Identification of Biomolecules Involved in the Adaptation to the Environment of Cold-Loving Microorganisms and Metabolic Pathways for Their Production
Cold-loving microorganisms of all three domains of life have unique and special abilities that allow them to live in harsh environments. They have acquired structural and molecular mechanisms of adaptation to the cold that include the production of anti-freeze proteins, carbohydrate-based extracellu...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Biomolecules |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/11/8/1155 |
| _version_ | 1827685708629803008 |
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| author | Eva Garcia-Lopez Paula Alcazar Cristina Cid |
| author_facet | Eva Garcia-Lopez Paula Alcazar Cristina Cid |
| author_sort | Eva Garcia-Lopez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cold-loving microorganisms of all three domains of life have unique and special abilities that allow them to live in harsh environments. They have acquired structural and molecular mechanisms of adaptation to the cold that include the production of anti-freeze proteins, carbohydrate-based extracellular polymeric substances and lipids which serve as cryo- and osmoprotectants by maintaining the fluidity of their membranes. They also produce a wide diversity of pigmented molecules to obtain energy, carry out photosynthesis, increase their resistance to stress and provide them with ultraviolet light protection. Recently developed analytical techniques have been applied as high-throughoutput technologies for function discovery and for reconstructing functional networks in psychrophiles. Among them, omics deserve special mention, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, glycomics, lipidomics and metabolomics. These techniques have allowed the identification of microorganisms and the study of their biogeochemical activities. They have also made it possible to infer their metabolic capacities and identify the biomolecules that are parts of their structures or that they secrete into the environment, which can be useful in various fields of biotechnology. This Review summarizes current knowledge on psychrophiles as sources of biomolecules and the metabolic pathways for their production. New strategies and next-generation approaches are needed to increase the chances of discovering new biomolecules. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:58:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4f666b234d8f48ff845bacd5777974ba |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2218-273X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:58:19Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomolecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-4f666b234d8f48ff845bacd5777974ba2023-11-22T06:55:36ZengMDPI AGBiomolecules2218-273X2021-08-01118115510.3390/biom11081155Identification of Biomolecules Involved in the Adaptation to the Environment of Cold-Loving Microorganisms and Metabolic Pathways for Their ProductionEva Garcia-Lopez0Paula Alcazar1Cristina Cid2Molecular Evolution Department, Centro de Astrobiologia (CSIC-INTA), Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, SpainMolecular Evolution Department, Centro de Astrobiologia (CSIC-INTA), Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, SpainMolecular Evolution Department, Centro de Astrobiologia (CSIC-INTA), Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, SpainCold-loving microorganisms of all three domains of life have unique and special abilities that allow them to live in harsh environments. They have acquired structural and molecular mechanisms of adaptation to the cold that include the production of anti-freeze proteins, carbohydrate-based extracellular polymeric substances and lipids which serve as cryo- and osmoprotectants by maintaining the fluidity of their membranes. They also produce a wide diversity of pigmented molecules to obtain energy, carry out photosynthesis, increase their resistance to stress and provide them with ultraviolet light protection. Recently developed analytical techniques have been applied as high-throughoutput technologies for function discovery and for reconstructing functional networks in psychrophiles. Among them, omics deserve special mention, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, glycomics, lipidomics and metabolomics. These techniques have allowed the identification of microorganisms and the study of their biogeochemical activities. They have also made it possible to infer their metabolic capacities and identify the biomolecules that are parts of their structures or that they secrete into the environment, which can be useful in various fields of biotechnology. This Review summarizes current knowledge on psychrophiles as sources of biomolecules and the metabolic pathways for their production. New strategies and next-generation approaches are needed to increase the chances of discovering new biomolecules.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/11/8/1155biomoleculesmicroorganismsproteinsmetabolitespigmentsantibiotics |
| spellingShingle | Eva Garcia-Lopez Paula Alcazar Cristina Cid Identification of Biomolecules Involved in the Adaptation to the Environment of Cold-Loving Microorganisms and Metabolic Pathways for Their Production Biomolecules biomolecules microorganisms proteins metabolites pigments antibiotics |
| title | Identification of Biomolecules Involved in the Adaptation to the Environment of Cold-Loving Microorganisms and Metabolic Pathways for Their Production |
| title_full | Identification of Biomolecules Involved in the Adaptation to the Environment of Cold-Loving Microorganisms and Metabolic Pathways for Their Production |
| title_fullStr | Identification of Biomolecules Involved in the Adaptation to the Environment of Cold-Loving Microorganisms and Metabolic Pathways for Their Production |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identification of Biomolecules Involved in the Adaptation to the Environment of Cold-Loving Microorganisms and Metabolic Pathways for Their Production |
| title_short | Identification of Biomolecules Involved in the Adaptation to the Environment of Cold-Loving Microorganisms and Metabolic Pathways for Their Production |
| title_sort | identification of biomolecules involved in the adaptation to the environment of cold loving microorganisms and metabolic pathways for their production |
| topic | biomolecules microorganisms proteins metabolites pigments antibiotics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/11/8/1155 |
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