An extremely halophilic archaeon, Halobacterium sp. strain GSL-19, was isolated from the north arm of Great Salt Lake in Utah. Single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing was used to establish a GC-rich 2.3-Mbp genome composed of a circular chromosome and 2 plasmids, with 2,367 predicted genes, including 1 coding a CTAG-methylase widely distributed among Haloarchaea .

Halobacterium sp. strain BOL4-2 was isolated from an Andean salt flat, Salar de Uyuni, in Bolivia. Single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing revealed a 2.4-Mbp genome with a 2.0-Mbp chromosome and four plasmids (2 to 299 kb). Its isolation from an environment experiencing multiple extremes makes the strain interesting for astrobiology.

The halophilic archaeon Haloterrigena salifodinae BOL5-1 was isolated from a Bolivian salt mine and sequenced using single-molecule real-time sequencing. The GC-rich genome was 5.1 Mbp, with a 4.2-Mbp chromosome and 5 plasmids ranging from 96 to 281 kbp. The genome annotation was incorporated into HaloWeb ( https://halo.umbc.edu ) and the methylation patterns into REBASE ( http://rebase.neb.com ). Halophilic microbes capable of surviving extreme conditions are of interest for biotechnology and astrobiology ( 1 – 12 ). Our recent focus has been on high elevation and subsurface hypersaline environments, which yield polyextremophilic varieties. In this announcement, isolation of an extremely halophilic archaeon, Haloterrigena salifodinae BOL5-1, is reported, together with the first complete genome sequence for this species.