Current status on proteomics of extremophilic microorganisms—A review

Abstract:

We summarized the key handicap and troubleshooting when proteomic techniques were used to investigate extremophilic microorganisms, and the actual state of their proteomes research in recent years. Up to now, proteomics techniques keep developing and improving rapidly, but they has not been widely used to explore proteome of extremophilic microorganisms including halophiles, thermophiles, psychophiles, acidophiles and alkaliphiles due to specific problems including incomplete dissociation of protein–protein complexes of extremophiles, and a lot of proteins synthesized by extremophiles are resistant to the conditions which dissociated and denatured proteins synthesized by mesophilic organisms. However, the foreground of potential application of the techniques draws people on attempting zealously multifarious methods. At the present time, several technical problems for separating halophilic proteins, integral membrane proteins and predicting the function of new proteins have been solved availably. Proteomics data have validated some conclusions of genome predictions, and revealed many novel proteins and a few properties of extremophiles can not be resolved fully by genome data. The investigation of extremophiles proteomes indicated that a comprehensive view of protein expression profiles should rely on more than one proteomic method. In addition, the mutual verification of conclusions on the basis of genome and proteome and combination of these two techniques must accelerate the study of extremophilic microorganisms, and redound to uncover deeply and wholly the unique mechanisms of microorganisms adaptation to extreme environments. Moreover, it would clarify the mechanisms of their survival, and point out new direction of survey for improving damage result from stresses, finally contribute to human survival and healthy.