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Lorenz C, Bianchi E, Alberini A, Poggiali G, Benesperi R, Papini A, Brucato JR. UV photo-degradation of the secondary lichen substance parietin: A multi-spectroscopic analysis in astrobiology perspective. LIFE SCIENCES IN SPACE RESEARCH 2024; 41:191-201. [PMID: 38670647 DOI: 10.1016/j.lssr.2024.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The cortical anthraquinone yellow-orange pigment parietin is a secondary lichen substance providing UV-shielding properties that is produced by several lichen species. In our work, the secondary metabolite has been extracted from air-dried thalli of Xanthoria parietina. The aims of this study were to characterize parietin absorbance through UV-VIS spectrophotometry and with IR spectroscopy and to evaluate its photodegradability under UV radiation through in situ reflectance IR spectroscopy to understand to what extent the substance may have a photoprotective role. This allows us to relate parietin photo-degradability to the lichen UV tolerance in its natural terrestrial habitat and in extreme environments relevant for astrobiology such as Mars. Extracted crystals were UV irradiated for 5.59 h under N2 flux. After the UV irradiation, we assessed relevant degradations in the 1614, 1227, 1202, 1160 and 755 cm-1 bands. However, in light of Xanthoria parietina survivability in extreme conditions such as space- and Mars-simulated ones, we highlight parietin UV photo-resistance and its relevance for astrobiology as photo-protective substance and possible bio-hint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Lorenz
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126 Naples, Italy; INAF-Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, 50125 Florence, Italy; Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Bianchi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy
| | - Andrew Alberini
- INAF-Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, 50125 Florence, Italy
| | - Giovanni Poggiali
- INAF-Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, 50125 Florence, Italy; LESIA-Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 5 place Jules Janssen, 92190 Meudon, France
| | - Renato Benesperi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy
| | - Alessio Papini
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy
| | - John Robert Brucato
- INAF-Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, 50125 Florence, Italy.
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2
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Buckner DK, Anderson MJ, Wisnosky S, Alvarado W, Nuevo M, Williams AJ, Ricco AJ, Anamika, Debic S, Friend L, Hoac T, Jahnke L, Radosevich L, Williams R, Wilhelm MB. Quantifying Global Origin-Diagnostic Features and Patterns in Biotic and Abiotic Acyclic Lipids for Life Detection. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:1-35. [PMID: 38150549 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Lipids are a geologically robust class of organics ubiquitous to life as we know it. Lipid-like soluble organics are synthesized abiotically and have been identified in carbonaceous meteorites and on Mars. Ascertaining the origin of lipids on Mars would be a profound astrobiological achievement. We enumerate origin-diagnostic features and patterns in two acyclic lipid classes, fatty acids (i.e., carboxylic acids) and acyclic hydrocarbons, by collecting and analyzing molecular data reported in over 1500 samples from previously published studies of terrestrial and meteoritic organics. We identify 27 combined (15 for fatty acids, 12 for acyclic hydrocarbons) molecular patterns and structural features that can aid in distinguishing biotic from abiotic synthesis. Principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrates that multivariate analyses of molecular features (16 for fatty acids, 14 for acyclic hydrocarbons) can potentially indicate sample origin. Terrestrial lipids are dominated by longer straight-chain molecules (C4-C34 fatty acids, C14-C46 acyclic hydrocarbons), with predominance for specific branched and unsaturated isomers. Lipid-like meteoritic soluble organics are shorter, with random configurations. Organic solvent-extraction techniques are most commonly reported, motivating the design of our novel instrument, the Extractor for Chemical Analysis of Lipid Biomarkers in Regolith (ExCALiBR), which extracts lipids while preserving origin-diagnostic features that can indicate biogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise K Buckner
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Space Science & Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Morgan J Anderson
- Space Science & Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
- Axient Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
| | - Sydney Wisnosky
- Axient Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
| | - Walter Alvarado
- Space Science & Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Michel Nuevo
- Space Science & Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Amy J Williams
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Antonio J Ricco
- Space Science & Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
- Electrical Engineering-Integrated Circuits Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Anamika
- Department of Space Studies, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA
| | - Sara Debic
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Trinh Hoac
- Axient Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
| | - Linda Jahnke
- Space Science & Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | | | - Ross Williams
- Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences, Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Mary Beth Wilhelm
- Space Science & Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
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3
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Summons RE, Welander PV, Gold DA. Lipid biomarkers: molecular tools for illuminating the history of microbial life. Nat Rev Microbiol 2022; 20:174-185. [PMID: 34635851 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-021-00636-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Fossilized lipids preserved in sedimentary rocks offer singular insights into the Earth's palaeobiology. These 'biomarkers' encode information pertaining to the oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans, transitions in ocean plankton, the greening of continents, mass extinctions and climate change. Historically, biomarker interpretations relied on inventories of lipids present in extant microorganisms and counterparts in natural environments. However, progress has been impeded because only a small fraction of the Earth's microorganisms can be cultured, many environmentally significant microorganisms from the past no longer exist and there are gaping holes in knowledge concerning lipid biosynthesis. The revolution in genomics and bioinformatics has provided new tools to expand our understanding of lipid biomarkers, their biosynthetic pathways and distributions in nature. In this Review, we explore how preserved organic molecules provide a unique perspective on the history of the Earth's microbial life. We discuss how advances in molecular biology have helped elucidate biomarker origins and afforded more robust interpretations of fossil lipids and how the rock record provides vital calibration points for molecular clocks. Such studies are open to further exploitation with the expansion of sequenced microbial genomes in accessible databases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger E Summons
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Paula V Welander
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - David A Gold
- Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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Johnson SS, Millan M, Graham H, Benison KC, Williams AJ, McAdam A, Knudson CA, Andrejkovičová S, Achilles C. Lipid Biomarkers in Ephemeral Acid Salt Lake Mudflat/Sandflat Sediments: Implications for Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:167-178. [PMID: 32022603 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Sedimentary strata on Mars often contain a mix of sulfates, iron oxides, chlorides, and phyllosilicates, a mineral assemblage that is unique on Earth to acid brine environments. To help characterize the astrobiological potential of depositional environments with similar minerals present, samples from four naturally occurring acidic salt lakes and adjacent mudflats/sandflats in the vicinity of Norseman, Western Australia, were collected and analyzed. Lipid biomarkers were extracted and quantified, revealing biomarkers from vascular plants alongside trace microbial lipids. The resilience of lipids from dead organic material in these acid saline sediments through the pervasive stages of early diagenesis lends support to the idea that sulfates, in tandem with phyllosilicates and iron oxides, could be a viable target for biomarkers on Mars. To fully understand the astrobiological potential of these depositional environments, additional investigations of organic preservation in ancient acidic saline sedimentary environments are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Stewart Johnson
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
- Program on Science, Technology, and International Affairs, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Maëva Millan
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | | | - Kathleen C Benison
- Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
| | - Amy J Williams
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Amy McAdam
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - Christine A Knudson
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
- Center for Research and Exploration in Space Sciences and Technology/University of Maryland College Park, College Park, Maryland
| | - Slavka Andrejkovičová
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
- Center for Research and Exploration in Space Sciences and Technology/University of Maryland College Park, College Park, Maryland
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5
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Tan J, Sephton MA. Organic Records of Early Life on Mars: The Role of Iron, Burial, and Kinetics on Preservation. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:53-72. [PMID: 31755737 PMCID: PMC6987739 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Samples that are likely to contain evidence of past life on Mars must have been deposited when and where environments exhibited habitable conditions. Mars analog sites provide the opportunity to study how life could have exploited such habitable conditions. Acidic iron- and sulfur-rich streams are good geochemical analogues for the late Noachian and early Hesperian, periods of martian history where habitable conditions were widespread. Past life on Mars would have left behind fossilized microbial organic remains. These are often-sought diagnostic evidence, but they must be shielded from the harsh radiation flux at the martian surface and its deleterious effect on organic matter. One mechanism that promotes such preservation is burial, which raises questions about how organic biomarkers are influenced by the postburial effects of diagenesis. We investigated the kinetics of organic degradation in the subsurface of Mars. Natural mixtures of acidic iron- and sulfur-rich stream sediments and their associated microbial populations and remains were subjected to hydrous pyrolysis, which simulated the increased temperatures and pressures of burial alongside any promoted organic/mineral interactions. Calculations were made to extrapolate the observed changes over martian history. Our experiments indicate that low carbon contents, high water-to-rock ratios, and the presence of iron-rich minerals combine to provide unfavorable conditions for the preservation of soluble organic matter over the billions of years necessary to produce present-day organic records of late Noachian and early Hesperian life on Mars. Successful sample selection strategies must therefore consider the pre-, syn-, and postburial histories of sedimentary records on Mars and the balance between the production of biomass and the long-term preservation of organic biomarkers over geological time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Tan
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Address correspondence to: Jonathan Tan, Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Mark A. Sephton
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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6
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Sapers HM, Razzell Hollis J, Bhartia R, Beegle LW, Orphan VJ, Amend JP. The Cell and the Sum of Its Parts: Patterns of Complexity in Biosignatures as Revealed by Deep UV Raman Spectroscopy. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:679. [PMID: 31156562 PMCID: PMC6527968 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The next NASA-led Mars mission (Mars 2020) will carry a suite of instrumentation dedicated to investigating Martian history and the in situ detection of potential biosignatures. SHERLOC, a deep UV Raman/Fluorescence spectrometer has the ability to detect and map the distribution of many organic compounds, including the aromatic molecules that are fundamental building blocks of life on Earth, at concentrations down to 1 ppm. The mere presence of organic compounds is not a biosignature: there is widespread distribution of reduced organic molecules in the Solar System. Life utilizes a select few of these molecules creating conspicuous enrichments of specific molecules that deviate from the distribution expected from purely abiotic processes. The detection of far from equilibrium concentrations of a specific subset of organic molecules, such as those uniquely enriched by biological processes, would comprise a universal biosignature independent of specific terrestrial biochemistry. The detectability and suitability of a small subset of organic molecules to adequately describe a living system is explored using the bacterium Escherichia coli as a model organism. The DUV Raman spectra of E. coli cells are dominated by the vibrational modes of the nucleobases adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine, and the aromatic amino acids tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine. We demonstrate that not only does the deep ultraviolet (DUV) Raman spectrum of E. coli reflect a distinct concentration of specific organic molecules, but that a sufficient molecular complexity is required to deconvolute the cellular spectrum. Furthermore, a linear combination of the DUV resonant compounds is insufficient to fully describe the cellular spectrum. The residual in the cellular spectrum indicates that DUV Raman spectroscopy enables differentiating between the presence of biomolecules and the complex uniquely biological organization and arrangements of these molecules in living systems. This study demonstrates the ability of DUV Raman spectroscopy to interrogate a complex biological system represented in a living cell, and differentiate between organic detection and a series of Raman features that derive from the molecular complexity inherent to life constituting a biosignature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley M. Sapers
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Joseph Razzell Hollis
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Rohit Bhartia
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Luther W. Beegle
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Victoria J. Orphan
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Jan P. Amend
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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7
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Wilhelm MB, Davila AF, Parenteau MN, Jahnke LL, Abate M, Cooper G, Kelly ET, Parro García V, Villadangos MG, Blanco Y, Glass B, Wray JJ, Eigenbrode JL, Summons RE, Warren-Rhodes K. Constraints on the Metabolic Activity of Microorganisms in Atacama Surface Soils Inferred from Refractory Biomarkers: Implications for Martian Habitability and Biomarker Detection. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:955-966. [PMID: 30035640 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Dryness is one of the main environmental challenges to microbial survival. Understanding the threshold of microbial tolerance to extreme dryness is relevant to better constrain the environmental limits of life on Earth and critically evaluate long-term habitability models of Mars. Biomolecular proxies for microbial adaptation and growth were measured in Mars-like hyperarid surface soils in the Atacama Desert that experience only a few millimeters of precipitation per decade, and in biologically active soils a few hundred kilometers away that experience two- to fivefold more precipitation. Diversity and abundance of lipids and other biomolecules decreased with increasing dryness. Cyclopropane fatty acids (CFAs), which are indicative of adaptive response to environmental stress and growth in bacteria, were only detected in the wetter surface soils. The ratio of trans to cis isomers of an unsaturated fatty acid, another bacterial stress indicator, decreased with increasingly dry conditions. Aspartic acid racemization ratios increased from 0.01 in the wetter soils to 0.1 in the driest soils, which is indicative of racemization rates comparable to de novo biosynthesis over long timescales (∼10,000 years). The content and integrity of stress proteins profiled by immunoassays were additional indicators that biomass in the driest soils is not recycled at significant levels. Together, our results point to minimal or no in situ microbial growth in the driest surface soils of the Atacama, and any metabolic activity is likely to be basal for cellular repair and maintenance only. Our data add to a growing body of evidence that the driest Atacama surface soils represent a threshold for long-term habitability (i.e., growth and reproduction). These results place constraints on the potential for extant life on the surface of Mars, which is 100-1000 times drier than the driest regions in the Atacama. Key Words: Atacama Desert-Dryness-Growth-Habitability-Biomarker-Mars. Astrobiology 18, 955-966.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Beth Wilhelm
- 1 School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia
- 2 Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, California
| | - Alfonso F Davila
- 2 Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, California
| | - Mary N Parenteau
- 2 Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, California
| | - Linda L Jahnke
- 2 Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, California
| | - Mastewal Abate
- 2 Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, California
| | - George Cooper
- 2 Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, California
| | | | - Victor Parro García
- 4 Departamento Evolución Molecular, Centro de Astrobiologia (INTA-CSIC) , Madrid, Spain
| | - Miriam G Villadangos
- 4 Departamento Evolución Molecular, Centro de Astrobiologia (INTA-CSIC) , Madrid, Spain
| | - Yolanda Blanco
- 4 Departamento Evolución Molecular, Centro de Astrobiologia (INTA-CSIC) , Madrid, Spain
| | - Brian Glass
- 5 Intelligent Systems Division, NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, California
| | - James J Wray
- 1 School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jennifer L Eigenbrode
- 6 Planetary Environments Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - Roger E Summons
- 7 Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, Massachusetts
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