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Dittrich M, Paulo C, Knabe N, Sturm H, Zaitsev V, Gorbushina AA. Microscopic Raman study of fungal pigment using the genetically amenable rock inhabitant Knufia petricola as a model organism. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2023; 303:123250. [PMID: 37625274 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2023.123250] [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: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Fungal pigments such as melanin and carotenoids are distinctive markers of animal and plant pathogenic fungi as well as their environmental relatives. These complex pigments play important roles in pathogenicity and stress tolerance while also being useful as biomarkers. Accordingly, it is important to be able to identify in situ the pigments in black fungi, a group of clinical and environmental importance. In this study, wild-type and genetically modified strains of Knufia petricola A95 and wild fungal cells attached to ancient rock were investigated for their spectroscopic and microscopic Raman features and morphological appearance. Knockout mutants of melanin synthesis genes pks1 (polyketide synthase), sdh1 (scytalone dehydratase), and both pks1 and the carotenoid synthesis gene phd1 (phytoene desaturase) were studied We applied two different Raman microscopes using two lasers, with 633 nm and 488 nm wavelengths. We analyzed and compared Raman spectra between the measured reference substances and the mutant and wild-type strains. In the wild strain WT:A95, the peaks close to melanin peals were found at 1353 cm-1 and 1611 cm-1. There are no characteristic melanin peaks at 1580-1600 cm-1 and around 1350 cm-1 at the spectrum of the Δpks1/Δphd1 mutant and the Δsdh1 mutant. The Δpks1 mutant spectrum has the peaks at the beta-carotene v2 C-C in-plane stretch at 1155 cm-1 and v3 C-CH3 deformation at 1005 cm-1. The peaks of carotenoids and melanin were found in all mutants and the wild strain, except the Δpks1/Δphd1 mutant. Raman spectra allow for discrimination between the various pigments. Hence, interactions between natural fungal melanin, as well as other protective pigments, and complex environmental matrices can be characterized on a range of spatial and temporal scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Dittrich
- University of Toronto Scarborough, 1065 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Carlos Paulo
- University of Toronto Scarborough, 1065 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Nicole Knabe
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin, Germany
| | - Heinz Sturm
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin, Germany
| | - Vladimir Zaitsev
- Moscow State University, Physics Department, Leninskie Gory, 1-2, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna A Gorbushina
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin, Germany; Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstrasse 74-100, Berlin, Germany
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Diloreto Z, Ahmad MS, Al Saad Al-Kuwari H, Sadooni F, Bontognali TRR, Dittrich M. Raman Spectroscopic and Microbial Study of Biofilms Hosted Gypsum Deposits in the Hypersaline Wetlands: Astrobiological Perspective. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:991-1005. [PMID: 37672713 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0003] [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: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) has been identified at the surface of Mars, by both orbiters and rovers. Because gypsum mostly forms in the presence of liquid water as an essential element for sustaining microbial life and has a low porosity, which is ideal for preserving organic material, it is a promising target to look for signs of past microbial life. In this article, we studied organic matter preservation within gypsum that precipitates in a salt flat or a so-called coastal sabkha located in Qatar. Sabkha's ecosystem is considered a modern analog to evaporitic environments that may have existed on early Mars. We collected the sediment cores in the areas where gypsum is formed and performed DNA analysis to characterize the community of extremophilic microorganisms that is present at the site of gypsum formation. Subsequently, we applied Raman spectroscopy, a technique available on several rovers that are currently exploring Mars, to evaluate which organic molecules can be detected through the translucent gypsum crystals. We showed that organic material can be encapsulated into evaporitic gypsum and detected via Raman microscopy with simple, straightforward sample preparation. The molecular biology data proved useful for assessing to what extent complex Raman spectra can be linked to the original microbial community, dominated by Halobacteria and methanogenic archaea, providing a reference for a signal that may be detected on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zach Diloreto
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mirza Shaharyar Ahmad
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | - Tomaso R R Bontognali
- Space Exploration Institute, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Maria Dittrich
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Culka A, Jehlička J, Oren A, Rousaki A, Vandenabeele P. Fast outdoor screening and discrimination of carotenoids of halophilic microorganisms using miniaturized Raman spectrometers. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2022; 276:121156. [PMID: 35390753 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2022.121156] [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: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Eight miniaturized Raman spectrometers were used to perform a fast outdoor screening and discrimination of carotenoids of a series of halophilic and non-halophilic microorganisms on a set of eight lyophilized samples, each containing high concentrations of a specific dominant carotenoid pigment. Raman spectra were acquired using different excitations (532, 785, sequentially shifted excitation of 785 and 853, and 1064 nm), based on the model of each Raman spectrometer, in order to ascertain the feasibility of individual wavelengths. The wavenumber positions of diagnostic Raman bands of carotenoids were observed for the different carotenoid species. Characteristic carotenoid Raman bands of the pigment bacterioruberin were reported (using the 532 nm excitation) at 1504-1509 cm-1, salinixanthin at 1510-1513 cm-1, spirilloxanthin at 1509-1513 cm-1, decaprenoxanthin at 1519 cm-1, β-carotene at 1526 cm-1, and sarcinaxanthin at 1526-1528 cm-1. A 532 nm excitation consistently provided best results due to the significant resonance signal enhancement (both quantitative and qualitative carotenoid detection). Good results were also obtained using the sequentially shifted excitation combining two lasers in the near infrared spectral region, and similarly good results were acquired using a standard 1064 nm excitation. The least suitable was a 785 nm excitation, with the carotenoid Raman signal almost always weaker compared to major fluorescence signal arising from other types of pigments or biomolecules in the samples. A thorough light shielding was essential in order to acquire good quality data. This study shows that miniaturized Raman spectrometers, some even equipped with longer wavelength excitation, are able to detect different carotenoid pigments under non-laboratory conditions in a fast way, and discriminate between them, to a certain degree. The implications of this type of research are especially useful in astrobiology, where the searching, detection and discrimination of biomarkers such as carotenoids is receiving significant attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Culka
- Charles University, Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Albertov 6, 12843 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Jan Jehlička
- Charles University, Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Albertov 6, 12843 Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Aharon Oren
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Institute of Life Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus - Givat Ram, 9190401 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Anastasia Rousaki
- Ghent University, Department of Chemistry, Raman Spectroscopy Research Group, S-12, Krijgslaan 281, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Peter Vandenabeele
- Ghent University, Department of Chemistry, Raman Spectroscopy Research Group, S-12, Krijgslaan 281, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Ghent University, Department of Archaeology, Archaeometry Research Group, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
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Wang Y, Mu T, Li Y, Qi W, Chen S. Surface-Scanning Raman Characterization of Dark Materials Based on a Digital Mirror Device (DMD). ANAL LETT 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00032719.2020.1869980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yao Wang
- Beijing Information Science and Technology University, Beijing, China
| | - Taotao Mu
- Beijing Information Science and Technology University, Beijing, China
| | - Yonggao Li
- Beijing Information Science and Technology University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenbo Qi
- Beijing Information Science and Technology University, Beijing, China
| | - Shaohua Chen
- Beijing Information Science and Technology University, Beijing, China
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Critical evaluation of portable Raman spectrometers: From rock outcrops and planetary analogs to cultural heritage – A review. Anal Chim Acta 2021; 1209:339027. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2021.339027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Culka A, Košek F, Oren A, Mana L, Jehlička J. Detection of carotenoids of halophilic prokaryotes in solid inclusions inside laboratory-grown chloride and sulfate crystals using a portable Raman spectrometer: applications for Mars exploration. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2019; 366:5658689. [DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnz239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Inclusions in evaporitic minerals sometimes contain remnants of microorganisms or biomarkers, which can be considered as traces of life. Raman spectroscopy with resonance enhancement is one of the best analytical methods to search for such biomarkers in places of interest for astrobiology, including the surface and near subsurface of planet Mars. Portable Raman spectrometers are used as training tools for detection of biomarkers. Investigations of the limits and challenges of detecting biomolecules in crystals using Raman spectroscopy is important because natural occurrences often involve mineral assemblages as well as their fluid and solid inclusions. A portable Raman spectrometer with 532 nm excitation was used for detection of carotenoid biomarkers: salinixanthin of Salinibacter ruber (Bacteroidetes) and α-bacterioruberin of Halorubrum sodomense (Halobacteria) in laboratory-grown artificial inclusions in compound crystals of several chlorides and sulfates, simulating entrapment of microorganisms in evaporitic minerals. Crystals of halite (NaCl), sylvite (KCl), arcanite (K2SO4) and tschermigite ((NH4)Al(SO4)2·12H2O) were grown from synthetic solutions that contained microorganisms. A second crystalline layer of NaCl or K2SO4 was grown subsequently so that primary crystals containing microorganisms are considered as solid inclusions. A portable Raman spectrometer with resonance enabling excitation detected signals of both carotenoid pigments. Correct positions of diagnostic Raman bands corresponding to the specific carotenoids were recorded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Culka
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 12843 Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Filip Košek
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 12843 Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Aharon Oren
- The Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, 9190401 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Lily Mana
- The Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, 9190401 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Jan Jehlička
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 12843 Praha 2, Czech Republic
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