Characterization of a halotolerant-psychroloterant bacterium from dry valley Antarctic soil.

The saline soils of the ice free dry valleys of Victoria Land, Antarctica may provide the closest analog on Earth to Martian conditions. We have initiated a study aimed at examining microbial adaptations to the harsh environment of these dry valley soils. In this report we describe the characterization of one bacterium, strain A4a, isolated from Taylor Valley soil. Strain A4a was an obligately aerobic, orange-pigmented, Gram-positive coccus that grew over wide ranges of both temperature (0 degrees C-40 degrees C) and sodium chloride concentration (0-2.0M). The optimal temperature for growth at all NaCl concentrations was 25 degrees C. Phospholipid composition and guanine plus cytosine content of the DNA of the isolate indicate a close relation to the genus Planococcus.