation, and their role in decontamination of hypersaline environments.
abstract: The unique cellular enzymatic machinery of halophilic microbes allows them to thrive in extreme saline environments. That these microorganisms can prosper in hypersaline environments has been correlated with the elevated acidic amino acid content in their proteins, which increase the negative protein surface potential. Because these microorganisms effectively use hydrocarbons as their sole carbon and energy sources, they may prove to be valuable bioremediation agents for the treatment of saline effluents and hypersaline waters contaminated with toxic compounds that are resistant to degradation. This review highlights the various strategies adopted by halophiles to compensate for their saline surroundings and includes descriptions of recent studies that have used these microorganisms for bioremediation of environments contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons. The known halotolerant dehalogenase-producing microbes, their dehalogenation mechanisms, and how their proteins are stabilized is also reviewed. In view of their robustness in saline environments, efforts to document their full potential regarding remediation of contaminated hypersaline ecosystems merits further exploration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Medical Engineering, Faculty of Biosciences and Medical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Mohamed Faraj
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Edbeib
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. roswanira@kimia.fs.utm.my.
authors.forename: Roswanira Abdul
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Wahab
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Medical Engineering, Faculty of Biosciences and Medical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. fahrul@utm.my.
authors.forename: Fahrul
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huyop
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D001105:Archaea / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004787:Environmental Pollution; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D010578:Petroleum / Q000378:metabolism*; D054712:Salinity
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; D010578:Petroleum
keywords: Bioremediation; Halogenated compounds; Halophiles; Hypersaline; Recalcitrant; Saline