Microbiology of Extreme Environments (M2E)

The M2E team aims to understand and characterize how microorganisms adapt to extreme conditions. Indeed, there is a wide variety of extreme environments on Earth (salinity, temperature, pressure, pH, anthropogenic impact, etc.) that host microbial communities adapted to what are generally considered hostile conditions. The originality of the team’s approach lies in assessing the diversity of microeukaryotes, bacteria, and archaea to better understand the interactions at play in extreme environments and to dissect the specific molecular adaptation mechanisms of certain archaeal groups, such as Thermococcales or Methanococcales, as well as more recently described phyla, such as Woesearchaeota, about which little is currently known. The study of microorganisms in extreme environments is crucial for (1) shedding light on novel adaptive mechanisms, (2) understanding the origins of life in Earth’s early environments, and (3) identifying new sources of genes with biotechnological potential. The team’s research themes are structured around three main research axes, currently funded by several projects : 

• Axis 1 : Study of the molecular and structural basis of adaptation to extreme conditions, from the molecule to the cell.

1. - ANR PRC Archaeomembrane (PI: P.M. Oger), 2017-2022 - 478 796€
2. - ANR PRC ThermAdapt (PI: C. Brochier-Armanet), 2023-2026 – 498 079€
3. - Soutien par la MITI CNRS Adaptation du vivant, MITI CNRS Global Change, MITI CNRS Modélisation du vivant

• Axe 2. Study of the genetic basis of adaptation to extreme conditions, from the ecosystem to the cell.

1. - ANR PRC Subsilake (PI: M. Ader, IPGP Paris), 2022-2025 - 797 887€
2. - ANR JCJC MARWEL (PI: M. Hugoni), 2022-2025, 290 528€
3. - Institut Universitaire de France Junior member As. Prof. Mylène Hugoni, 2021-2026, 75 000 euros
4. - MITI CNRS Origins of Life (PI: M. Hugoni), 2020-2021, 43 000 euros
5. - SENS project of the Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University (PI: M. Hugoni), 2023-2025, 100 000€

• Axe 3 : Development of bioremediation solutions.

1. - ANR PRC MetHalo (PI: P.M. Oger), 2022-2026 – 883 994€
2. - Projet BQR INSA Lyon (PI: B. Sialve, collaboration M. Hugoni), 2023-2024 – 32 500€
3. - MITI CNRS Depollution (PI: P.M. Oger), 2024-2025 - 25 000 €
4. - Segula Thechnologies CIFRE fellowship to Emma Bonnaud (PhD student), 2023-2026

 To address these challenges, the M2E team uses a multidisciplinary approach that leverages tools from classical microbiology, molecular biology, culturing techniques, synthetic biology, meta-omic approaches, microfluidics, cytometry, and biophysics.