Psychrophiles: From Biodiversity to Biotechnology: From Biodiversity to Biotechnolgy

Most scientists in the middle of the twentieth century would probably not have believed that life was possible at extreme values of environmental factors, such as pH values close to 0 (e. g. sulfurous environments) or to 14 (e. g. soda lakes), sali- ties of 6 M NaCl (e. g. Dead Sea), hydrostatic pressures approaching 0. 1 MPa (deep sea) and temperatures exceeding 100°C (thermal vents or hot springs) or as low as –20°C (e. g. polar regions). Of the current studies on extremophiles, approximately 30,000 articles by the year 2007, almost two-thirds have been performed on org- isms adapted to outstanding temperatures, but much more attention has been paid to thermophiles than to psychrophiles. However, over the past 10 years, scientific publications on cold-adapted microorganisms have increased by a factor of ten. If one considers the extent of cold habitats, psychrophiles, i. e. cold-loving organisms, should largely lead in this comparison with thermophiles because a great proportion of the Earth’s biosphere never reaches temperatures above 5°C. Nearly three-quarters of the Earth is covered by oceans whose deep water masses, irrespective of latitude, are constantly between 2 and 4°C. The large continent of Antarctica also provides a permanently cold terrestrial environment as well as an aquatic niche in the surrounding ice that melts during the summer. Other examples of cold habitats are permafrost soils, high alpine soils, cold deserts, cold caves, marine sediments, snow, glacier and sea ice. Front Matter....Pages i-xv The Climate of Snow and Ice as Boundary Condition for Microbial Life....Pages 3-15 Limits for Microbial Life at Subzero Temperatures....Pages 17-28 Bacteria in Snow and Glacier Ice....Pages 31-50 Bacteria in Subglacial Environments....Pages 51-71 Bacteria in the Deep Sea: Psychropiezophiles....Pages 73-82 Bacteria in Permafrost....Pages 83-102 Anaerobic Bacteria and Archaea in Cold Ecosystems....Pages 103-119 Cyanobacteria in Cold Ecosystems....Pages 121-135 Fungi in Cold Ecosystems....Pages 137-156 Cold-Active Viruses....Pages 157-173 Membrane Components and Cold Sensing....Pages 177-190 Cold-Shock Proteins....Pages 191-209 Fundamentals of Cold-Adapted Enzymes....Pages 211-227 Cryoprotectants and Ice-Binding Proteins....Pages 229-246 The Role of Exopolymers in Microbial Adaptation to Sea Ice....Pages 247-264 Genomic Analysis of Psychrophilic Prokaryotes....Pages 265-284 Microalgae in Polar Regions: Linking Functional Genomics and Physiology with Environmental Conditions....Pages 285-312 Metagenomics: Microbial Community Genomes Revealed....Pages 313-332 Proteomic Studies of Psychrophilic Microorganisms....Pages 333-344 Biotechnological Aspects of Cold-Adapted Enzymes....Pages 347-363 Heterologous Protein Expression in Psychrophilic Hosts....Pages 365-379 Cold-Adapted Fungi as a Source for Valuable Metabolites....Pages 381-387 Natural and Stimulated Biodegradation of Petroleum in Cold Marine Environments....Pages 389-407 Microbial Adaptation to Boreal Saturated Subsurface: Implications in Bioremediation of Polychlorophenols....Pages 409-427 Biological Iron Oxidation and Sulfate Reduction in the Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage at Low Temperatures....Pages 429-454 Back Matter....Pages 455-462 The majority of the Earth??'s biosphere is cold and exposed to temperatures below 5??C throughout the year. Having evolved special mechanisms to overcome the life-endangering influence of low temperatures, psychrophiles, i.e. cold-adapted microorganisms, have successfully colonized these environments. Cold adaptation includes a complex range of structural and functional adaptations at the level of all cellular constituents, and these adaptations render cold-adapted organisms particularly useful for biotechnological applications. This book presents the most recent knowledge of (i) boundary cond "The majority of the Earth's biosphere is cold and exposed to temperatures below 5C throughout the year. Having evolved special mechanisms to overcome the life-endangering influence of low temperatures, psychrophiles, i.e. cold-adapted microorganisms, have successfully colonized these environments. Cold adaptation includes a complex range of structural and functional adaptations at the level of all cellular constituents, and these adaptations render cold-adapted organisms particularly useful for biotechnological applications. This book presents the most recent knowledge ..."--Back cover