Table 5.
Examples of studies using molecular approaches to investigate Antarctic marine microorganisms and their potential application in biotechnology.
| Organism | Method of Study | Location | Application | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marine sediments, Pseudomonas and Athrobacter sp. | Cell culture | Fildes Peninsula | Antibiotic and drug resistance mechanisms | [128] |
| Macroalgae and fungal isolates | Cell culture | Potter Cove | Bioprospecting for antifungal activity | [129] |
| Macroalgae: Psychroserpens sp. NJDZ02 | Whole genome sequencing | King George Island | Sodium alginate degradation, potential application in enzymatic industries | [130] |
| Marine microbiota | Metagenomics Illumina sequencing | Antarctic surface- and deep- seawater | Global ocean microbiota studies | [34] |
| Psychrophilic yeast - Glaciozyma antarctica PI12 | Expressed Sequence Tags (EST) | Antarctic sea ice | Antifreeze proteins, expansin-like proteins | [126,131] |
| Paenisporosarcina antarctica CGMCC 1.6503T | Whole Genome sequencing | King George Island | Antifreeze proteins, Cold shock proteins, Osmotolerance |
[126] |
| Sediment bacterial sample | T-RFLP coupled with DGGE | Livingston Island | Highlights the selection of microbial consortia with higher potential in response to oil spills in polar environments | [27] |
| Actinobacterial community | Geographic Information System (GIS) | Indian Ocean Sector of the Southern Ocean | Geospatial studies of Antarctic marine microbiome | [132] |
| Diatom: Phaeodactylum tricornutum | Cell immobilisation | Bellinghausen Dome, Ardley Cove. | Biomonitoring and evaluation of trace element bioavailability and potential transfer into marine food chains in Antarctica | [133] |
| Surface seawater bacterial community | Metagenomics: 454 pyrosequencing and MISEQ | Southern Ocean | Genes related to secondary metabolites of potential interest | [35] |
| Marine sediment, coastal seawater microbial samples | Laboratory setup | South Shetland Islands | Glycolipid surfactant, a potential biosurfactant | [42] |
| Oleispira antarctica RB 8 | Whole Genome sequencing | Isolated fromAntarctic seawater | Osmoprotectants, alkane monooxygenase pathways, gene-transfer events | [125] |
| Pseudoalteromonas, Psychrobacter, Arthrobacter members. | Cell culture | Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea) | Biodegradation of polychlorinated biphenyl | [134] |
|
Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAE 79 |
Cell culture | Antarctic seawater | Polar-active enzyme β-galactosidase, a potential candidate for lactose removal from dairy products at low temperatures | [135] |