Central-Andean Ecosystems (between 2000 and 6000 m above sea level (masl) are typical arid-to-semiarid environments suffering from the highest total solar and ultraviolet-B radiation on the planet but displaying numerous salt flats and shallow lakes. Andean microbial ecosystems isolated from these environments are of exceptional biodiversity enduring multiple severe conditions. Furthermore, the polyextremophilic nature of the microbes in such ecosystems indicates the potential for biotechnological applications. Within this context, the study undertaken used genome mining, physiological and microscopical characterization to reveal the multiresistant profile of Nesterenkonia sp. Act20, an actinobacterium isolated from the soil surrounding Lake Socompa, Salta, Argentina (3570 masl). Ultravioet-B, desiccation, and copper assays revealed the strain’s exceptional resistance to all these conditions. Act20’s genome presented coding sequences involving resistance to antibiotics, low temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, arsenic, nutrient-limiting conditions, osmotic stress, low atmospheric-oxygen pressure, heavy-metal stress, and toxic fluoride and chlorite. Act20 can also synthesize proteins and natural products such as an insecticide, bacterial cellulose, ectoine, bacterial hemoglobin, and even antibiotics like colicin V and aurachin C. We also found numerous enzymes for animal- and vegetal-biomass degradation and applications in other industrial processes. The resilience of Act20 and its biotechnologic potential were thoroughly demonstrated in this work. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11274-021-03129-9

Modern non-lithifying stromatolites (STs) on the shore of the volcanic lake Socompa in the Puna are affected by several extreme conditions. Although STs were proposed as ecologic models for understanding stress response and resilience in microbial ecosystems constituting a window into the past, our knowledge of ST function is still nascent. The present study assesses for the first time light utilization and functional metabolic stratification of STs on a millimeter scale through shotgun metagenomics. In addition, a scanning-electron-microscopy approach was used to explore the community. Our results demonstrated that Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria play major roles as ST builders and primary producers to sustain a diverse community of heterotrophs. STs manifest a high .

Central Andean Ecosystems (between 2000 and 6000 masl) are typical arid to semiarid environments suffering from the highest total solar and UVB radiation on the planet but displaying numerous salt flats and shallow lakes. Isolated from these environments, Andean Microbial Communities (AME) of exceptional biodiversity endures multiple severe conditions. Also, the poly-extremophilic nature of AME’s microbes indicates the potential for biotechnological applications. In this context, the presented study used genome mining and physiological characterization to reveal the multi-resistant profile of Nesterenkonia sp. Act20, an actinobacterium isolated from the soil surrounding Lake Socompa, Salta, Argentina (3570 m). UV-B, desiccation, and copper assays showed the strain’s exceptional resistance to all these factors. Act20’s genome presented coding sequences involving antibiotics, low temperatures, UV and arsenic resistance, nutrient limiting conditions, osmotic stress response, low atmospheric oxygen pressure, heavy metal stress, and resistance to fluoride and chlorite. Act20 can also synthesize proteins and natural products such as an insecticide, bacterial cellulose, ectoine, bacterial hemoglobin, and even antibiotics like colicin V and aurachin C. We also found numerous enzymes for animal and vegetal biomass degradation and application in other industrial processes.The herein report shed light on the microbial adaptation to high-altitude environments, its possible extrapolation for studying other extreme environments of relevance, and its application to industrial and biotechnological processes.HIGHLIGHTSArid Andean Soils are attractive sources of microbial strains useful in biotechnological processes.Physiological studies revealed the multi-resistant nature of the poly-extremophile Nesterenkonia sp. Act20.Act20’s genome analysis showed a complete set of genes coding for proteins involved in resistance to multiple stresses, including extremoenzymes and extremolytes.

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