Extreme Cold Environments: A Suitable Niche for Selection of Novel Psychrotrophic Microbes for Biotechnological Applications

Abstract

Editorial The microbiomes of cold environments are of particular importance in global ecology since the majority of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of our planet are permanently or seasonally submitted to cold temperatures. Earth is primarily a cold, marine planet with 90% of the ocean's waters being at 5°C or lower. Permafrost soils, glaciers, polar sea ice, and snow cover make up 20% of the Earth's surface environments. Microbial communities under cold habitats have been undergone the physiological adaptations to low temperature and chemical stress. Recently, these communities have attained the focus of applied research not only in terms of biotechnological prospects but also to understand the use of primitive analogues of biomolecules existed during early Earth environments [1,2]. The microbiomes of cold environments have been extensively investigated in the past few years with a focus on culture dependent and culture-independent techniques. Cold-adapted microorganisms have been reported from Antarctic sub-glacial, permanently ice-covered lakes, cloud droplets, ice cap cores from considerable depth, snow and ice glaciers [3-6]. Many novel microbes have been sort out from cold environments including Halobacterium lacusprofundi [7], Sphingobacterium antarcticus [8], Octadecabacter arcticus [9], Hymenobacter roseosalivarius [10], Cellulophaga algicola [11], Flavobacterium frigidarium [12], Oleispira antarctica [13], Flavobacterium psychrolimnae [14], Psychromonas ingrahamii [15], Exiguobacterium soli [16], Pseudomonas extremaustralis [17], Cryobacterium roopkundense [18], Sphingomonas glacialis [19], Pedobacter arcticus [20], Sphingobacterium psychroaquaticum [21], Lacinutrix jangbogonensis [22], Massilia eurypsychrophila [23], Glaciimonas frigoris [24] and Psychrobacter pocilloporae [25]. There are several reports on whole genome sequences of novel and potential psychrotrophic microbes [26,27].