Osmotic Regulation in Halophiles Based on the Evaluation of Ectoine Biosynthetic Pathways
Author: Joshua Gonzales
Faculty Supervisor: José R. de la Torre
Department: Biology
Halophilic microbes are known to exhibit a multitude of biochemical adaptations in response to hypersaline conditions, with respect to production of ectoine accumulation in the cytoplasm of cells. Ectoine being an amino acid derivative of aspartate, is a osmoprotectant synthesized by halophilic microorganisms with the use of three genes EctA, EctB, And EctC. Application of ectoine inside the cell serves as a protective substance resulting in membrane stabilization, surface hydration, and integrity of cellular proteins. Although this pathway serves as an optimal strategy towards maintaining osmolarity in response to unfavorable conditions, the ectoine production pathway is not a common adaptation used amongst different groups of halophilic bacteria. As a result, the ectoine production pathway is limited amongst halophiles as there is a lack of key enzymes needed to produce ectoine. Therefore, the following research focuses on investigating the presence of key enzymes responsible for ectoine production among halophilic species and why these differences are significant amongst microbes in various environments. Methods utilized in the research will consist of identifying key enzymes present for ectoine production amongst various halophilic groups using Integrated Micro Genomes (IMG). Further investigation would allow us to determine how abundant this pathway is distributed and bring a greater understanding towards the pathway of synthesizing ectoine