Physiology, functional genomics, and proteomics of <i>Verruconatronum alginivorum</i> gen. nov. <i>,</i> sp. nov. <i>,</i> the first isolated haloalkaliphile within <i>Verrucomicrobiota,</i> representing a new family, <i>Verruconatronumaceae</i> fam.

specializing in the degradation of alginate and related polysaccharides. We present the key enzymatic machinery for alginate breakdown. These enzymes are high-pH tolerant and have potential for industry applications, for example, in washing powders and biomass waste recycling. Furthermore, the new family is one of the most abundant taxa in alkaline environments, and these environments are not known to harbor signature alginate producing biota, such as brown algae. This way, our study opens a new window on polysaccharide turnover in alkaline environments.