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High levels of arsenic present in the High Altitude Andean Lakes (HAALs) ecosystems selected arsenic-resistant microbial communities which are of novel interest to study adaptations mechanisms potentially useful in bioremediation processes. We herein performed a detailed characterization of the arsenic tolerance profiles and the biofilm production of two HAAL polyextremophiles, Acinetobacter sp. Ver3 (Ver3) and Exiguobacterium sp. S17 (S17). Cellular adherence over glass and polypropylene surfaces were evaluated together with the effect of increasing doses and oxidative states of arsenic over the quality and quantity of their biofilm production. The arsenic tolerance outcomes showed that HAAL strains could tolerate higher arsenic concentrations than phylogenetic related strains belonging to the German collection of microorganisms and cell cultures (Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen, DSMZ), which suggest adaptations of HAAL strains to their original environment. On the other hand, the crystal violet method (CV) and SEM analysis showed that Ver3 and S17 were able to attach to solid surfaces and to form the biofilm. The quantification of biofilms production in 48 hours´ cultures through CV shows that Ver3 yielded higher production in the treatment without arsenic cultured on a glass support, while S17 yield higher biofilm production under intermediate arsenic concentration on glass supports. Polypropylene supports had negative effects on the biofilm production of Ver3 and S17. SEM analysis shows that the highest biofilm yields could be associated with a larger number of attached cells as well as the development of more complex 3D multicellular structures. Fil: Zannier, Federico. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Portero, Luciano Raúl. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; Argentina Fil: Ordoñez, Omar Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Martinez, Luciano Jose. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; Argentina Fil: Farias, Maria Eugenia. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Albarracín, Virginia Helena. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina

Biofilms, microbial mats, and microbialites dwell under highly limiting conditions (high salinity, extreme aridity, pH, and elevated arsenic concentration) in the Andean Puna. Only recent pioneering studies have described the microbial diversity of different Altiplano lakes and revealed their unexpectedly diverse microbial communities. Arsenic metabolism is proposed to be an ancient mechanism to obtain energy by microorganisms. Members of Bacteria and Archaea are able to exploit arsenic as a bioenergetic substrate in either anaerobic arsenate respiration or chemolithotrophic growth on arsenite. Only six aioAB sequences coding for arsenite oxidase and three arrA sequences coding for arsenate reductase from haloarchaea were previously deposited in the NCBI database. However, no experimental data on their expression and function has been reported. Recently, our working group revealed the prevalence of haloarchaea in a red biofilm from Diamante Lake and microbial mat from Tebenquiche Lake using a metagenomics approach. Also, a surprisingly high abundance of genes used for anaerobic arsenate respiration (arr) and arsenite oxidation (aio) was detected in the Diamante’s metagenome. In order to study in depth the role of arsenic in these haloarchaeal communities, in this work, we obtained 18 haloarchaea belonging to the Halorubrum genus, tolerant to arsenic. Furthermore, the identification and expression analysis of genes involved in obtaining energy from arsenic compounds (aio and arr) showed that aio and arr partial genes were detected in 11 isolates, and their expression was verified in two selected strains. Better growth of two isolates was obtained in presence of arsenic compared to control. Moreover, one of the isolates was able to oxidize As[III]. The confirmation of the oxidation of arsenic and the transcriptional expression of these genes by RT-PCR strongly support the hypothesis that the arsenic can be used in bioenergetics processes by the microorganisms flourishing in these environments. Fil: Ordoñez, Omar Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Rasuk, Maria Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Soria, Mariana Noelia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Contreras, Manuel. Centro de Ecología Aplicada; Chile Fil: Farias, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina

Modern stromatolites thrive only in selected locations in the world. Socompa Lake, located in the Andean plateau at 3570 masl, is one of the numerous extreme Andean microbial ecosystems described over recent years. Extreme environmental conditions include hypersalinity, high UV incidence, and high arsenic content, among others. After Socompa’s stromatolite microbial communities were analysed by metagenomic DNA sequencing, taxonomic classification showed dominance of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, and a remarkably high number of unclassified sequences. A functional analysis indicated that carbon fixation might occur not only by the Calvin-Benson cycle, but also through alternative pathways such as the reverse TCA cycle, and the reductive acetyl-CoA pathway. Deltaproteobacteria were involved both in sulfate reduction and nitrogen fixation. Significant differences were found when comparing the Socompa stromatolite metagenome to the Shark Bay (Australia) smooth mat metagenome: namely, those involving stress related processes, particularly, arsenic resistance. An in-depth analysis revealed a surprisingly diverse metabolism comprising all known types of As resistance and energy generating pathways. While the ars operon was the main mechanism, an important abundance of arsM genes was observed in selected phyla. The data resulting from this work will prove a cornerstone for further studies on this rare microbial community. EEA Rafaela Fil: Kurth, Daniel German. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Amadio, Ariel F. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Ordoñez, Omar F. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Allbarracín, Virginia H. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto Miguel Lillo; Argentina Fil: Farías, María E. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Gärtner, Wolfgang. Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion; Alemania

We report the genome sequence of Exiguobacterium chiriqhucha str. N139, isolated from a high-altitude Andean lake. Comparative genomic analyses of the Exiguobacterium genomes available suggest that our strain belongs to the same species as the previously reported E. pavilionensis str. RW-2 and Exiguobacterium str. GIC 31. We describe this species and propose the chiriqhucha name to group them. ‘Chiri qhucha’ in Quechua means ‘cold lake’, which is a common origin of these three cosmopolitan Exiguobacteria. The 2,952,588-bp E. chiriqhucha str. N139 genome contains one chromosome and three megaplasmids. The genome analysis of the Andean strain suggests the presence of enzymes that confer E. chiriqhucha str. N139 the ability to grow under multiple environmental extreme conditions, including high concentrations of different metals, high ultraviolet B radiation, scavenging for phosphorous and coping with high salinity. Moreover, the regulation of its tryptophan biosynthesis suggests that novel pathways remain to be discovered, and that these pathways might be fundamental in the amino acid metabolism of the microbial community from Laguna Negra, Argentina. Fil: Gutierrez, Ana. Universidad de Valencia; España Fil: Vargas Chaves, Carlos. Universidad de Valencia; España Fil: Reyes Prieto, Mariana. Universidad de Valencia; España Fil: Ordoñez, Omar Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiologicos; Argentina Fil: Santos-García, Diego. Universidad de Valencia; España Fil: Rosas-Pérez, Tania. Universidad de Valencia; España Fil: Valdivia-Anistro, Jorge. Universidad de Valencia; España Fil: Rebollar, Eria A.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México Fil: Saralegui, Andrés. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México Fil: Moya, Andrés. Universidad de Valencia; España Fil: Merino, Enrique. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México Fil: Farias, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiologicos; Argentina Fil: Latorre, Amparo. Universidad de Valencia; España Fil: Souza, Valeria. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México

We report the genome sequence of Exiguobacterium pavilionensis str. N139, isolated from a high-altitude Andean lake. The 2,952,588-bp genome contains one chromosome and three megaplasmids. The genome analysis suggests the presence of enzymes that confer E. pavilionensis str. N139 the ability to grow under multiple environmental extreme conditions, including high concentrations of different metals and high ultraviolet B radiation. Moreover, the regulation of its tryptophan biosynthesis suggests that novel pathways remain to be discovered, and that these pathways might be fundamental in the amino acid metabolism of the microbial community from Laguna Negra, Argentina .

The Central Andes region displays unexplored ecosystems of shallow lakes and salt flats at mean altitudes of 3700 m. Being isolated and hostile, these so-called “High-Altitude Andean Lakes” (HAAL) are pristine and have been exposed to little human influence. HAAL proved to be a rich source of microbes showing interesting adaptations to life in extreme settings (poly-extremophiles) such as alkalinity, high concentrations of arsenic and dissolved salts, intense dryness, large daily ambient thermal amplitude, and extreme solar radiation levels. This work reviews HAAL microbiodiversity, taking into account different microbial niches, such as plankton, benthos, microbial mats and microbialites. The modern stromatolites and other microbialites discovered recently at HAAL are highlighted, as they provide unique modern—though quite imperfect—analogs of environments proxy for an earlier time in Earth's history (volcanic setting and profuse hydrothermal activity, low atmospheric O2 pressure, thin ozone layer and high UV exposure). Likewise, we stress the importance of HAAL microbes as model poly-extremophiles in the study of the molecular mechanisms underlying their resistance ability against UV and toxic or deleterious chemicals using genome mining and functional genomics. In future research directions, it will be necessary to exploit the full potential of HAAL poly-extremophiles in terms of their biotechnological applications. Current projects heading this way have yielded detailed molecular information and functional proof on novel extremoenzymes: i.e., DNA repair enzymes and arsenic efflux pumps for which medical and bioremediation applications, respectively, are envisaged. But still, much effort is required to unravel novel functions for this and other molecules that dwell in a unique biological treasure despite its being hidden high up, in the remote Andes. Fil: Albarracín, Virginia Helena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiologicos; Argentina Fil: Kurth, Daniel German. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiologicos; Argentina Fil: Ordoñez, Omar Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiologicos; Argentina Fil: Belfiore, Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiologicos; Argentina Fil: Luccini, Eduardo Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires". Facultad de Química e Ingeniería-Rosario; Argentina Fil: Salum, Graciela Marisa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario; Argentina Fil: Piacentini, Ruben Dario Narciso. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Ingeniería y Agrimensura; Argentina. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Concepción del Uruguay; Argentina Fil: Farias, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiologicos; Argentina

Arsenic exists in natural systems in a variety of chemical forms, including inorganic arsenite (As [III]) and arsenate (As [V]). The majority of living organisms have evolved various mechanisms to avoid occurrence of arsenic inside the cell due to its toxicity. Common core genes include a transcriptional repressor ArsR, an arsenate reductase ArsC, and arsenite efflux pumps ArsB and Acr3. To understand arsenic resistance we have performed arsenic tolerance studies, genomic and bioinformatic analysis of two Exiguobacterium strains, S17 and N139, from the high-altitude Andean Lakes. In these environments high concentrations of arsenic were described in the water due to a natural geochemical phenomenon, therefore, these strains represent an attractive model system for the study of environmental stress and can be readily cultivated. Our experiments show that S17 has a greater tolerance to arsenite (10mM) than N139, but similar growth in arsenate (150mM). We sequenced the genome of the two Exiguobacterium and identified an acr3 gene in S17 as the only difference between both species regarding known arsenic resistance genes. To further understand the Acr3 we modeled the 3D structure and identified the location of relevant residues of this protein. Our model is in agreement with previous experiments and allowed us to identify a region where a relevant cysteine lies. This Acr3 membrane efflux pump, present only in S17, may explain its increased tolerance to As(III) and is the first Acr3-family protein described in Exiguobacterium genus. Fil: Ordoñez, Omar Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Lanzarotti, Esteban Omar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmaceuticas. Departamento de Química Biologica; Argentina Fil: Kurth, Daniel German. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Cortez, Nestor Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; Argentina Fil: Farias, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Turjanski, Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmaceuticas. Departamento de Química Biologica; Argentina

Exiguobacterium sp. strain S17 is a moderately halotolerant, arsenic-resistant bacterium that was isolated from Laguna Socompa stromatolites in the Argentinian Puna. The draft genome sequence suggests potent enzyme candidates that are essential for survival under multiple environmental extreme conditions, such as high levels of UV radiation, elevated salinity, and the presence of critical arsenic concentrations. Fil: Ordoñez, Omar Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Lanzarotti, Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; Argentina Fil: Cortez, Nestor Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; Argentina Fil: Kurth, Daniel German. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Gorriti, Marta Fabiana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Revale, Santiago. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Rosario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología de Rosario; Argentina Fil: Vazquez, Martin Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; Argentina Fil: Farias, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Turjanski, Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina

North West of Argentina is particularly rich in wetlands located in the Puna in a range of altitude of 3,600 to 4,600 m above sea level. Most of these high-altitude Andean lakes are inhospitable areas suffering from extreme conditions such as high content of toxic elements particularly Arsenic. Exiguobacterium sp. S17, isolated from stromatolite in Laguna Socompa, showed tolerance to high arsenic concentration. The assays revealed that this strain was able to growth in presence of 10mM and 150mM of As(III) and As(V) respectively. To understand the mechanisms implicated in Exiguobacterium sp. S17 tolerance arsenic to proteomic approach was conducted. Comparative proteomic analyses of S17 arsenic exposed and unexposed to reveal that 25 spots were differentially expressed. Identification of proteins was performed by MALDI-TOF/MS, and the results obtained revealed that proteins involved in energy-metabolism, stress, transport, and in proteins synthesis were expressed under arsenic stress. To our knowledge, this work represents the first proteomic study of arsenic tolerance in an Exiguobacterium strain. Fil: Belfiore, Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (i); Argentina; Fil: Ordoñez, Omar Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (i); Argentina; Fil: Farias, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (i); Argentina

The high-altitude Andean lakes (HAAL) in the Argentinean Puna-high Andes region represent an almost unexplored ecosystem exposed to extreme conditions (high UV irradiation, hypersalinity, drastic temperature changes, desiccation, and high pH). Here we present the first genome sequence, a Sphingomonas sp., isolated from this extreme environment. © 2011, American Society for Microbiology. Fil:Turjanski, A. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. Fil:Vazquez, M.P. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.

Laguna (L.) Negra and L. Verde are high altitude Andean lakes located at the 4,400 m altitude in the Andean desert (Puna) in the Argentine northwest. Both lakes are exposed to extreme weather conditions but differ in salinity contents (salinity 6.7% for L. Negra and 0.27% for L. Verde). The aim of this work was to isolate ultraviolet B fraction (UV-B) resistant bacteria under UV-stress in order to determine, a possible connection, between resistance to UV-B and tolerance to salinity. DNA damage was determined by measuring CPDs accumulation. Connection among pigmentation production and UV resistance was also studied. Water samples were exposed to artificial UV-B radiation for 24 h. Water aliquots were plated along the exposition on different media, with different salinity and carbon source content (Lake medium (LM) done with the lake water plus agar and LB). CFU were counted and DNA damage accumulation was determined. Isolated bacteria were identified by 16S rDNA sequence. Their salinity tolerance, were measured at 1, 5 and 10% NaCl and their pigment production in both media was determined. In general it was found that UV resistance and pigment production were the optimum in Lake Medium done with lake water which maintained similar salinity. The most resistant bacteria in L. Negra were different strains of Exiguobacterium sp. and, in L. Verde, Staphylococcus sp. and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. These bacteria showed the production and increase of UV-Vis absorbing compounds under UV stress and in LM. Bacterial communities from both lakes were well adapted to high UV-B exposure under the experimental conditions, and in many cases UV-B even stimulated growth. The idea that resistance to UV-B could be related to adaptation to high salinity is still an open question that has to be answered with future experiments. Fil: Flores, María Regina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Ordoñez, Omar Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Maldonado, Marcos Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Farias, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina

A total of 88 bacterial strains were isolated from six Andean lakes situated at altitudes ranging from 3,400 to 4,600 m above sea level: L. Aparejos (4,200 m), L. Negra (4,400 m), L. Verde (4,460 m), L. Azul (4,400 m), L. Vilama (4,600 m), and Salina Grande (3,400 m). Salinity ranged from 0.4 to 117 ppm. General diversity was determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis. From the excised DGGE bands, 182 bacterial sequences of good quality were obtained. Gammaproteobacteria and Cytophaga/Flavobacterium/Bacteroides (CFB) were the most abundant phylogenetic groups with 42% and 18% of identified bands, respectively. The isolated strains were identified by sequence analysis. Isolated bacteria were subjected to five different UV-B exposure times: 0.5, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h. Afterwards, growth of each isolate was monitored and resistance was classified according to the growth pattern. A wide interspecific variation among the 88 isolates was observed. Medium and highly resistant strains accounted for 43.2% and 28.4% of the isolates, respectively, and only 28.4% was sensitive. Resistance to solar radiation was equally distributed among the isolates from the different lakes regardless of the salinity of the lakes and pigmentation of isolates. Of the highly resistant isolates, 44.5% belonged to gammaproteobacteria, 33.3% to betaproteobacteria, 40% to alphaproteobacteria, 50% to CFB, and among gram-positive organisms, 33.3% were HGC and 44.5% were Firmicutes. Most resistant strains belonged to genera like Exiguobaceterium sp., Acinetobacter sp., Bacillus sp., Micrococcus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Sphyngomonas sp., Staphylococcus sp., and Stenotrophomonas sp. The current study provides further evidence that gammaproteobacteria are the most abundant and the most UV-B-resistant phylogenetic group in Andean lakes and that UV resistance in bacteria isolated from these environments do not depend on pigmentation and tolerance to salinity. Fil: Ordoñez, Omar Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Flores, María Regina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Dib, Julian Rafael. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Paz, Agustín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Farias, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina

High altitude Andean lakes are placed in Puna desert over 4400 above sea level. Completely isolated, they are exposed to extreme environmental factors like high levels of salinity, UV radiation and heavy metals and low concentrations of phosphorus. Nevertheless, they are the habitat of enormous populations of three flamingo species that migrate among these Lakes. Previous reports have determined that bacteria isolated from these environments present high levels of resistance to antibiotics. The aim of this work was to determine the diversity of antibiotic resistant bacteria in water from Andean Lakes and their connection with flamingo enteric biota. Bacteria from water and birds faeces from high altitude Lakes: Laguna (L.) Aparejos, L. Negra, L. Vilama and L. Azul (all are located between 4,200 and 4,600 m altitude) were isolated by plating in five different Antibiotics (ampicillin, 100 microg ml(-1); chloramphenicol, 170 microg ml(-1); colistin , 20 microg ml(-1); erythromycin, 50 microg ml(-1) and tetracycline 50 microg ml(-1)). 56 bacteria were isolated and identified by 16 S rDNA sequencing. Antibiotic resistance profiles of isolated bacteria were determined for 22 different antibiotics. All identified bacteria were able to growth in multiple ATBs. Colistin, ceftazidime, ampicillin/sulbactam, cefotaxime, cefepime, cefalotin, ampicillin and erythromycin were the most distributed resistances among the 56 tested bacteria. The current results demonstrated that antibiotic resistance was abundant and diverse in high altitude Lakes. Also the present article indicates some useful patents regarding the isolation of bacteria able to grow in the present of antibiotics. Fil: Dib, Julian Rafael. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Weiss, Annika. Technishe Universitat Berlin; Alemania Fil: Neumann, Anna. Technishe Universitat Berlin; Alemania Fil: Ordoñez, Omar Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Estévez, Maria Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Farias, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina

High-altitude Andean wetlands are pristine environments with extreme conditions such as high UV radiation, high heavy metal content (mainly arsenic), high salinity, and oligotrophy. In this paper, the UV-B resistance and tolerance to arsenic of phylogenetically characterized bacteria (Actinobacteria [six isolates], Firmicutes [four isolates], and γ-Proteobacteria [three isolates]) isolated from Laguna Vilama (4400-m altitude) and Laguna Azul (4560 m) were determined. In addition, given that multiple antibiotic resistances were also determined, a relationship between antibiotic resistances as a consequence of mutagenic ability or in relation to metal resistance is proposed. High UV-B resistances were found, since after 30 min (0.7 KJ m−2) and 60 min (1.4 KJ m−2) of irradiation, most of the studied bacteria did not show a decreased survival; what is more, many of them had an improved survival with the increased doses. Augmentations in mutagenesis rates were observed after UV-B irradiation in only 4 of the 13 tested isolates. Arsenite tolerance was also established in 8 of the 13 tested strains: Staphylococcus saprophyticus A3 and Micrococcus sp. A7, which were able to grow in media containing up to 10 mM As(III). Finally, predominance of antibiotic resistances (azithromycin, erythromycin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, gentamycin, kanamycin, tetracycline, and ampicillin) was found, in all the isolated strains from both wetlands, with unexpectedly high minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs; >2 mg mL−1) for macrolides. These results demonstrate that in extreme environments like high-altitude wetlands there is a correlation of multiresistances to UV-B radiation and arsenic, and that antibiotic resistances are also widespread in these pristine environments, where antibiotic selective pressure is supposed to be absent. Fil: Dib, Julian Rafael. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Motok, Jessica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Fernandez Zenoff, Maria Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Ordoñez, Omar Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina Fil: Farias, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina