Whole genome sequencing and metabolomic exploring of a Planococcus spp. isolated from Lake Pastos Grandes for production and characterization of extracellular biopolymers

Acronym

P_PLANOC-BIO

Start Date

August 4, 2025

End Date

November 19, 2025

Status

https://purl.org/pe-repo/concytec/estadoProyecto#concluido

Tipo de proyecto

https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/tipoProyecto#investigacionBasica

Description

In the Lipez region of the Bolivian Altiplano, Lake Pastos Grandes is located at an altitude of 4440 m [2–5] characterized by a short water residence time comparing with other Andean lakes, while most of the lake is composed of salt flats [6–8]. The lake is fed by rivers of fresh water, springs, and hydrothermal sources, with CO2 degassing causing pH increase and carbonate precipitation, leading to regions with high temperature within lake [2, 3, 6–10]. Recent studies have reported that this lake has particular physicochemical, environmental, and biotic characteristics [3, 6, 10], and its remains one of the few lakes without anthropogenic intervention [11], highlighting its singularity and making it an exciting study area. In our previous experiments Planococcus sp. a halotolerant bacterium isolated from the extreme environment of Lake Pastos Grandes, has demonstrated the ability to produce ectoine, a valuable compatible solute with applications in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. According preliminary studies this bacterium also produces extracellular biopolymers and biosurfactants [12, 13]. Those compounds are not yet characterized in our bacteria. Given the unique environmental conditions of Lake Pastos Grandes, these biopolymers may possess novel properties with significant industrial importance. Despite its potential, this bacterium has only been identified through 16S rRNA sequencing, and its molecular mechanisms underlying its compound production remain unexplored. Understanding its molecular and metabolomic profiles can lead to optimizing these production pathways and finding new applications for these compounds.

Keywords

Secuenciación genómica

;

Metabolómica

;

Planococcus

;

Biopolímeros extracelulares

Área de conocimiento

Natural sciences

Campo OCDE

https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#1.04.07