Diversity of cultivated halophilic and halotolerant actinobacteria in the sediments of Belozersk soda lakes (the Republic of Buryatia)

We have first investigated the cultivated diversity of actinobacteria in the sediments of soda lakes Verkhneye Beloye and Nizhneye Beloye (the Republic of Buryatia). 61 strains of alkalophilic, halophilic and halotolerant actinobacteria have been isolated. They represent 13 genera and 37 species in accordance with the similarity of 16S rRNA gene sequences. Some of them had not previously isolated from soda lakes. We have shown the influence of mineralization on the distribution and diversity of cultivated actinobacteria. Halophilic actinobacteria dominated in the microbial community of Lake V Beloye with mineralization 34 g/L. The cultivated community of actinobacteria in the surface sediments of Lake N. Beloye with mineralization 20 g/L was more diverse, with a predominance of halotolerant strains.