Microorganisms have inhabited the Earth for 3.4 billion years of its history. They are essential for the evolution of its minerals, its major geochemical cycles, and its atmosphere, yet the extent of their diversity, their metabolic capabilities, and their ecosystem-level interactions remains vastly unexplored.

Understanding the link between the geochemistry we observe and the large-scale impact of microbial activity is critical if we want to learn more about our own biosphere, and how to better conserve and protect the environment. We are using microorganisms that live in extreme environments to address fundamental processes in biology, in particular mechanisms underlying the diversity of microbial communities, their functioning, and they responses to environmental perturbation.

At the molecular level, we focus on adaptive mechanisms of extremophiles to environmental stresses. We are currently investigating the role of small non-coding RNA in the oxidative stress response using haloarchaea as model systems.

At the ecosystem level, we focus on the mechanisms that generate and maintain microbial diversity and how these processes affect ecosystem functioning at the dry limit for life. Our field sites include multiple deserts around the world and the Dry Valleys of Antarctica.

Our research is directly related to Astrobiology. Visit the Institute for Planets and Life web site [http://www.stsci.edu/institute/smo/ipl] at the Space Telescope Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University

Atacama Desert, Chile

Uritskiy G., S. Getsin, A. Munn, B. Gomez-Silva, A. Davila, B. Glass, J. Taylor and J. DiRuggiero. Halophilic microbial community compositional shift after a rare rainfall in the Atacama Desert. bioRxiv 442525; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/442525. ISMEJ, in press

Casero, C., V. Meslier, J. Wierzchos and J. DiRuggiero. 2019. Preandean Atacama Desert Endolithic Microbiology. Springer. In press

Meslier V. and J DiRuggiero. 2019. Endolithic Microbial Communities as Model Systems for Ecology and Astrobiology. In: Model Ecosystems in Extreme Environments. Seckbach J. and P.H. Rampelotto (eds) Elsevier. pp145-168

Uriskiy G. and J DiRuggiero. Applying genome-resolved metagenomics to de-convolute the halophilic microbiome. 2019 Gene 10:220; doi:10.3390/genes10030220

Uritskyi G.V., J. DiRuggiero and J. Taylor. 2018 MetaWRAP - a flexible pipeline for genome-resolved metagenomic data analysis. Microbiome 15:159 PMID:30219103

Gelsinger D. and J. DiRuggiero. 2018. The non-coding regulatory RNA revolution in Archaea. Genes 9:E141 PMID:29510582

Meslier V., M. C. Casero, M. Daily, J. Wierchos, C. Ascaso, O. Artieda, P.R. McCullough, and J. DiRuggiero. 2018. Fundamental drivers for endolithic microbial community assemblies in the hyperarid Atacama Desert. Env Microbiol 20:1765-1781 PMID:29573365

Gelsinger, D. and J. DiRuggiero. 2018. Transcriptional landscape and regulatory roles of small non-coding RNAs in the oxidative stress response of the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii. J Bacteriol 200:e00779-17 PMID:29463600

Schulze-Makuch, D., D. Wagner, S. P. Kounaves, K. Mangelsdorf, K. G. Devine, J.de Vera, P. Schmitt-Kopplin, H. Grossart, V. Parro, M. Kaupenjohann, A. Galy, B. Schneider, A. Airo, J. Froesler, A. Davila, F. Arens, L. Caceres, F. Solis Cornejo, D. Carrizo, L. Dartnell, J. DiRuggiero, et al. 2018. A Transitory Microbial Habitat in the Hyperarid Atacama Desert. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA PMID:29483268

Sharma, A., E. K. Gaidamakova, O. Grichenko, V. Y. Matrosova, V. Hoeke, P. Klimenkova, I. H. Conze , R. P. Volpe, R. Tkavc, C. Gostincar, N. Gunde-Cimerman, J. DiRuggiero, A. Ozarowski, B. M. Hoffman, M. J. Daly. 2017. Across the tree of life, radiation resistance is governed by antioxidant Mn²⁺, gauged by paramagnetic resonance. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 114: E9253 PMID:29042516

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Graduate Students

Diego Gelsinger

Gherman Uritskiy

Emma Dallon

Postdoctoral fellow

Emine Ertekin

Undergraduate Students

Leo Busse

Bayleigh Murray

Evan Qu

Jacque’ Rhuda

Technician

James Lu