Summary Salt acclimation in moderately halophilic bacteria is the result of action of a grand interplay orchestrated by signals perceived from the environment. To elucidate the cellular players involved in sensing and responding to changing salinities we have determined the genome sequence of Halobacillus halophilus , a Gram‐positive moderate halophilic bacterium that has a strict requirement for the anion chloride. Halobacill...

Summary The halophilic γ‐proteobacterium Halomonas elongata DSM 2581 T thrives at high salinity by synthesizing and accumulating the compatible solute ectoine. Ectoine levels are highly regulated according to external salt levels but the overall picture of its metabolism and control is not well understood. Apart from its critical role in cell adaptation to halophilic environments, ectoine can be used as a stabilizer for enzyme...