The draft genome sequences of five archaeal strains, isolated from Sfax solar saltern sediments and affiliated with Halobacterium salinarum, were analyzed in order to reveal their adaptive strategies to live in hypersaline environments polluted with heavy metals. The genomes of the strains (named AS1, AS2, AS8, AS11, and AS19) are found to contain 2,060,688; 2,467,461; 2,236,624; 2,432,692; and 2,428,727 bp respectively, with a G + C content of 65.5, 66.0, 67.0, and 66.2%. The majority of these genes (43.69–55.65%) are annotated as hypothetical proteins. Growth under osmotic stress is possible by genes coding for potassium uptake, sodium efflux, and kinases, as well as stress proteins, DNA repair systems, and proteasomal components. These strains harbor many genes responsible for metal transport/resistance, such as: copper-translocating P-type ATPases, ABC transporter, and cobalt-zinc-cadmium resistance protein. In addition, detoxification enzymes and secondary metabolites are also identified. The results show strain AS1, as compared to the other strains, is more adapted to heavy metals and may be used in the bioremediation of multi-metal contaminated environments. This study highlights the presence of several commercially valuable bioproducts (carotenoids, retinal proteins, exopolysaccharide, stress proteins, squalene, and siderophores) and enzymes (protease, sulfatase, phosphatase, phosphoesterase, and chitinase) that can be used in many industrial applications.

从 Sfax 日晒盐沉积物中分离并与Halobacterium salinarum 相关的五种古细菌菌株的基因组序列草图，进行了分析，以揭示他们在重金属污染的高盐环境中生活的适应策略。发现菌株（命名为 AS1、AS2、AS8、AS11 和 AS19）的基因组包含 2,060,688 个；2,467,461；2,236,624; 2,432,692；和 2,428,727 bp，G + C 含量分别为 65.5、66.0、67.0 和 66.2%。这些基因中的大多数（43.69-55.65%）被注释为假设的蛋白质。通过编码钾摄取、钠流出和激酶的基因以及应激蛋白、DNA 修复系统和蛋白酶体成分，在渗透胁迫下生长是可能的。这些菌株含有许多负责金属转运/抗性的基因，例如：铜转运 P 型 ATP 酶、ABC 转运蛋白和钴-锌-镉抗性蛋白。此外，解毒酶和次级代谢物也被鉴定出来。结果表明，与其他菌株相比，菌株AS1更适应重金属，可用于多金属污染环境的生物修复。这项研究强调了几种具有商业价值的生物产品（类胡萝卜素、视网膜蛋白、胞外多糖、应激蛋白、角鲨烯和铁载体）和酶（蛋白酶、硫酸酯酶、磷酸酶、磷酸酯酶和几丁质酶）的存在，可用于许多工业应用。