Halobacterium salinarum: Life with more than a grain of salt

Halobacterium salinarum is a halophilic (salt-loving) archaeon that grows in salt concentrations near or at saturation. Although isolated from salted fish a century ago, it was the 1971 discovery of bacteriorhodopsin, the light-driven proton pump, that raised interest in Hbt. salinarum across a range of disciplines, including biophysics, chemistry, molecular evolu-tion and biotechnology. Hbt. salinarum have since contributed to numerous discoveries, such as advances in membrane protein structure determination and the first example of a non-eukaryal glycoprotein. Work on Hbt. salinarum, one of the species used to define Archaea, has also elucidated molecular workings in the third domain. Finally, Hbt. salinarum pre-sents creative solutions to the challenges of life in high salt.

Automated summary

Halobacterium salinarum is a salt-loving archaeon that has been studied extensively since the discovery of bacteriorhodopsin in 1971. It has contributed to scientific advancements in various disciplines, such as membrane protein structure determination and glycoprotein research. Additionally, research on Hbt. salinarum has provided insights into molecular workings in the third domain and adaptations to high salt environments.