{"type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [{"id": "10.1128/aem.02264-23", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:17:51Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-02-19", "title": "Novel endolithic bacteria of phylum             Chloroflexota             reveal a myriad of potential survival strategies in the Antarctic desert", "description": "ABSTRACT                                     <p>               The ice-free McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are dominated by nutrient-poor mineral soil and rocky outcrops. The principal habitat for microorganisms is within rocks (endolithic). In this environment, microorganisms are provided with protection against sub-zero temperatures, rapid thermal fluctuations, extreme dryness, and ultraviolet and solar radiation. Endolithic communities include lichen, algae, fungi, and a diverse array of bacteria.               Chloroflexota               is among the most abundant bacterial phyla present in these communities. Among the               Chloroflexota               are four novel classes of bacteria, here named               Candidatus               Spiritibacteria class. nov. (=UBA5177),               Candidatus               Martimicrobia class. nov. (=UBA4733),               Candidatus               Tarhunnaeia class. nov. (=UBA6077), and               Candidatus               Uliximicrobia class. nov. (=UBA2235). We retrieved 17 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) that represent these four classes. Based on genome predictions, all these bacteria are inferred to be aerobic heterotrophs that encode enzymes for the catabolism of diverse sugars. These and other organic substrates are likely derived from lichen, algae, and fungi, as metabolites (including photosynthate), cell wall components, and extracellular matrix components. The majority of MAGs encode the capacity for trace gas oxidation using high-affinity uptake hydrogenases, which could provide energy and metabolic water required for survival and persistence. Furthermore, some MAGs encode the capacity to couple the energy generated from H               2               and CO oxidation to support carbon fixation (atmospheric chemosynthesis). All encode mechanisms for the detoxification and efflux of heavy metals. Certain MAGs encode features that indicate possible interactions with other organisms, such as Tc-type toxin complexes, hemolysins, and macroglobulins.             </p>                            IMPORTANCE               <p>                 The ice-free McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are the coldest and most hyperarid desert on Earth. It is, therefore, the closest analog to the surface of the planet Mars. Bacteria and other microorganisms survive by inhabiting airspaces within rocks (endolithic). We identify four novel classes of phylum                 Chloroflexota                 , and, based on interrogation of 17 metagenome-assembled genomes, we predict specific metabolic and physiological adaptations that facilitate the survival of these bacteria in this harsh environment\uffe2\uff80\uff94including oxidation of trace gases and the utilization of nutrients (including sugars) derived from lichen, algae, and fungi. We propose that such adaptations allow these endolithic bacteria to eke out an existence in this cold and extremely dry habitat.               </p>", "keywords": ["570", "Bacteria", "Fungi", "Antarctic Regions", "Chloroflexi", "15. Life on land", "Survival strategies", "Cold Temperature", "Extremophiles", "13. Climate action", "Antarctica", "Endolithic communities", "Metagenomics", "14. Life underwater", "Sugars", "Settore BIO/19 - MICROBIOLOGIA GENERALE"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02264-23"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20and%20Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1128/aem.02264-23", "name": "item", "description": "10.1128/aem.02264-23", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1128/aem.02264-23"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-02-19T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s12571-011-0112-9", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:14:53Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2011-02-18", "title": "Stress-Adapted Extremophiles Provide Energy Without Interference With Food Production", "description": "How to wean humanity off the use of fossil fuels continues to receive much attention but how to replace these fuels with renewable sources of energy has become a contentious field of debate as well as research, which often reflects economic and political factors rather than scientific good sense. It is clear that not every advertized energy source can lead to a sustainable, humane and environment-friendly path out of a future energy crisis. Our proposal is based on two assertions: that the use of food crops for biofuels is immoral, and that for this purpose using land suitable for growing crops productively is to be avoided. We advocate a focus on new 'extremophile' crops. These would either be wild species adapted to extreme environments which express genes, developmental processes and metabolic pathways that distin- guish them from traditional crops or existing crops genetically modified to withstand extreme environments. Such extrem- ophile energy crops (EECs), will be less susceptible to stresses in a changing global environment and provide higher yields than existing crops. Moreover, they will grow on land that has never been valuable for agriculture or is no longer so, owing to centuries or millennia of imprudent exploitation. Such a policy will contribute to striking a balance between ecosystem protection and human resource management. Beyond that, rather than bulk liquid fuel generation, combus- tion of various biomass sources including extremophiles for generating electrical energy, and photovoltaics-based capture of solar energy, are superbly suitable candidates for powering the world in the future. Generating electricity and efficient storage capacity is quite possibly the only way for a sustainable post-fossil and, indeed, post-biofuel fuel economy.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0106 biological sciences", "0301 basic medicine", "Abiotic stress tolerance", "15. Life on land", "Bioenergy generation", "Food or fuel", "7. Clean energy", "01 natural sciences", "12. Responsible consumption", "Extremophiles", "03 medical and health sciences", "13. Climate action", "11. Sustainability", "Alternative crops"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-011-0112-9"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Food%20Security", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s12571-011-0112-9", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s12571-011-0112-9", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s12571-011-0112-9"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2011-02-19T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10449/84316", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:21:47Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-02-19", "title": "Novel endolithic bacteria of phylum             Chloroflexota             reveal a myriad of potential survival strategies in the Antarctic desert", "description": "ABSTRACT                                     <p>               The ice-free McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are dominated by nutrient-poor mineral soil and rocky outcrops. The principal habitat for microorganisms is within rocks (endolithic). In this environment, microorganisms are provided with protection against sub-zero temperatures, rapid thermal fluctuations, extreme dryness, and ultraviolet and solar radiation. Endolithic communities include lichen, algae, fungi, and a diverse array of bacteria.               Chloroflexota               is among the most abundant bacterial phyla present in these communities. Among the               Chloroflexota               are four novel classes of bacteria, here named               Candidatus               Spiritibacteria class. nov. (=UBA5177),               Candidatus               Martimicrobia class. nov. (=UBA4733),               Candidatus               Tarhunnaeia class. nov. (=UBA6077), and               Candidatus               Uliximicrobia class. nov. (=UBA2235). We retrieved 17 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) that represent these four classes. Based on genome predictions, all these bacteria are inferred to be aerobic heterotrophs that encode enzymes for the catabolism of diverse sugars. These and other organic substrates are likely derived from lichen, algae, and fungi, as metabolites (including photosynthate), cell wall components, and extracellular matrix components. The majority of MAGs encode the capacity for trace gas oxidation using high-affinity uptake hydrogenases, which could provide energy and metabolic water required for survival and persistence. Furthermore, some MAGs encode the capacity to couple the energy generated from H               2               and CO oxidation to support carbon fixation (atmospheric chemosynthesis). All encode mechanisms for the detoxification and efflux of heavy metals. Certain MAGs encode features that indicate possible interactions with other organisms, such as Tc-type toxin complexes, hemolysins, and macroglobulins.             </p>                            IMPORTANCE               <p>                 The ice-free McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are the coldest and most hyperarid desert on Earth. It is, therefore, the closest analog to the surface of the planet Mars. Bacteria and other microorganisms survive by inhabiting airspaces within rocks (endolithic). We identify four novel classes of phylum                 Chloroflexota                 , and, based on interrogation of 17 metagenome-assembled genomes, we predict specific metabolic and physiological adaptations that facilitate the survival of these bacteria in this harsh environment\uffe2\uff80\uff94including oxidation of trace gases and the utilization of nutrients (including sugars) derived from lichen, algae, and fungi. We propose that such adaptations allow these endolithic bacteria to eke out an existence in this cold and extremely dry habitat.               </p>", "keywords": ["570", "Bacteria", "Fungi", "Antarctic Regions", "Chloroflexi", "15. Life on land", "Survival strategies", "Cold Temperature", "Extremophiles", "13. Climate action", "Antarctica", "Endolithic communities", "Metagenomics", "14. Life underwater", "Sugars", "Settore BIO/19 - MICROBIOLOGIA GENERALE"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10449/84316"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20and%20Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10449/84316", "name": "item", "description": "10449/84316", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10449/84316"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-02-19T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170290", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:16:02Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-01-19", "title": "Metagenomics untangles potential adaptations of Antarctic endolithic bacteria at the fringe of habitability", "description": "Survival and growth strategies of Antarctic endolithic microbes residing in Earth's driest and coldest desert remain virtually unknown. From 109 endolithic microbiomes, 4539 metagenome-assembled genomes were generated, 49.3\u00a0% of which were novel candidate bacterial species. We present evidence that trace gas oxidation and atmospheric chemosynthesis may be the prevalent strategies supporting metabolic activity and persistence of these ecosystems at the fringe of life and the limits of habitability.", "keywords": ["570", "Bacteria", "Microbiota", "Habitability", "500", "Antarctic Regions", "Astronomical Sciences", "15. Life on land", "Extremophiles", "13. Climate action", "Physical Sciences", "Antarctica", "Metagenome", "Metagenomics", "14. Life underwater", "Adaptation", "MAGs", "Settore BIO/19 - MICROBIOLOGIA GENERALE", "Environmental Sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://openpub.fmach.it/bitstream/10449/83880/5/2024%20STE%20Albanese.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170290"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Science%20of%20The%20Total%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170290", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170290", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170290"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-03-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1089/ast.2022.0062", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:17:14Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-02-22", "title": "Rock Traits Drive Complex Microbial Communities at the Edge of Life", "description": "Antarctic deserts are among the driest and coldest ecosystems of the planet; there, some microbes survive under these extreme conditions inside porous rocks, forming the so-called endolithic communities. Yet the contribution of distinct rock traits to support complex microbial assemblies remains poorly determined. Here, we combined an extensive Antarctic rock survey with rock microbiome sequencing and ecological networks and found that contrasting combinations of microclimatic and rock traits such as thermal inertia, porosity, iron concentration, and quartz cement can help explain the multiple complex microbial assemblies found in Antarctic rocks. Our work highlights the pivotal role of rocky substrate heterogeneity in sustaining contrasting groups of microorganisms, which is essential to understand life at the edge on Earth and for the search for life on other rocky planets such as Mars.", "keywords": ["570", "Earth", " Planet", "Habitability", "500", "Antarctica; Extremophiles; Biogeochemistry; Habitability; Astrobiology; Terrestrial analog;", "Planets", "Antarctic Regions", "Biogeochemistry", "15. Life on land", "Astrobiology", "Extremophiles", "Terrestrial analog", "13. Climate action", "Exobiology", "Antarctica", "14. Life underwater", "Settore BIO/19 - MICROBIOLOGIA GENERALE", "Ecosystem"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2022.0062"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Astrobiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1089/ast.2022.0062", "name": "item", "description": "10.1089/ast.2022.0062", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1089/ast.2022.0062"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-04-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1751-7915.14404", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:17:25Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-04-08", "title": "Characterization of an extremophile bacterial acid phosphatase derived from metagenomics analysis", "description": "Abstract<p>Acid phosphatases are enzymes that play a crucial role in the hydrolysis of various organophosphorous molecules. A putative acid phosphatase called FS6 was identified using genetic profiles and sequences from different environments. FS6 showed high sequence similarity to type C acid phosphatases and retained more than 30% of consensus residues in its protein sequence. A histidine\uffe2\uff80\uff90tagged recombinant FS6 produced in Escherichia coli exhibited extremophile properties, functioning effectively in a broad pH range between 3.5 and 8.5. The enzyme demonstrated optimal activity at temperatures between 25 and 50\uffc2\uffb0C, with a melting temperature of 51.6\uffc2\uffb0C. Kinetic parameters were determined using various substrates, and the reaction catalysed by FS6 with physiological substrates was at least 100\uffe2\uff80\uff90fold more efficient than with p\uffe2\uff80\uff90nitrophenyl phosphate. Furthermore, FS6 was found to be a decamer in solution, unlike the dimeric forms of crystallized proteins in its family.</p", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "Extremophiles", "0303 health sciences", "03 medical and health sciences", "Hydrolysis", "Acid Phosphatase", "Amino Acid Sequence", "Hydrogen-Ion Concentration", "TP248.13-248.65", "Research Articles", "Biotechnology", "Substrate Specificity"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.14404"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Microbial%20Biotechnology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/1751-7915.14404", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/1751-7915.14404", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/1751-7915.14404"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-04-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/tpj.15544", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:17:49Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-10-20", "title": "Constitutively enhanced genome integrity maintenance and direct stress mitigation characterize transcriptome of extreme stress\u2010adapted Arabidopsis halleri", "description": "SUMMARY<p>Heavy metal\uffe2\uff80\uff90rich toxic soils and ordinary soils are both natural habitats of Arabidopsis halleri, a diploid perennial and obligate outcrosser in the sister clade of the genetic model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The molecular divergence underlying survival in sharply contrasting environments is unknown. Here we comparatively address metal physiology and transcriptomes of A. halleri originating from the most highly heavy metal\uffe2\uff80\uff90contaminated soil in Europe, Ponte Nossa, Italy (Noss), and from non\uffe2\uff80\uff90metalliferous (NM) soils. Plants from Noss exhibit enhanced hypertolerance and attenuated accumulation of cadmium (Cd), and their transcriptomic Cd responsiveness is decreased, compared to plants of NM soil origin. Among the condition\uffe2\uff80\uff90independent transcriptome characteristics of Noss, the most highly overrepresented functional class of \uffe2\uff80\uff98meiotic cell cycle\uffe2\uff80\uff99 comprises 21 transcripts with elevated abundance in vegetative tissues, in particular Argonaute 9 (AGO9) and the synaptonemal complex transverse filament protein\uffe2\uff80\uff90encoding ZYP1a/b. Increased AGO9 transcript levels in Noss are accompanied by decreased long terminal repeat retrotransposon expression. Similar to Noss, plants from other highly metalliferous sites in Poland and Germany share elevated somatic AGO9 transcript levels in comparison to plants originating from NM soils in their respective geographic regions. Transcript levels of Iron\uffe2\uff80\uff90Regulated Transporter 1 (IRT1) are very low and transcript levels of Heavy Metal ATPase 2 (HMA2) are strongly elevated in Noss, which can account for its altered Cd handling. We conclude that in plants adapted to the most extreme abiotic stress, broadly enhanced functions comprise genes with likely roles in somatic genome integrity maintenance, accompanied by few alterations in stress\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific functional networks.</p", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "0303 health sciences", "Parallel evolution", "Metallophyte", "Arabidopsis", "Evolutionary adaptation", "Environment", "15. Life on land", "Adaptation", " Physiological", "Transposable element", "Meiosis", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "Stress", " Physiological", "Metals", " Heavy", "Extremophile", "Soil Pollutants", "ddc:580", "Transcriptome", "Genome", " Plant", "Cadmium"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/859249v1.full.pdf"}, {"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/tpj.15544"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.15544"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/The%20Plant%20Journal", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/tpj.15544", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/tpj.15544", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/tpj.15544"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-11-29T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/jzo.12832", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:17:45Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-09-20", "title": "A hole in the nematosphere: tardigrades and rotifers dominate the cryoconite hole environment, whereas nematodes are missing", "description": "Abstract<p>The worldwide distribution of microinvertebrates on glaciers, the coldest biome, is poorly known. Owing to their tolerance to hostile conditions, small size and dispersal abilities, nematodes, tardigrades and rotifers are considered cosmopolitan and together inhabit various ecosystems. In this study, we investigated their global distribution in cryoconite holes \uffe2\uff80\uff93 a type of freshwater reservoir forming directly in the glacial ice that creates biodiversity hotspots on glaciers. We analysed cryoconite samples (using classical microscopic observations and environmental DNA metabarcoding) from 42 glaciers located around the world (the Arctic, Subarctic, Scandinavia, the Alps, the Caucasus, Siberia, Central Asia, Africa, South America and Antarctica), as well as using literature data. Samples from Antarctic, Karakoram and the Alps were analysed using next\uffe2\uff80\uff90generation sequencing (NGS) and classical observations under microscopes, while all other samples were analysed by microscope alone. Three general outcomes were found: (1) tardigrades and rotifers represented the most common invertebrates in cryoconite holes; (2) tardigrades and rotifers often coexisted together, with one or the other dominating, but the dominant taxon varied by region or by glacier; (3) nematodes \uffe2\uff80\uff93 the most abundant, hyperdiverse and widespread metazoans on Earth, including in environments surrounding and seeding glacial surfaces \uffe2\uff80\uff93 were consistently absent from cryoconite holes. Despite the general similarity of environmental conditions in cryoconite holes, the distribution of tardigrades and rotifers differed among glaciers, but not in any predictable way, suggesting that their distribution mostly depended on the random dispersal, extreme changes of supraglacial zone or competition. Although nematodes have been found in supraglacial habitats, cryoconite hole environments seem not to provide the necessary conditions for their growth and reproduction. Lack of physiological adaptations to permanently low temperatures (~0\uffc2\uffb0C) and competition for different food resources in the cryoconite hole environment may explain the absence of nematodes in cryoconite holes.</p>", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "0303 health sciences", "03 medical and health sciences", "550", "13. Climate action", "[SDE]Environmental Sciences", "500", "distribution; ecological selection; extremophiles; glaciers; Nematoda; psychrophiles; Rotifera; Tardigrada;", "15. Life on land", "ecological selection; extremophiles; distribution; glaciers; Nematoda; psychrophiles; Rotifera; Tardigrada"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://air.unimi.it/bitstream/2434/793600/4/Zawierucha%202020%20J%20Zool%20submitted%20manuscript.pdf"}, {"href": "https://air.unimi.it/bitstream/2434/793600/5/jzo.12832.pdf"}, {"href": "https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jzo.12832"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12832"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Zoology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/jzo.12832", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/jzo.12832", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/jzo.12832"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-09-19T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1128/aem.00698-21", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:17:50Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-06-23", "title": "Limitation of Microbial Processes at Saturation-Level Salinities in a Microbial Mat Covering a Coastal Salt Flat", "description": "<p>             Due to their abilities to survive intense radiation and low water availability, hypersaline microbial mats are often suggested to be analogs of potential extraterrestrial life. However, even on Earth, the limitations imposed on microbial processes by saturation-level salinity have rarely been studied             in situ             .           </p", "keywords": ["aerobic respiration", "primary and secondary production", "0301 basic medicine", "Geologic Sediments", "hypersaline microbial mats", "microbial communities", "Sodium Chloride", "extremophiles/extremophily", "03 medical and health sciences", "CYANOBACTERIAL MATS", "REDUCING BACTERIA", "uncultured microbes", "BACTERIUM DESULFOVIBRIO-OXYCLINAE", "Environmental Microbiology", "14. Life underwater", "Photosynthesis", "Phylogeny", "DISSIMILATORY SULFATE REDUCTION", "106022 Mikrobiologie", "Bacteria", "Microbiota", "ANOXYGENIC PHOTOSYNTHESIS", "15. Life on land", "Archaea", "biofilm biology", "6. Clean water", "Oxygen", "sulfide microprofiles", "13. Climate action", "CHLOROFLEXUS-LIKE BACTERIA", "106022 Microbiology", "sulfate reduction rate", "GEN. NOV.", "sulfur cycling", "PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION", "DUNALIELLA", "microbiology of unexplored habitats", "biofilm biology; element cycles and biogeochemical processes; extremophiles/extremophily; microbial communities; microbiology of unexplored habitats; primary and secondary production; uncultured microbes", "element cycles and biogeochemical processes", "key biogeochemical processes", "OXYGENIC PHOTOSYNTHESIS", "Sulfur"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/AEM.00698-21"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00698-21"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20and%20Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1128/aem.00698-21", "name": "item", "description": "10.1128/aem.00698-21", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1128/aem.00698-21"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-08-11T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/biology12091193", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:19:03Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-08-31", "title": "Seasonality Is the Main Determinant of Microbial Diversity Associated to Snow/Ice around Concordia Station on the Antarctic Polar Plateau", "description": "<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><article><p>The French\u2013Italian Concordia Research Station, situated on the Antarctic Polar Plateau at an elevation of 3233 m above sea level, offers a unique opportunity to study the presence and variation of microbes introduced by abiotic or biotic vectors and, consequently, appraise the amplitude of human impact in such a pristine environment. This research built upon a previous work, which explored microbial diversity in the surface snow surrounding the Concordia Research Station. While that study successfully characterized the bacterial assemblage, detecting fungal diversity was hampered by the low DNA content. To address this knowledge gap, in the present study, we optimized the sampling by increasing ice/snow collected to leverage the final DNA yield. The V4 variable region of the 16S rDNA and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS1) rDNA was used to evaluate bacterial and fungal diversity. From the sequencing, we obtained 3,352,661 and 4,433,595 reads clustered in 930 and 3182 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) for fungi and bacteria, respectively. Amplicon sequencing revealed a predominance of Basidiomycota (49%) and Ascomycota (42%) in the fungal component; Bacteroidota (65.8%) is the main representative among the bacterial phyla. Basidiomycetes are almost exclusively represented by yeast-like fungi. Our findings provide the first comprehensive overview of both fungal and bacterial diversity in the Antarctic Polar Plateau\u2019s surface snow/ice near Concordia Station and to identify seasonality as the main driver of microbial diversity; we also detected the most sensitive microorganisms to these factors, which could serve as indicators of human impact in this pristine environment and aid in planetary protection for future exploration missions.</p></article>", "keywords": ["amplicon sequencing", "QH301-705.5", "Settore BIO/01", "15. Life on land", "Article", "extraterrestrial analogue", "Antarctic Polar Plateau", "life detection", "13. Climate action", "info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/579", "fungi", "Biology (General)", "bacteria", "extremophiles"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://art.torvergata.it/bitstream/2108/338723/1/2023_Seasonality%20Is%20the%20Main%20Determinant%20of%20Microbial%20Diversity%20Associated%20to%20Snow%3aIce%20around%20Concordia%20Station%20on%20the%20Antarctic%20Polar%20Plateau.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12091193"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/biology12091193", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/biology12091193", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/biology12091193"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-08-31T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5061/dryad.6q573n5wf", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:19:27Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Identifying functional impacts of heat-resistant fungi on boreal forest recovery after wildfire", "description": "Open AccessFungi were isolated into pure culture from heat-treated soils  that had burned the previous year. These were inoculated on to litter of  paper birch and black spruce to assess decomposition (mass lost) under  controlled conditions. Fungi were also inoculated on to roots of seedlings  of paper birch, black spruce, and jack pine to assess impacts on biomass  (grams after dried). Sanger sequences of cultured fungi  were matched with that of sequences from high throughput amplicon  sequencing (MiSeq Illumina) at 47 plots. In situ  decomposition (mass lost) of black spruce and paper birch litter was  assessed after 12 and 24 months from 5 litterbags 30 plots in the field  2-4 years after fire. Seedlings were counted in 3, 1 by  1 m quadrats per plot one year after fire at 47 plots.", "keywords": ["Northwest Territories", "Seedlings", "Earth and Environmental Sciences", "Extremophile", "Taiga plains", "15. Life on land", "Mycorrhiza", "Boreal", "extremophile"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Day, Nicola, Cumming, Steve, Dunfield, Kari, Johnstone, Jill, Mack, Michelle, Reid, Kirsten, Turetsky, Merritt, Walker, Xanthe, Baltzer, Jennifer L.,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.6q573n5wf"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5061/dryad.6q573n5wf", "name": "item", "description": "10.5061/dryad.6q573n5wf", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5061/dryad.6q573n5wf"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-06-12T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10261/372385", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:21:44Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-10-20", "title": "Constitutively enhanced genome integrity maintenance and direct stress mitigation characterize transcriptome of extreme stress\u2010adapted Arabidopsis halleri", "description": "SUMMARY                   <p>                     Heavy metal\uffe2\uff80\uff90rich toxic soils and ordinary soils are both natural habitats of                     Arabidopsis halleri                     , a diploid perennial and obligate outcrosser in the sister clade of the genetic model plant                     Arabidopsis thaliana                     . The molecular divergence underlying survival in sharply contrasting environments is unknown. Here we comparatively address metal physiology and transcriptomes of                     A. halleri                     originating from the most highly heavy metal\uffe2\uff80\uff90contaminated soil in Europe, Ponte Nossa, Italy (Noss), and from non\uffe2\uff80\uff90metalliferous (NM) soils. Plants from Noss exhibit enhanced hypertolerance and attenuated accumulation of cadmium (Cd), and their transcriptomic Cd responsiveness is decreased, compared to plants of NM soil origin. Among the condition\uffe2\uff80\uff90independent transcriptome characteristics of Noss, the most highly overrepresented functional class of \uffe2\uff80\uff98meiotic cell cycle\uffe2\uff80\uff99 comprises 21 transcripts with elevated abundance in vegetative tissues, in particular                     Argonaute 9                     (                     AGO9                     ) and the synaptonemal complex transverse filament protein\uffe2\uff80\uff90encoding                     ZYP1a/b                     . Increased                     AGO9                     transcript levels in Noss are accompanied by decreased long terminal repeat retrotransposon expression. Similar to Noss, plants from other highly metalliferous sites in Poland and Germany share elevated somatic                     AGO9                     transcript levels in comparison to plants originating from NM soils in their respective geographic regions. Transcript levels of                     Iron\uffe2\uff80\uff90Regulated Transporter 1                     (                     IRT1                     ) are very low and transcript levels of                     Heavy Metal ATPase 2                     (                     HMA2                     ) are strongly elevated in Noss, which can account for its altered Cd handling. We conclude that in plants adapted to the most extreme abiotic stress, broadly enhanced functions comprise genes with likely roles in somatic genome integrity maintenance, accompanied by few alterations in stress\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific functional networks.                   </p", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0301 basic medicine", "0303 health sciences", "Parallel evolution", "Metallophyte", "Arabidopsis", "Evolutionary adaptation", "Environment", "15. Life on land", "Adaptation", " Physiological", "Transposable element", "Meiosis", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "Stress", " Physiological", "Metals", " Heavy", "Extremophile", "Soil Pollutants", "ddc:580", "Transcriptome", "Genome", " Plant", "Cadmium"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/tpj.15544"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10261/372385"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/The%20Plant%20Journal", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10261/372385", "name": "item", "description": "10261/372385", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10261/372385"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-11-29T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10449/83880", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:21:47Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-01-19", "title": "Metagenomics untangles potential adaptations of Antarctic endolithic bacteria at the fringe of habitability", "description": "Survival and growth strategies of Antarctic endolithic microbes residing in Earth's driest and coldest desert remain virtually unknown. From 109 endolithic microbiomes, 4539 metagenome-assembled genomes were generated, 49.3\u00a0% of which were novel candidate bacterial species. We present evidence that trace gas oxidation and atmospheric chemosynthesis may be the prevalent strategies supporting metabolic activity and persistence of these ecosystems at the fringe of life and the limits of habitability.", "keywords": ["570", "Microbiota (mesh)", "Metagenomics (mesh)", "Habitability", "Antarctic Regions", "Astronomical Sciences", "5101 Astronomical Sciences (for-2020)", "Extremophiles", "Environmental Sciences (science-metrix)", "14. Life underwater", "Adaptation", "MAGs", "Antarctic Regions (mesh)", "Bacteria", "Microbiota", "51 Physical Sciences (for-2020)", "500", "Metagenome (mesh)", "15. Life on land", "13. Climate action", "Physical Sciences", "Bacteria (mesh)", "Antarctica", "Metagenome", "Metagenomics", "Environmental Sciences", "Settore BIO/19 - MICROBIOLOGIA GENERALE"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://openpub.fmach.it/bitstream/10449/83880/5/2024%20STE%20Albanese.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10449/83880"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Science%20of%20The%20Total%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10449/83880", "name": "item", "description": "10449/83880", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10449/83880"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-03-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10481/92392", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:21:48Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-04-08", "title": "Characterization of an extremophile bacterial acid phosphatase derived from metagenomics analysis", "description": "Abstract                   <p>                     Acid phosphatases are enzymes that play a crucial role in the hydrolysis of various organophosphorous molecules. A putative acid phosphatase called FS6 was identified using genetic profiles and sequences from different environments. FS6 showed high sequence similarity to type C acid phosphatases and retained more than 30% of consensus residues in its protein sequence. A histidine\uffe2\uff80\uff90tagged recombinant FS6 produced in                     Escherichia coli                     exhibited extremophile properties, functioning effectively in a broad pH range between 3.5 and 8.5. The enzyme demonstrated optimal activity at temperatures between 25 and 50\uffc2\uffb0C, with a melting temperature of 51.6\uffc2\uffb0C. Kinetic parameters were determined using various substrates, and the reaction catalysed by FS6 with physiological substrates was at least 100\uffe2\uff80\uff90fold more efficient than with                     p\uffe2\uff80\uff90                     nitrophenyl phosphate. Furthermore, FS6 was found to be a decamer in solution, unlike the dimeric forms of crystallized proteins in its family.                   </p", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "Extremophiles", "0303 health sciences", "03 medical and health sciences", "Hydrolysis", "Acid Phosphatase", "Amino Acid Sequence", "Hydrogen-Ion Concentration", "TP248.13-248.65", "Research Articles", "Biotechnology", "Substrate Specificity"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10481/92392"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Microbial%20Biotechnology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10481/92392", "name": "item", "description": "10481/92392", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10481/92392"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-04-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "11391/1548395", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:21:55Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-02-22", "title": "Rock Traits Drive Complex Microbial Communities at the Edge of Life", "description": "Antarctic deserts are among the driest and coldest ecosystems of the planet; there, some microbes survive under these extreme conditions inside porous rocks, forming the so-called endolithic communities. Yet the contribution of distinct rock traits to support complex microbial assemblies remains poorly determined. Here, we combined an extensive Antarctic rock survey with rock microbiome sequencing and ecological networks and found that contrasting combinations of microclimatic and rock traits such as thermal inertia, porosity, iron concentration, and quartz cement can help explain the multiple complex microbial assemblies found in Antarctic rocks. Our work highlights the pivotal role of rocky substrate heterogeneity in sustaining contrasting groups of microorganisms, which is essential to understand life at the edge on Earth and for the search for life on other rocky planets such as Mars.", "keywords": ["570", "Earth", " Planet", "Habitability", "500", "Antarctica; Extremophiles; Biogeochemistry; Habitability; Astrobiology; Terrestrial analog;", "Planets", "Antarctic Regions", "Biogeochemistry", "15. Life on land", "Astrobiology", "Extremophiles", "Terrestrial analog", "13. Climate action", "Exobiology", "Antarctica", "14. Life underwater", "Settore BIO/19 - MICROBIOLOGIA GENERALE", "Ecosystem"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/11391/1548395"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Astrobiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "11391/1548395", "name": "item", "description": "11391/1548395", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/11391/1548395"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-04-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "20.500.11850/506000", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:22:13Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-06-23", "title": "Limitation of Microbial Processes at Saturation-Level Salinities in a Microbial Mat Covering a Coastal Salt Flat", "description": "<p>             Due to their abilities to survive intense radiation and low water availability, hypersaline microbial mats are often suggested to be analogs of potential extraterrestrial life. However, even on Earth, the limitations imposed on microbial processes by saturation-level salinity have rarely been studied             in situ             .           </p", "keywords": ["aerobic respiration", "primary and secondary production", "0301 basic medicine", "Geologic Sediments", "hypersaline microbial mats", "microbial communities", "Sodium Chloride", "extremophiles/extremophily", "03 medical and health sciences", "CYANOBACTERIAL MATS", "REDUCING BACTERIA", "uncultured microbes", "BACTERIUM DESULFOVIBRIO-OXYCLINAE", "Environmental Microbiology", "14. Life underwater", "Photosynthesis", "Phylogeny", "DISSIMILATORY SULFATE REDUCTION", "106022 Mikrobiologie", "Bacteria", "Microbiota", "ANOXYGENIC PHOTOSYNTHESIS", "15. Life on land", "Archaea", "biofilm biology", "6. Clean water", "Oxygen", "sulfide microprofiles", "13. Climate action", "CHLOROFLEXUS-LIKE BACTERIA", "106022 Microbiology", "sulfate reduction rate", "GEN. NOV.", "sulfur cycling", "PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION", "DUNALIELLA", "microbiology of unexplored habitats", "biofilm biology; element cycles and biogeochemical processes; extremophiles/extremophily; microbial communities; microbiology of unexplored habitats; primary and secondary production; uncultured microbes", "element cycles and biogeochemical processes", "key biogeochemical processes", "OXYGENIC PHOTOSYNTHESIS", "Sulfur"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/AEM.00698-21"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/20.500.11850/506000"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20and%20Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "20.500.11850/506000", "name": "item", "description": "20.500.11850/506000", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/20.500.11850/506000"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-08-11T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "2108/338723", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:22:21Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-08-31", "title": "Seasonality Is the Main Determinant of Microbial Diversity Associated to Snow/Ice around Concordia Station on the Antarctic Polar Plateau", "description": "<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><article><p>The French\u2013Italian Concordia Research Station, situated on the Antarctic Polar Plateau at an elevation of 3233 m above sea level, offers a unique opportunity to study the presence and variation of microbes introduced by abiotic or biotic vectors and, consequently, appraise the amplitude of human impact in such a pristine environment. This research built upon a previous work, which explored microbial diversity in the surface snow surrounding the Concordia Research Station. While that study successfully characterized the bacterial assemblage, detecting fungal diversity was hampered by the low DNA content. To address this knowledge gap, in the present study, we optimized the sampling by increasing ice/snow collected to leverage the final DNA yield. The V4 variable region of the 16S rDNA and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS1) rDNA was used to evaluate bacterial and fungal diversity. From the sequencing, we obtained 3,352,661 and 4,433,595 reads clustered in 930 and 3182 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) for fungi and bacteria, respectively. Amplicon sequencing revealed a predominance of Basidiomycota (49%) and Ascomycota (42%) in the fungal component; Bacteroidota (65.8%) is the main representative among the bacterial phyla. Basidiomycetes are almost exclusively represented by yeast-like fungi. Our findings provide the first comprehensive overview of both fungal and bacterial diversity in the Antarctic Polar Plateau\u2019s surface snow/ice near Concordia Station and to identify seasonality as the main driver of microbial diversity; we also detected the most sensitive microorganisms to these factors, which could serve as indicators of human impact in this pristine environment and aid in planetary protection for future exploration missions.</p></article>", "keywords": ["amplicon sequencing", "QH301-705.5", "Settore BIO/01", "15. Life on land", "Article", "extraterrestrial analogue", "Antarctic Polar Plateau", "life detection", "13. Climate action", "info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/579", "fungi", "Biology (General)", "bacteria", "extremophiles"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://art.torvergata.it/bitstream/2108/338723/1/2023_Seasonality%20Is%20the%20Main%20Determinant%20of%20Microbial%20Diversity%20Associated%20to%20Snow%3aIce%20around%20Concordia%20Station%20on%20the%20Antarctic%20Polar%20Plateau.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/2108/338723"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "2108/338723", "name": "item", "description": "2108/338723", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/2108/338723"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-08-31T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "3085089086", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:22:45Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-10-20", "title": "Constitutively enhanced genome integrity maintenance and direct stress mitigation characterize transcriptome of extreme stress\u2010adapted Arabidopsis halleri", "description": "SUMMARY<p>Heavy metal\uffe2\uff80\uff90rich toxic soils and ordinary soils are both natural habitats of Arabidopsis halleri, a diploid perennial and obligate outcrosser in the sister clade of the genetic model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The molecular divergence underlying survival in sharply contrasting environments is unknown. Here we comparatively address metal physiology and transcriptomes of A. halleri originating from the most highly heavy metal\uffe2\uff80\uff90contaminated soil in Europe, Ponte Nossa, Italy (Noss), and from non\uffe2\uff80\uff90metalliferous (NM) soils. Plants from Noss exhibit enhanced hypertolerance and attenuated accumulation of cadmium (Cd), and their transcriptomic Cd responsiveness is decreased, compared to plants of NM soil origin. Among the condition\uffe2\uff80\uff90independent transcriptome characteristics of Noss, the most highly overrepresented functional class of \uffe2\uff80\uff98meiotic cell cycle\uffe2\uff80\uff99 comprises 21 transcripts with elevated abundance in vegetative tissues, in particular Argonaute 9 (AGO9) and the synaptonemal complex transverse filament protein\uffe2\uff80\uff90encoding ZYP1a/b. Increased AGO9 transcript levels in Noss are accompanied by decreased long terminal repeat retrotransposon expression. Similar to Noss, plants from other highly metalliferous sites in Poland and Germany share elevated somatic AGO9 transcript levels in comparison to plants originating from NM soils in their respective geographic regions. Transcript levels of Iron\uffe2\uff80\uff90Regulated Transporter 1 (IRT1) are very low and transcript levels of Heavy Metal ATPase 2 (HMA2) are strongly elevated in Noss, which can account for its altered Cd handling. We conclude that in plants adapted to the most extreme abiotic stress, broadly enhanced functions comprise genes with likely roles in somatic genome integrity maintenance, accompanied by few alterations in stress\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific functional networks.</p", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "0303 health sciences", "Parallel evolution", "Metallophyte", "Arabidopsis", "Evolutionary adaptation", "Environment", "15. Life on land", "Adaptation", " Physiological", "Transposable element", "Meiosis", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "Stress", " Physiological", "Metals", " Heavy", "Extremophile", "Soil Pollutants", "ddc:580", "Transcriptome", "Genome", " Plant", "Cadmium"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/859249v1.full.pdf"}, {"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/tpj.15544"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/3085089086"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/The%20Plant%20Journal", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "3085089086", "name": "item", "description": "3085089086", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/3085089086"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-11-29T00:00:00Z"}}], "links": [{"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "This document as GeoJSON", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=extremophile&f=json", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "title": "This document as HTML", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=extremophile&f=html", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection URL", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"type": "application/geo+json", "rel": "first", "title": "items (first)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=extremophile&", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "last", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "items (last)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=extremophile&offset=18", "hreflang": "en-US"}], "numberMatched": 18, "numberReturned": 18, "distributedFeatures": [], "timeStamp": "2026-09-21T14:44:43.562844Z"}