[Microbiology Resource Announcements] We report the genomic sequences of seven bacterial isolates from the western coast of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The surface ice along the margins of the ice sheet is dominated by microbes.
As the ice sheet melts, it is important to understand the ecological role and biotechnological potential of this novel extremophile microbiome.
Understanding the genomic potential of bacteria from extreme environments, such as the Greenland Ice Sheet, drives the discovery of novel compounds for biotechnological or bioremediation purposes.
To aid this discovery, supraglacial meltwater samples were collected in June 2011 in the south of Jakobshavn Isbrae (69.589301N, −49.783762W) in conjunction with a larger sampling effort (1). Bacteria were isolated aerobically on R2A agar plates at 4°C in the dark.
Isolates were selected and cultured based on colony morphology. Visual cues, such as colony size, color, shape, elevation, margin, and texture, were used for subculturing. Isolates stored in 25% glycerol at –80°C were grown on R2A agar plates at 4°C for 21 days.
Single colonies were inoculated in R2A broth (20 mL) at 4°C while shaking at 150 rpm to late exponential phase. A standard cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) procedure was used for extracting DNA (2).
- Seven genome sequences of bacterial environmental isolates from the western coast of the Greenland Ice Sheet, ASM Journals Microbiology Resource Announcements via PubMed
- Seven genome sequences of bacterial environmental isolates from the western coast of the Greenland Ice Sheet, ASM Journals Microbiology Resource Announcements
Astrobiology, extremophile, genomics,
