Genome Sequence of Halobacterium sp. Strain BOL4-2, Isolated and Cultured from Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.

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.

Genome Sequence and Methylation Pattern of Haloterrigena salifodinae BOL5-1, an Extremely Halophilic Archaeon from a Bolivian Salt Mine.

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 were incorporated into REBASE (http://tools.neb.com/genomes/view.php?seq_id=99167&list=1).

16S rRNA Gene Diversity in Ancient Gray and Pink Salt from San Simón Salt Mines in Tarija, Bolivia.

DNA from 250 million-year-old pink and gray salts from mines in Tarija, Bolivia, subjected to 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and analysis provided evidence for similar but distinct prokaryotic communities. The results constitute a snapshot of archaeal and bacterial microorganisms in these remote and ancient salt deposits.

16S rRNA Gene Diversity in the Salt Crust of Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, the World's Largest Salt Flat.

Salar de Uyuni is a vast, high-altitude salt flat in Bolivia with extreme physico-geochemical properties approaching multiple limits of life. Evidence for diverse halophilic bacteria and archaea was found in its surface and near-surface salt crust using 16S amplicon analysis, providing a snapshot of prokaryotic life.

Genome Sequence of Salarchaeum sp. Strain JOR-1, an Extremely Halophilic Archaeon from the Dead Sea.

An extremely halophilic archaeon, Salarchaeum sp. strain JOR-1, was isolated from the east coast of the Dead Sea, Kingdom of Jordan, and sequenced using single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing. The GC-rich 2.5-Mbp genome was composed of a circular chromosome and a megaplasmid. The genome contained 2,633 genes and was incorporated into HaloWeb (https://halo.umbc.edu/).

Genome Sequences and Methylation Patterns of Natrinema versiforme BOL5-4 and Natrinema pallidum BOL6-1, Two Extremely Halophilic Archaea from a Bolivian Salt Mine.

Two extremely halophilic archaea, namely, Natrinema versiforme BOL5-4 and Natrinema pallidum BOL6-1, were isolated from a Bolivian salt mine and their genomes sequenced using single-molecule real-time sequencing. The GC-rich genomes of BOL5-4 and BOL6-1 were 4.6 and 3.8 Mbp, respectively, with large chromosomes and multiple megaplasmids. Genome annotation was incorporated into HaloWeb and methylation patterns incorporated into REBASE.