1. Extremophilic microorganisms in Central EuropeVera Zgonik, Janez Mulec, Tina Eleršek, Nives Ogrinc, Polona Jamnik, Nataša Poklar Ulrih, 2021, review article Abstract: Extremophiles inhabit a wide variety of environments. Here we focus on extremophiles in moderate climates in central Europe, and particularly in Slovenia. Although multiple types of stress often occur in the same habitat, extremophiles are generally combined into groups according to the main stressor to which they are adapted. Several types of extremophiles, e.g., oligotrophs, are well represented and diverse in subsurface environments and karst regions. Psychrophiles thrive in ice caves and depressions with eternal snow and ice, with several globally distributed snow algae and psychrophilic bacteria that have been discovered in alpine glaciers. However, this area requires further research. Halophiles thrive in salterns while thermophiles inhabit thermal springs, although there is little data on such microorganisms in central Europe, despite many taxa being found globally. This review also includes the potential use of extremophiles in biotechnology and bioremediation applications.
Keywords: ekstremofilni mikroorganizmi, mikrobna ekologija, ekstremofili, oligotrofi, psihrofili, halofili, termofili
Published in DiRROS: 05.08.2024; Views: 62; Downloads: 86
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2. Molecular screening for cyanobacteria and their cyanotoxin potential in diverse habitatsMaša Jablonska, Tina Eleršek, Polona Kogovšek, Sara Skok, Andreea Oarga-Mulec, Janez Mulec, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Cyanobacteria are adaptable and dominant organisms that exist in many harsh and extreme environments due to their great ecological tolerance. They produce various secondary metabolites, including cyanotoxins. While cyanobacteria are well studied in surface waters and some aerial habitats, numerous other habitats and niches remain underexplored. We collected 61 samples of: (i) biofilms from springs, (ii) aerial microbial mats from buildings and subaerial mats from caves, and (iii) water from borehole wells, caves, alkaline, saline, sulphidic, thermal, and iron springs, rivers, seas, and melted cave ice from five countries (Croatia, Georgia, Italy, Serbia, and Slovenia). We used (q)PCR to detect cyanobacteria (phycocyanin intergenic spacer—PC-IGS and cyanobacteria-specific 16S rRNA gene) and cyanotoxin genes (microcystins—mcyE, saxitoxins—sxtA, cylindrospermopsins—cyrJ), as well as amplicon sequencing and morphological observations for taxonomic identification. Cyanobacteria were detected in samples from caves, a saline spring, and an alkaline spring. While mcyE or sxtA genes were not observed in any sample, cyrJ results showed the presence of a potential cylindrospermopsin producer in a biofilm from a sulphidic spring in Slovenia. This study contributes to our understanding of cyanobacteria occurrence in diverse habitats, including rare and extreme ones, and provides relevant methodological considerations for future research in such environments.
Keywords: extreme environments, cylindrospermopsin, sulphidic springs, caves, qPCR, PC-IGS
Published in DiRROS: 05.08.2024; Views: 55; Downloads: 30
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4. Toksikološka analiza vsebine vojaških čutar, zakopanih 70 let v kraški jami na Kočevskem, JV SlovenijaJanez Mulec, Sara Skok, Vesna Zalar Serjun, Andrej Mihevc, 2019, original scientific article Abstract: Za odkrivanje ostankov materialnih sledi se na dobro ohranjenih predmetih lahko opravijo forenzične preiskave. V Breznu v Debliških livadah je bilo odkritih večje število predmetov, ki so bili odvrženi v jamo v maju in juniju 1945. Med odkritim materialom so bile tudi vojaške čutare. Nekatere izmed čutar so še vsebovale tekočino, nekatere pa tudi poltrdo, gelasto oborino. Tekočina in oborina iz čutar sta vsebovali kovine, ki so se najverjetneje s časom izlužile iz kovinske posode. Korozija čutar nakazuje prisotnost minerala hematita. Vsebina čutar je nadalje vsebovala nekaj raztopljene organske snovi (celotni organski ogljik – TOC v tekočini 9,22 mg/l, v tekočini ekstrahirane oborine 34,1 mg/l), nekaj mikrobne biomase ter relativno visoke koncentracije nitrata (240 mg/l v tekočini, 55 mg/l v ekstrahirani oborini) in sulfata (18mg/l v tekočini, 836 mg/l v ekstrahirani oborini). Bakterijskih indikatorjev, Escherichia coli in enterokokov, ki bi kazali na fekalno kontaminacijo vsebine, v vzorcih nismo zaznali. Raztopina in oborina sta izkazovali podobno stopnjo toksičnosti, okrog 20%inhibicijo bioluminiscence bakterije Vibrio fischeri. Glede na Pravilnik o pitni vodi tekočina s sedanjimi kemijskimi lastnostmi ni primerna za uživanje. Rezultati ne kažejo nujno na toksičnost izvornih tekočin iz časa, ko so bile čutare odvržene v jamo, ampak bi se toksičnost lahko razvila postopoma zaradi izluževanja kovin iz posode, zlasti aluminija, in (bio)kemijskih reakcij. Navkljub stabilnim jamskim razmeram, ki so jim bile izpostavljene čutare, ugotovljeni parametri ne podpirajo dolgoročne ohranitve stabilne DNA za morebitne nadaljnje forenzične analize.
Keywords: jame, vojaški material, toksičnost
Published in DiRROS: 23.11.2023; Views: 427; Downloads: 202
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