Abstract
We report the genome sequence of Exiguobacterium chiriqhucha str. N139, isolated from a high-altitude Andean lake. Comparative genomic analyses of the Exiguobacterium genomes available suggest that our strain belongs to the same species as the previously reported E. pavilionensis str. RW-2 and Exiguobacterium str. GIC 31. We describe this species and propose the chiriqhucha name to group them. ‘Chiri qhucha’ in Quechua means ‘cold lake’, which is a common origin of these three cosmopolitan Exiguobacteria. The 2,952,588-bp E. chiriqhucha str. N139 genome contains one chromosome and three megaplasmids. The genome analysis of the Andean strain suggests the presence of enzymes that confer E. chiriqhucha str. N139 the ability to grow under multiple environmental extreme conditions, including high concentrations of different metals, high ultraviolet B radiation, scavenging for phosphorous and coping with high salinity. Moreover, the regulation of its tryptophan biosynthesis suggests that novel pathways remain to be discovered, and that these pathways might be fundamental in the amino acid metabolism of the microbial community from Laguna Negra, Argentina.
Highlights
The high altitude Andean Lakes (HAALs) from Puna, Argentina, are a group of lakes located at 3,000–6,000 m above sea level which are characterized by high ultraviolet (UV) radiation and salinity, broad temperature variations, low nutrient concentrations and high contents of metals and metalloids, mainly arsenic (Fernández-Zenoff et al, 2006; Fernández-Zenoff, Siñeriz & Farías, 2006; Dib et al, 2008; Flores et al, 2009; Ordoñez et al, 2009; Albarracín et al, 2011; Belfiore, Ordoñez & Farías, 2013)
N139 lives in a high-altitude, salted lake exposed to intense UV radiation, about 300 km away from the nearest ocean, the Pacific
N139 metabolism, such as the its needs to uptake certain intermediates like phenylalanine and Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA), and the possible excretion of the overproduced anthranilate, suggest that it is a key player in the amino acid metabolism of a microbial consortium that inhabit Laguna Negra
Summary
The high altitude Andean Lakes (HAALs) from Puna, Argentina, are a group of lakes located at 3,000–6,000 m above sea level which are characterized by high ultraviolet (UV) radiation and salinity, broad temperature variations, low nutrient concentrations and high contents of metals and metalloids, mainly arsenic (Fernández-Zenoff et al, 2006; Fernández-Zenoff, Siñeriz & Farías, 2006; Dib et al, 2008; Flores et al, 2009; Ordoñez et al, 2009; Albarracín et al, 2011; Belfiore, Ordoñez & Farías, 2013) These environmental conditions are considered to be extreme and might resemble those of the Earth’s early atmosphere, as has been stated by NASA (Cabrol et al, 2007; Farías et al, 2009). Dib et al (2008) suggested that these microorganisms could harbor various stress defense associated systems
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