2) What gene products

Haloarchaea are so adapted to high-salt environments that they cannot survive in low-salt conditions. There are 6 different haloarchaeal genomes that have been sequenced, which would allow us to compare genetic systems.

Haloarchaea balance a high-salt environment by having at least an equally high intracellular salt concentration usually of KCl. Due to changes in weather and other environmental conditions, haloarchaea must be osmoadaptive over a larger range of salt concentrations. Halophilic proteins are adapted to high-salt by having more acidic residues than basic residues, or a high concentration of negative charges on the outside of the folded protein in order to attract hydrated cations. (Soppa 2006)