From freezing to functioning: cellular strategies of cold-adapted bacteria for surviving in extreme environments

• Published in: Archives of microbiology 2024-07, Vol.206 (7), p.329, Article 329
• Main Authors: Choudhary, Priyanka, Bhatt, Sunidhi, Chatterjee, Subhankar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acclimatization; Adaptation; Adaptation, Physiological; Antifreeze proteins; Antifreeze Proteins - metabolism; Bacteria; Bacteria - genetics; Bacteria - metabolism; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biosynthesis; Biotechnology; Carotenoids; Cell Biology; Cell membranes; Climatic conditions; Cold; Cold shock proteins; Cold Shock Proteins and Peptides - genetics; Cold Shock Proteins and Peptides - metabolism; Cold Temperature; Cryoprotectors; Ecology; Extracellular polymers; Extreme cold; Extreme Environments; Freezing; Historical account; Ice nucleation; Life Sciences; Lipid composition; Lipids; Lipopeptides; Microbial Ecology; Microbiology; Peptidoglycans; Pigments; Proteins; Psychrophiles; Review; Stability; Survival
• ISSN: 0302-8933; 1432-072X; 1432-072X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00203-024-04058-5

The ability of cold-adapted bacteria to survive in extreme cold and diverse temperatures is due to their unique attributes like cell membrane stability, up-regulation of peptidoglycan biosynthesis, increased production of extracellular polymeric substances, and expansion of membrane pigment. Various cold-adapted proteins, including ice-nucleating proteins (INPs), antifreeze proteins (AFPs), cold shock proteins (Csps), and cold-acclimated proteins (CAPs), help the bacteria to survive in these environments. To sustain cells from extreme cold conditions and maintain stability in temperature fluctuations, survival strategies at the molecular level and their mechanism play significant roles in adaptations in cryospheric conditions. Furthermore, cold shock domains present in the multifunctional cold shock proteins play crucial roles in their adaptation strategies. The considerable contribution of lipopeptides, osmolytes, and membrane pigments plays an integral part in their survival in extreme environments. This review summarizes the evolutionary history of cold-adapted bacteria and their molecular and cellular adaptation strategies to thrive in harsh cold environments. It also discusses the importance of carotenoids produced, lipid composition, cryoprotectants, proteins, and chaperones related to this adaptation. Furthermore, the functions and mechanisms of adaptations within the cell are discussed briefly. One can utilize and explore their potential in various biotechnology applications and their evolutionary journey by knowing the inherent mechanism of their molecular and cellular adaptation to cold climatic conditions. This review will help all branches of the life science community understand the basic microbiology of psychrophiles and their hidden prospect in life science research.