Biology and evolution of Arctic strains of the genus Psychrobacter in the light of genomic analyses

Temperature is one of the fundamental factors limiting life on Earth. It exerts a significant influence on the structure and functioning of many organisms. Some of them exhibit various genetic and physiological modifications that enable adaptation to extreme thermal conditions. For this reason, extremophiles have become the subject of numerous studies, the results of which also carry great application potential.

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in psychrophilic bacteria, which are well adapted to life at low temperatures. Many of these bacteria produce “cold-loving” enzymes (e.g., lipases and esterases) that have applications in biotechnology. However, our knowledge of these bacteria remains highly fragmented.

Model psychrophilic microorganisms include, among others, bacterial strains of the genus Psychrobacter (Gammaproteobacteria), which are the focus of this project. A collection of seven strains from this genus was created by researchers from the Department of Antarctic Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences near the Hornsund fjord, located in the southern part of Spitsbergen Island (a Norwegian province in the Arctic, Svalbard Archipelago). This project aims to conduct a genomic analysis of (i) a selected Psychrobacter sp. strain and (ii) plasmids present in the collected pool of bacteria. Detailed bioinformatics analyses of the obtained nucleotide sequences will be performed, including comparative genomics studies. The genomic data acquired in this project will serve as a starting point for functional analyses of selected genes or defined genetic modules.

This is an interdisciplinary project, bringing together experts in environmental microbiology (with extensive experience working with psychrophilic bacteria), molecular microbiologists (specializing in genetic analyses of bacteria isolated from various environments), as well as specialists in bioinformatics and comparative genomics.

The implementation of this project will:

(i) provide insight into the genome structure of the Psychrobacter sp. strain,

(ii) allow the identification of its individual components (conserved core, mobilome, etc.),

(iii) yield important data on the evolution of bacteria from this genus,

(iv) determine the impact of horizontal gene transfer on the genomic variability of these bacteria,

(v) identify the genetic basis of bacterial adaptation to the Arctic environment,

(vi) enable in silico identification and definition of genetic determinants of metabolic pathways,

(vii) expand our knowledge of the structure and biology of mobile genetic elements in this bacterial group, and

(viii) provide valuable data on the extent and directions of horizontal gene transfer in psychrophilic bacteria.

This project also has application-oriented goals, as it will provide (i) non-patented psychrophilic enzyme genes and (ii) various types of vectors and cassettes that will facilitate further genetic analyses of Psychrobacter spp.