Psychrophiles: Ecological significance and potential industrial application

Abstract

The bulk of earth’s biosphere is cold 5 °C that sustains a broad diversity of microbial life by triggering physiological response(s) to ensure survival in cold and frozen ecosystems. The strategy of adaptation to cold environments includes changes in membrane composition and induction of a set of specific cold-active proteins, polyunsaturated lipids and exopolysaccharides. These adaptive features provide an enormous natural reservoir of enzymes that function effectively in cold environments, and these coldactive enzymes have been targeted for innovative applications useful to humankind. This review provides an overview of the existence, distribution and adaptation strategies of psychrophilic microorganisms worldwide with great emphasis on their recently emerged industrial applications in the textile industry, food and dairy industry, brewing and wine industry, laundry detergent industry, and others. Significance: • The outcome of these studies may also help in the exploration of the possibility of life in distant frozen planets.

First Insight into the Diversity and Antibacterial Potential of Psychrophilic and Psychotrophic Microbial Communities of Abandoned Amber Quarry

“…The study of psychrophilic bacteria as new tools in pharmaceuticals is especially promising. At the moment, several promising psychrophilic strains have been discovered that are producers of new highly active antimicrobial compounds [ 31 ], such as antarticin-NF3, synthesized by the Antarctic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas [ 32 ], and the bacteriocins of Pseudomonas antarctica PAMC 27494 [ 33 ].…”

“…Perchrophils and psychrotrophs are phylogenetically diverse groups and include various families of bacteria and archaea [ 31 ]. This study showed that the microbial communities of the Walter quarry are represented by the families Ruminococcacea, Lachnospiraceae, Burkholderiaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Geodermatophilaceae, Bacillaceae, Rhizobiaceae, Planctomycetes, Opitutaceae, Moraxellaceae, and Mycobacteriaceae.…”

The First Comprehensive Biodiversity Study of Culturable Fungal Communities Inhabiting Cryoconite Holes in the Werenskiold Glacier on Spitsbergen (Svalbard Archipelago, Arctic)

“…As might be expected, such microorganisms are capable of fulfilling multiple and diverse roles in such cold and harsh environments. They can enhance the quality of the soil structure, fix nitrogen, or break down organic matter for plants to absorb or deteriorate pollutants [ 23 ].…”

TMT-Based Quantitative Proteomics Analysis of the Fish-Borne Spoiler Shewanella putrefaciens Subjected to Cold Stress Using LC-MS/MS

“…(i) Increased fluidity of cell membranes (ii) e freezing point of the aqueous phase in the cytoplasm decreased (iii) Macromolecules with enhanced stability (iv) Under the effects of cold shock and cold acclimation, the reaction protein of cells to temperature decreases (v) Peroxidase, catalase, redox, and superoxide dismutase protect reactive oxygen species (vi) Whether the catalytic efficiency is maintained under cold stress and under cold stress [10][11][12][13][14].…”