title: The Ecological Coherence of Temperature and Salinity Tolerance Interaction and Pigmentation in a Non-marineVibrioIsolated from Salar de Atacama.
abstract: The occurrence of microorganisms from theVibriogenus in saline lakes from northern Chile had been evidenced using Numerical Taxonomy decades before and, more recently, by phylogenetic analyses of environmental samples and isolates. Most of the knowledge about this genus came from marine isolates and showed temperature and salinity to be integral agents in shaping the niche of theVibriopopulations. The stress tolerance phenotypes ofVibriosp. Teb5a1 isolated from Salar de Atacama was investigated. It was able to grow without NaCl and tolerated up to 100 g/L of the salt. Furthermore, it grew between 17° and 49°C (optimum 30°C) in the absence of NaCl, and the range was expanded into cold temperature (4-49°C) in the presence of the salt. Other additional adaptive strategies were observed in response to the osmotic stress: pigment production, identified as the known antibacterial prodigiosin, swimming and swarming motility and synthesis of a polar flagellum. It is possible to infer that environmental congruence might explain the cellular phenotypes observed inVibriosp. considering that coupling between temperature and salinity tolerance, the production of antibacterial agents at higher temperatures, flagellation and motility increase the chance ofVibriosp. to survive in salty environments with high daily temperature swings and UV radiation.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biotecnología, Universidad Católica del Norte Antofagasta, Chile.
authors.forename: Karem
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gallardo
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biotecnología, Universidad Católica del Norte Antofagasta, Chile.
authors.forename: Jonathan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Candia
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Católica del Norte Antofagasta, Chile.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Remonsellez
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biotecnología, Universidad Católica del NorteAntofagasta, Chile; Centro de Investigación Científico Tecnológico para la MineríaAntofagasta, Chile.
authors.forename: Lorena V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Escudero
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biotecnología, Universidad Católica del Norte Antofagasta, Chile.
authors.forename: Cecilia S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Demergasso
keywords: Vibrio; halotolerant; osmotic-stress; prodigiosin; psychrotolerant