Metagenomic analysis of the soil microbial composition and salt tolerance mechanism in Yuncheng Salt Lake, Shanxi Province

Abstract

The soil in Yuncheng Salt Lake has serious salinization and the biogeographic environment affects the composition and distribution of special halophilic and salt-tolerant microbial communities in this area. Therefore, this study collected soils at distances of 15, 30, and 45 m from the Salt Lake and used non-saline soil (60 m) as a control to explore the microbial composition and salt tolerance mechanisms using metagenomics technology. The results showed that the dominant species and abundance of salt-tolerant microorganisms changed gradually with distance from Salt Lake. The salt-tolerant microorganisms can increase the expression of the Na+/H+ antiporter by upregulating the Na+/H+ antiporter subunit mnhA-G to respond to salt stress, simultaneously upregulating the genes in the betaine/proline transport system to promote the conversion of choline into betaine, while also upregulating the trehalose/maltose transport system encode genes to promote the synthesis of trehalose to resist a high salt environment.

Microbial-derived salt-tolerant proteases and their applications in high-salt traditional soybean fermented foods: a review

“…Notably, the upregulation of genes associated with membrane transporters, the CRISPR–Cas system, osmotic protection solutes, oxidative stress proteins, and iron metabolism is closely linked to salt tolerance. This suggests that salt-tolerant microorganisms can respond to and resist high-salt environments by up-regulating the genes encoding their transporters and transport systems, which is supported by similar reports (Zeng et al 2022 ). Up-regulation or expression of genes encoding STPs can improve the salt tolerance of cells and prevent the cells from being killed by salt.…”

“…This is a process in which inorganic salts (such as sodium and potassium ions) accumulate in the cytoplasmic fluid and involves the entry and exit of metal cations/H + into the cell through membrane proteins (Mokashe et al 2018 ). Salt-tolerant microorganisms can respond to salt stress by up-regulating the Na + /H + antiporter subunit mnhA-G (Zeng et al 2022 ). The Na + /H + antiporter plays an important role in maintaining cellular pH and cation homeostasis.…”

Distribution patterns and co-occurrence network of eukaryotic algae in different salinity waters of Yuncheng Salt Lake, China

“…Salt Lakes are found all over the world, accounting for about 44% of the water volume and 23% of the total surface area of all lakes on Earth 5 . Salt-tolerant microorganisms and algae are well suited to grow in Salt Lake environments due to the inhibition of high salt concentrations 6 . The complexity of these organisms and their unique metabolic functions, together with their salt-tolerant characteristics and the accompanying low-temperature, radiation, and hypoxia resistance, make them unique biological resources for extreme environments, with great potential for application and development.…”

“…In response to these phenomena, researchers and scholars have carried out corresponding studies on Yuncheng Salt Lake 6 , 8 , but most of them focused on microorganisms, while fewer studies were conducted on the algae and the environment of the Salt Lake. Given that the unique salt environment endows Yuncheng Salt Lake with a unique salt-tolerant flora, further studies on the structure of the phytoplankton community in Yuncheng Salt Lake, its species composition, and its environmental drivers are of great significance in exploring the physiological mechanisms of salt algae.…”

Yunchengibacter salinarum gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel bacterium of the family Kordiimonadaceae isolated from sediment in Yuncheng salt lake

“…Surveys show that the Yuncheng salt lake is rich in sodium sulfate resources, distinguishing it from other salt lakes that are primarily chloride-based. Simultaneously, there are a large number of halophilic and halotolerant microorganism resources with potential application value in this hypersaline lake to be studied and developed (Zeng et al 2022). Pseudomonadota, as one of the dominant groups in the salt lake, has a fascinating close relationship with important applications in agriculture, medicine and environmental remediation (Paramasivam et al 2013b).…”