The world of halophiles is quite diverse and their representatives in three domains of life i.e. archaea, bacteria and eukarya. They are found all over the small subunit rRNA based tree of life and these micro-organisms are adapted to salt concentration up to saturation hence able to grow at >300g/l Nacl concentration. Their metabolic diversity is high as well encompassing oxygenic and anoxygenic phototrophs, aerobic heterotrophs, denitrifiers, sulphate reducers, fermenters and methanogens. The proteins of halophiles are magnificently engineered to function in a milieu containing 2-5M salt that encodes genes represent a valuable repository and resource for reconstruction and visualizing processes of habitat selection and adaptive evolution. Search for new enzymes endowed with novel activities and enhanced stability continues to be desirable purpose for important commercial production of biotechnological significance. These poly extremophiles proved excellent source of enzymes and metabolites possessing inherent ability to function in extreme conditions of high salt, alkaline pH and facilitating catalysis for industrial application in food processing, industrial bioconversion, bioremediation etc. In fact, it has just begun to realize the great potential and true extent of diversity and suitable applications if explored them judiciously. This book highlights current applications and research on halophiles to provide a timely overview. Chapters are written by expert authors from around the world and include topics of varied importance which include their role to play in enzyme production, restoration of soil fertility and plant growth , antimicrobial and biocatalytic potential, biomolecules in nanotechnology and aspects of quorum sensing. The book is divided into three sections, dealing with biodiversity, biotechnology and sustainable exploitation of halophiles. This major new work represents a valuable source of information to all those scientists interested in microorganisms in general and extremophiles in particular with respect to their innovative products and applications.

A book for anyone interested in halophilic bacteria The Biology of Halophilic Bacteria presents detailed information regarding methods for working with halophilic bacteria. Helpful hints for performing various tests and assays in high salts are given, and information about data presentation and analysis is provided as well. The book will be useful to molecular biologists, biochemists, ecologists, and others interested in halophilic bacteria.

"This water" he told me, "runs out to the eastern region, and flows into the Arabah; and when it comes into the sea, into the sea of foul waters [i. e. , the Dead Sea], the water will become wholesome. Every living creature that swarms will be able to live wherever this stream goes; the fish will be very abundant once these waters have reached there. It will be wholesome, and everything will live wherever this stream goes. Fishermen shall stand beside it all the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it shall be a place for drying nets; and the fish will be of various kinds [and] most plentiful, like the fish of the Great Sea. " Ezekiel’s prophecy (Ezekiel 47: 8-10) for revival and purification of the Dead Sea waters This new book on "Halophilic Microorganisms and their Environments" is the fifth volume in the COLE series (Cellular Origin and Life in Extreme Habitats (see: http://www. wkap. nl/prod/s/COLE). In the previous books we covered aspects of enigmatic microorganisms, microbial diversity, astrobiology, and symbiosis, so this book on halophilic microbes adds a fitting link to the rest of series' books. Since ancient times hypersaline habitats have been considered extreme environments, and some were thought not to sustain life at all. Yet, every organism requires salt for its existence. Salty places have been compared to an environment of extinction (e. g. , the Dead Sea).

Extremophiles are organisms that are able to live in extreme conditions due to their unique physiological and genetic adaptations. Extremophiles are harnessed for their extremozymes that have wide applications in biotechnology, pharmaceutics, and industry. Recent developments in genomics and proteomics have helped unravel the mechanism of survival, physiological adaptation, and genomics structure of extremophiles. Physiology, Genomics, and Biotechnological Applications of Extremophiles covers innovative developments in understanding the physiology and biochemistry of extremophiles using the -omics perspective, focuses on the advancement in mechanisms of the extremophiles that makes them able to survive under extreme conditions, and discusses the applications of extremophiles in astrobiology. Covering topics such as genomics and the history and identification of extremophiles, it is ideal for students, professors, researchers, academicians, microbiologists, agricultural scientists, and biotechnologists.

Various groups of microorganisms - bacteria, archaea, algae and even fungi - have adapted to a life in a hypersaline environment. Halophilic Microorganisms explores the many-fold aspects of life under these extreme conditions. Several contributions analyze the microbial communities in different hypersaline environments such as salterns, soda lakes, and the Dead Sea or salt sediments. Reviews of their biodiversity, phylogeny, and genetics are given as well as of the diverse adaptation strategies of salt-tolerant or salt-requiring microorganisms. Microorganisms that have adapted to moderate salt concentrations or to habitats with drastic fluctuations are also treated in addition to the extreme halophiles. Their physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms developed in response to salinity and high osmotic pressure as well as current and future biotechnological applications are presented.

This book presents the latest results in the exploration of halophilic bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses. Basic and molecular aspects as well as possible biotechnological applications of halophiles are highlighted by leading scientists. Topics include: the family Halomonadaceae; the hypersaline lakes of Inner Mongolia ; Salinibacter ruber - from genomics to microevolution and ecology; the impact of lipidomics on the microbial world of hypersaline environments; molecular mechanisms of adaptation to high salt concentration in the black yeast Hortaea werneckii; viruses in hypersaline environments; initiation and regulation of translation in halophilic Archaea; protein transport into and across haloarchaeal cytoplasmic membranes; protein glycosylation in Haloferax volcanii; the effect of anoxic conditions and temperature on gas vesicle formation in Halobacterium salinarum; halophiles exposed to multiple stressors; cellular adjustments of Bacillus subtilis to fluctuating salinities; the nature and function of carotenoids in Halobacillus halophilus; xanthorhodopsin; enzymatic biomass degradation by halophilic microorganisms; and enzymes from halophilic Archaea.

Extreme halophilic environments, including salt lakes and springs, seawater evaporation facilities for the production of sea salt, and subterranean salt deposits derived from ancient oceans are distributed patchily all over the earth. The life that dominates them is microbial e.g., prokaryotes and the viruses that infect them. The best studied in these environments are the haloarchaea (family Halobacteriaceae), a diverse group of salt-loving organisms in the archaeal phylum Euryarchaeota. These remarkable organisms have an obligate requirement for salt concentrations between 10% and 35% NaCl for survival (sea water has 3.5% salt). Haloarchaea have evolved several biochemical and molecular strategies to counteract the deleterious effects of their salty environments including efficient ion pumps, UV absorbing pigments, proteins that can resistant the effects of osmotic stress and the denaturing effects of salts. The best studied extremely halophilic member of the Bacteria is Salinibacter, which is abundant in saltern crystallizer ponds worldwide. The application of modern genomic approaches to research on halophilic Archaea and Bacteria and their viruses in recent years has yielded fascinating insights into the adaptations and evolution of these unique organisms.This book highlights current genetics and genomics research to provide a timely overview. Chapters are written by expert authors from around the world and include topics such as: ecology and evolution of Haloquadratum walsbyi; microdiversity of Salinibacter ruber; horizontal gene transfer in halobacteria; comparative genomics of haloarchaeal viruses; genomics of the halophilic bacteria Natranaerobius thermophilus and Halobacillus halophilus; the haloarchaeal cell wall; cell cycle and polyploidy in haloarchaea; cell regulation by proteolytic systems and protein conjugation.This major new work represents a valuable source of information to all those scientists interested in halophilic microorganisms, extremophiles, microbial ecology and environmental microbiology.

This book is designed to be a long term career reference. The chapters present modern procedures. This is a how-to-book with a difference. These chapters: - reveal the background information about working with salt loving organisms, - are loaded with information about how experiments are conducted under high salt, - provide information about analyses that work under these conditions and those that may not, - present a wide range of details from laboratory designs to equipment used and even to simple anecdotal hints that can only come from experience. Microbiological training focuses largely on the growth, the handling and the study of the microbes associated with humans and animals. Yet the largest proportion of the Earth’s microbiota lives in saline environments such as the Oceans, saline deserts and terminal hypersaline environments. This need for salt can be intimidating for those interested in entering the field or for those interested in understanding how such research is accomplished.

The Extremophiles Handbook brings together the rapidly growing and often scattered information on microbial life in the whole range of extreme environments. This book will be a useful reference for finding clues to the origin of life and for exploring the biotechnology potential of these fascinating organisms.