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Preston LJ, Jungblut AD, Montgomery W, Ballard CJ, Wilbraham J. The Preservation and Spectral Detection of Historic Museum Specimen Microbial Mat Biosignatures Within Martian Dust: Lessons Learned for Mars Exploration and Sample Return. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:684-697. [PMID: 38979614 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0118] [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: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
The key building blocks for life on Mars could be preserved within potentially habitable paleo-depositional settings with their detection possible by utilizing mid-infrared spectroscopy; however, a definite identification and confirmation of organic or even biological origin will require the samples to be returned to Earth. In the present study, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic techniques were used to characterize both mineralogical and organic materials within Mars dust simulant JSC Mars-1 and ancient Antarctic cyanobacterial microbial mats from 1901 to 1904 Discovery Expedition. When FTIR spectroscopy is applied to cyanobacterial microbial mat communities, the resulting spectra will reflect the average biochemical composition of the mats rather than taxa-specific spectral patterns of the individual organisms and can thus be considered as a total chemical analysis of the mat colony. This study also highlights the potential difficulties in the detection of these communities on Mars and which spectral biosignatures will be most detectable within geological substrates. Through the creation and analysis of a suite of dried microbial mat material and Martian dust simulant mixtures, the spectral signatures and wavenumber positions of CHx aliphatic hydrocarbons and the C-O and O-H bands of polysaccharides remained detectable and may be detectable within sample mixtures obtained through Mars Sample Return activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louisa J Preston
- Department of Space & Climate Physics, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Dorking, United Kingdom
- Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Anne D Jungblut
- Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Wren Montgomery
- Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Connor J Ballard
- Department of Space & Climate Physics, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Dorking, United Kingdom
| | - Jo Wilbraham
- Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
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2
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Moreno-Paz M, dos Santos Severino RS, Sánchez-García L, Manchado JM, García-Villadangos M, Aguirre J, Fernández-Martínez MA, Carrizo D, Kobayashi L, Dave A, Warren-Rhodes K, Davila A, Stoker CR, Glass B, Parro V. Life Detection and Microbial Biomarker Profiling with Signs of Life Detector-Life Detector Chip During a Mars Drilling Simulation Campaign in the Hyperarid Core of the Atacama Desert. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:1259-1283. [PMID: 37930382 PMCID: PMC10825288 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
The low organic matter content in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert, together with abrupt temperature shifts and high ultraviolet radiation at its surface, makes this region one of the best terrestrial analogs of Mars and one of the best scenarios for testing instrumentation devoted to in situ planetary exploration. We have operated remotely and autonomously the SOLID-LDChip (Signs of Life Detector-Life Detector Chip), an antibody microarray-based sensor instrument, as part of a rover payload during the 2019 NASA Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies (ARADS) Mars drilling simulation campaign. A robotic arm collected drilled cuttings down to 80 cm depth and loaded SOLID to process and assay them with LDChip for searching for molecular biomarkers. A remote science team received and analyzed telemetry data and LDChip results. The data revealed the presence of microbial markers from Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Cyanobacteria to be relatively more abundant in the middle layer (40-50 cm). In addition, the detection of several proteins from nitrogen metabolism indicates a pivotal role in the system. These findings were corroborated and complemented on "returned samples" to the lab by a comprehensive analysis that included DNA sequencing, metaproteomics, and a metabolic reconstruction of the sampled area. Altogether, the results describe a relatively complex microbial community with members capable of nitrogen fixation and denitrification, sulfur oxidation and reduction, or triggering oxidative stress responses, among other traits. This remote operation demonstrated the high maturity of SOLID-LDChip as a powerful tool for remote in situ life detection for future missions in the Solar System.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mercedes Moreno-Paz
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), INTA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rita Sofia dos Santos Severino
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), INTA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Departament of Física y Matemáticas y de Automática, University of Alcalá de Henares (UAH), Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Sánchez-García
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), INTA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Manuel Manchado
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), INTA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Jacobo Aguirre
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), INTA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Angel Fernández-Martínez
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), INTA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Québec, Canada
| | - Daniel Carrizo
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), INTA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Linda Kobayashi
- Space Science Division and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Arwen Dave
- Space Science Division and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Kim Warren-Rhodes
- Space Science Division and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
- Carl Sagan Center, SETI Institute, Mountain View, California, USA
| | - Alfonso Davila
- Space Science Division and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Carol R. Stoker
- Space Science Division and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Brian Glass
- Space Science Division and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Víctor Parro
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), INTA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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3
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Calabria D, Trozzi I, Lazzarini E, Pace A, Zangheri M, Iannascoli L, Maipan Davis N, Gosikere Matadha SS, Baratto De Albuquerque T, Pirrotta S, Del Bianco M, Impresario G, Popova L, Lovecchio N, de Cesare G, Caputo D, Brucato J, Nascetti A, Guardigli M, Mirasoli M. AstroBio-CubeSat: A lab-in-space for chemiluminescence-based astrobiology experiments. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 226:115110. [PMID: 36750012 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Space exploration is facing a new era in view of the planned missions to the Moon and Mars. The development and the in-flight validation of new technologies, including analytical and diagnostic platforms, is pivotal for exploring and inhabiting these extreme environments. In this context, biosensors and lab-on-chip devices can play an important role in many situations, such as the analysis of biological samples for assessing the impact of deep space conditions on man and other biological systems, environmental and food safety monitoring, and the search of molecular indicators of past or present life in extra-terrestrial environments. Small satellites such as CubeSats are nowadays increasingly exploited as fast and low-cost platforms for conducting in-flight technology validation. Herein, we report the development of a fully autonomous lab-on-chip platform for performing chemiluminescence-based bioassays in space. The device was designed to be hosted onboard the AstroBio CubeSat nanosatellite, with the aim of conducting its in-flight validation and evaluating the stability of (bio)molecules required for bioassays in a challenging radiation environment. An origami-like microfluidic paper-based analytical format allowed preloading all the reagents in the dried form on the paper substrate, thus simplifying device design and analytical protocols, facilitating autonomous assay execution, and enhancing the stability of reagents. The chosen approach should constitute the first step to implement a mature technology with the aim to conduct life science research in space (e.g., for evaluation the effect of deep space conditions on living organisms or searching molecular evidence of life) more easily and at lower cost than previously possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donato Calabria
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, I-40126, Bologna, Italy; Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Aerospace Research (CIRI AEROSPACE), Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Baldassarre Canaccini 12, I-47121, Forlì, Italy
| | - Ilaria Trozzi
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, I-40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Elisa Lazzarini
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, I-40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Andrea Pace
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, I-40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Martina Zangheri
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, I-40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Iannascoli
- School of Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Salaria 851, I-00138, Rome, Italy
| | - Nithin Maipan Davis
- School of Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Salaria 851, I-00138, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Simone Pirrotta
- Italian Space Agency (ASI), Via del Politecnico, I-00133, Roma, Italy
| | - Marta Del Bianco
- Italian Space Agency (ASI), Via del Politecnico, I-00133, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Liyana Popova
- Kayser Italia s.r.l., Via di Popogna 501, I-57128, Livorno, Italy
| | - Nicola Lovecchio
- Department of Information Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, I-00184, Rome, Italy
| | - Giampiero de Cesare
- Department of Information Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, I-00184, Rome, Italy
| | - Domenico Caputo
- Department of Information Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, I-00184, Rome, Italy
| | - John Brucato
- INAF-Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, I-50125, Florence, Italy
| | - Augusto Nascetti
- School of Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Salaria 851, I-00138, Rome, Italy.
| | - Massimo Guardigli
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, I-40126, Bologna, Italy; Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Aerospace Research (CIRI AEROSPACE), Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Baldassarre Canaccini 12, I-47121, Forlì, Italy
| | - Mara Mirasoli
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, I-40126, Bologna, Italy; Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Aerospace Research (CIRI AEROSPACE), Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Baldassarre Canaccini 12, I-47121, Forlì, Italy.
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4
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Lezcano MÁ, Sánchez-García L, Quesada A, Carrizo D, Fernández-Martínez MÁ, Cavalcante-Silva E, Parro V. Comprehensive Metabolic and Taxonomic Reconstruction of an Ancient Microbial Mat From the McMurdo Ice Shelf (Antarctica) by Integrating Genetic, Metaproteomic and Lipid Biomarker Analyses. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:799360. [PMID: 35928160 PMCID: PMC9345047 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.799360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Paleobiological reconstructions based on molecular fossils may be limited by degradation processes causing differential preservation of biomolecules, the distinct taxonomic specificity of each biomolecule type, and analytical biases. Here, we combined the analysis of DNA, proteins and lipid biomarkers using 16S and 18S rRNA gene metabarcoding, metaproteomics and lipid analysis to reconstruct the taxonomic composition and metabolisms of a desiccated microbial mat from the McMurdo Ice Shelf (MIS) (Antarctica) dated ~1,000 years BP. The different lability, taxonomic resolution and analytical bias of each biomolecule type led to a distinct microbial community profile. DNA analysis showed selective preservation of DNA remnants from the most resistant taxa (e.g., spore-formers). In contrast, the proteins profile revealed microorganisms missed by DNA sequencing, such as Cyanobacteria, and showed a microbial composition similar to fresh microbial mats in the MIS. Lipid hydrocarbons also confirmed Cyanobacteria and suggested the presence of mosses or vascular plant remnants from a period in Antarctica when the climate was warmer (e.g., Mid-Miocene or Eocene). The combined analysis of the three biomolecule types also revealed diverse metabolisms that operated in the microbial mat before desiccation: oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, sulfur reduction and oxidation, and methanogenesis. Therefore, the joint analysis of DNA, proteins and lipids resulted in a powerful approach that improved taxonomic and metabolic reconstructions overcoming information gaps derived from using individual biomolecules types.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Ángeles Lezcano
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Carretera de Ajalvir, Madrid, Spain
- *Correspondence: María Ángeles Lezcano,
| | | | - Antonio Quesada
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Carretera de Ajalvir, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Biología, C. Darwin 2, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Carrizo
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Carretera de Ajalvir, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Víctor Parro
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Carretera de Ajalvir, Madrid, Spain
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5
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Sánchez-García L, Carrizo D, Lezcano MÁ, Moreno-Paz M, Aeppli C, García-Villadangos M, Prieto-Ballesteros O, Demergasso C, Chong G, Parro V. Time-Integrative Multibiomarker Detection in Triassic-Jurassic Rocks from the Atacama Desert: Relevance to the Search for Basic Life Beyond Earth. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:1421-1437. [PMID: 34551267 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Detecting evidence of life on other planetary bodies requires a certain understanding of known biomarkers and their chemical nature, preservation potential, or biological specificity. In a planetary search for life, carbonates are of special interest due to their known association with life as we know it. On Earth, carbonates serve as an invaluable paleogeochemical archive of fossils of up to billions of years old. Here, we investigated biomarker profiles on three Chilean Triassic-Jurassic sedimentary records regarding our search for signs of past and present life over ∼200 Ma. A multianalytical platform that combines lipid-derived biomarkers, metaproteomics, and a life detector chip (LDChip) is considered in the detection of biomolecules with different perdurability and source-diagnosis potential. The combined identification of proteins with positive LDChip inmunodetections provides metabolic information and taxonomic affiliation of modern/subrecent biosignatures. Molecular and isotopic analysis of more perdurable hydrocarbon cores allows for the identification of general biosources and dominant autotrophic pathways over time, as well as recreation of prevailing redox conditions over ∼200 Ma. We demonstrate how extraterrestrial life detection can benefit from the use of different biomarkers to overcome diagnosis limitations due to a lack of specificity and/or alteration over time. Our findings have implications for future astrobiological missions to Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Sánchez-García
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Carrizo
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - María Ángeles Lezcano
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Mercedes Moreno-Paz
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Christoph Aeppli
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, Maine, USA
| | | | | | - Cecilia Demergasso
- Department of Geological Sciences, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Guillermo Chong
- Department of Geological Sciences, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Victor Parro
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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6
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Fernández-Martínez MÁ, García-Villadangos M, Moreno-Paz M, Gangloff V, Carrizo D, Blanco Y, González S, Sánchez-García L, Prieto-Ballesteros O, Altshuler I, Whyte LG, Parro V, Fairén AG. Geomicrobiological Heterogeneity of Lithic Habitats in the Extreme Environment of Antarctic Nunataks: A Potential Early Mars Analog. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:670982. [PMID: 34276605 PMCID: PMC8284421 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.670982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nunataks are permanent ice-free rocky peaks that project above ice caps in polar regions, thus being exposed to extreme climatic conditions throughout the year. They undergo extremely low temperatures and scarcity of liquid water in winter, while receiving high incident and reflected (albedo) UVA-B radiation in summer. Here, we investigate the geomicrobiology of the permanently exposed lithic substrates of nunataks from Livingston Island (South Shetlands, Antarctic Peninsula), with focus on prokaryotic community structure and their main metabolic traits. Contrarily to first hypothesis, an extensive sampling based on different gradients and multianalytical approaches demonstrated significant differences for most geomicrobiological parameters between the bedrock, soil, and loose rock substrates, which overlapped any other regional variation. Brevibacillus genus dominated on bedrock and soil substrates, while loose rocks contained a diverse microbial community, including Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria and abundant Cyanobacteria inhabiting the milder and diverse microhabitats within. Archaea, a domain never described before in similar Antarctic environments, were also consistently found in the three substrates, but being more abundant and potentially more active in soils. Stable isotopic ratios of total carbon (δ 13C) and nitrogen (δ 15N), soluble anions concentrations, and the detection of proteins involved in key metabolisms via the Life Detector Chip (LDChip), suggest that microbial primary production has a pivotal role in nutrient cycling at these exposed areas with limited deposition of nutrients. Detection of stress-resistance proteins, such as molecular chaperons, suggests microbial molecular adaptation mechanisms to cope with these harsh conditions. Since early Mars may have encompassed analogous environmental conditions as the ones found in these Antarctic nunataks, our study also contributes to the understanding of the metabolic features and biomarker profiles of a potential Martian microbiota, as well as the use of LDChip in future life detection missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Ángel Fernández-Martínez
- Centro de Astrobiología, CSIC-INTA, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Sergi González
- Antarctic Group, Agencia Estatal de Meteorología, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Victor Parro
- Centro de Astrobiología, CSIC-INTA, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto G Fairén
- Centro de Astrobiología, CSIC-INTA, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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7
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Reed PA, Lagasse BA, Garcia CD. Fast Degradation of Hydrogen Peroxide by Immobilized Catalase to Enable the Use of Biosensors in Extraterrestrial Bodies. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:191-198. [PMID: 33052719 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogen peroxide has been postulated to be present on the surface of Europa and Enceladus. While it could represent a potential source of energy for possible life-forms, H2O2 may also interfere with a number of current detection technologies, including biosensors. To take advantage of the selectivity and portability of these devices, simple and reliable routes to degrade the potential H2O2 present should be developed and implemented to prepare for this possibility. Unfortunately, most of the current approaches for removing H2O2 are slow, may affect the sample, or could interfere with the performance of biosensors. To address these limitations, catalase was immobilized onto silica particles and used as a means to selectively decompose H2O2 prior to the analysis of common biomarkers with a biosensor. For these experiments, glucose, l-leucine, and lactic acid were used as representative examples of biomolecules such as carbohydrates, amino acids, and organic acids, respectively, which could be used as biomarkers on extraterrestrial bodies. While the decomposition reaction between catalase and H2O2 is well known, to our knowledge this is the first instance where catalase has been used in combination with a microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD) to implement selective sample pretreatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paige A Reed
- Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
| | - Bryan A Lagasse
- Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, USA
| | - Carlos D Garcia
- Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
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8
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Gallardo-Carreño I, Moreno-Paz M, Aguirre J, Blanco Y, Alonso-Pintado E, Raymond-Bouchard I, Maggiori C, Rivas LA, Engelbrektson A, Whyte L, Parro V. A Multiplex Immunosensor for Detecting Perchlorate-Reducing Bacteria for Environmental Monitoring and Planetary Exploration. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:590736. [PMID: 33391207 PMCID: PMC7772991 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.590736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Perchlorate anions are produced by chemical industries and are important contaminants in certain natural ecosystems. Perchlorate also occurs in some natural and uncontaminated environments such as the Atacama Desert, the high Arctic or the Antarctic Dry Valleys, and is especially abundant on the surface of Mars. As some bacterial strains are capable of using perchlorate as an electron acceptor under anaerobic conditions, their detection is relevant for environmental monitoring on Earth as well as for the search for life on Mars. We have developed an antibody microarray with 20 polyclonal antibodies to detect perchlorate-reducing bacteria (PRB) strains and two crucial and highly conserved enzymes involved in perchlorate respiration: perchlorate reductase and chlorite dismutase. We determined the cross-reactivity, the working concentration, and the limit of detection of each antibody individually and in a multiplex format by Fluorescent Sandwich Microarray Immunoassay. Although most of them exhibited relatively high sensitivity and specificity, we applied a deconvolution method based on graph theory to discriminate between specific signals and cross-reactions from related microorganisms. We validated the system by analyzing multiple bacterial isolates, crude extracts from contaminated reactors and salt-rich natural samples from the high Arctic. The PRB detecting chip (PRBCHIP) allowed us to detect and classify environmental isolates as well as to detect similar strains by using crude extracts obtained from 0.5 g even from soils with low organic-matter levels (<103 cells/g of soil). Our results demonstrated that PRBCHIP is a valuable tool for sensitive and reliable detection of perchlorate-reducing bacteria for research purposes, environmental monitoring and planetary exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mercedes Moreno-Paz
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jacobo Aguirre
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain.,Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.,Grupo Interdisciplinar de Sistemas Complejos (GISC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Yolanda Blanco
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Catherine Maggiori
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Luis A Rivas
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain.,Inmunología y Genética Aplicada, S.A. (INGENASA), Madrid, Spain
| | - Anna Engelbrektson
- Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Lyle Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Víctor Parro
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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9
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Sánchez-García L, Fernández-Martínez MA, Moreno-Paz M, Carrizo D, García-Villadangos M, Manchado JM, Stoker CR, Glass B, Parro V. Simulating Mars Drilling Mission for Searching for Life: Ground-Truthing Lipids and Other Complex Microbial Biomarkers in the Iron-Sulfur Rich Río Tinto Analog. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:1029-1047. [PMID: 31916858 PMCID: PMC7499885 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Sulfate and iron oxide deposits in Río Tinto (Southwestern Spain) are a terrestrial analog of early martian hematite-rich regions. Understanding the distribution and drivers of microbial life in iron-rich environments can give critical clues on how to search for biosignatures on Mars. We simulated a robotic drilling mission searching for signs of life in the martian subsurface, by using a 1m-class planetary prototype drill mounted on a full-scale mockup of NASA's Phoenix and InSight lander platforms. We demonstrated fully automated and aseptic drilling on iron and sulfur rich sediments at the Río Tinto riverbanks, and sample transfer and delivery to sterile containers and analytical instruments. As a ground-truth study, samples were analyzed in the field with the life detector chip immunoassay for searching microbial markers, and then in the laboratory with X-ray diffraction to determine mineralogy, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for lipid composition, isotope-ratio mass spectrometry for isotopic ratios, and 16S/18S rRNA genes sequencing for biodiversity. A ubiquitous presence of microbial biomarkers distributed along the 1m-depth subsurface was influenced by the local mineralogy and geochemistry. The spatial heterogeneity of abiotic variables at local scale highlights the importance of considering drill replicates in future martian drilling missions. The multi-analytical approach provided proof of concept that molecular biomarkers varying in compositional nature, preservation potential, and taxonomic specificity can be recovered from shallow drilling on iron-rich Mars analogues by using an automated life-detection lander prototype, such as the one proposed for NASA's IceBreaker mission proposal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Sánchez-García
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain
- Address correspondence to: Laura Sánchez-García, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid 28850, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Brian Glass
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
| | - Victor Parro
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain
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Microbial Markers Profile in Anaerobic Mars Analogue Environments Using the LDChip (Life Detector Chip) Antibody Microarray Core of the SOLID (Signs of Life Detector) Platform. Microorganisms 2019; 7:microorganisms7090365. [PMID: 31540500 PMCID: PMC6780502 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7090365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the main objectives for astrobiology is to unravel and explore the habitability of environments beyond Earth, paying special attention to Mars. If the combined environmental stress factors on Mars are compatible with life or if they were less harsh in the past, to investigate the traces of past or present life is critical to understand its potential habitability. Essential for this research is the characterization of Mars analogue environments on Earth through the development of techniques for biomarker detection in them. Biosensing techniques based on fluorescence sandwich microarray immunoassays (FSMI) have shown to be a powerful tool to detect biosignatures and depict the microbial profiles of different environments. In this study, we described the microbial biomarker profile of five anoxic Mars analogues sites using the Life Detector Chip (LDChip), an antibody microarray for multiple microbial marker detection. Furthermore, we contributed to new targets by developing a new 26-polyclonal antibodies microarray using crude extracts from anaerobic sampling sites, halophilic microorganisms, and anaerobic isolates obtained in the framework of the European Mars Analogues for Space Exploration (MASE) project. The new subset of antibodies was characterized and implemented into a microarray platform (MASE-Chip) for microbial marker searching in salty and anaerobic environments.
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11
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Stevens AH, McDonald A, de Koning C, Riedo A, Preston LJ, Ehrenfreund P, Wurz P, Cockell CS. Detectability of biosignatures in a low-biomass simulation of martian sediments. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9706. [PMID: 31273294 PMCID: PMC6609699 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46239-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Discovery of a remnant habitable environment by the Mars Science Laboratory in the sedimentary record of Gale Crater has reinvigorated the search for evidence of martian life. In this study, we used a simulated martian mudstone material, based on data from Gale Crater, that was inoculated and cultured over several months and then dried and pressed. The simulated mudstone was analysed with a range of techniques to investigate the detectability of biosignatures. Cell counting and DNA extraction showed a diverse but low biomass microbial community that was highly dispersed. Pellets were analysed with bulk Elemental Analysis – Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (EA-IRMS), high-resolution Laser-ablation Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (LIMS), Raman spectroscopy and Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectroscopy, which are all techniques of relevance to current and future space missions. Bulk analytical techniques were unable to differentiate between inoculated samples and abiotic controls, despite total levels of organic carbon comparable with that of the martian surface. Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy and LIMS, which are high sensitivity techniques that provide chemical information at high spatial resolution, retrieved presumptive biosignatures but these remained ambiguous and the sedimentary matrix presented challenges for all techniques. This suggests challenges for detecting definitive evidence for life, both in the simulated lacustrine environment via standard microbiological techniques and in the simulated mudstone via analytical techniques with relevance to robotic missions. Our study suggests that multiple co-incident high-sensitivity techniques that can scan the same micrometre-scale spots are required to unambiguously detect biosignatures, but the spatial coverage of these techniques needs to be high enough not to miss individual cellular-scale structures in the matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam H Stevens
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Alison McDonald
- School of Engineering, Bioimaging Facility, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Coen de Koning
- Sackler Laboratory for Astrophysics, Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Andreas Riedo
- Sackler Laboratory for Astrophysics, Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Louisa J Preston
- Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Pascale Ehrenfreund
- Sackler Laboratory for Astrophysics, Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Wurz
- Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Charles S Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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12
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Sanchez-Garcia L, Fernandez-Martinez MA, García-Villadangos M, Blanco Y, Cady SL, Hinman N, Bowden ME, Pointing SB, Lee KC, Warren-Rhodes K, Lacap-Bugler D, Cabrol NA, Parro V, Carrizo D. Microbial Biomarker Transition in High-Altitude Sinter Mounds From El Tatio (Chile) Through Different Stages of Hydrothermal Activity. Front Microbiol 2019; 9:3350. [PMID: 30697206 PMCID: PMC6340942 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.03350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 12/31/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Geothermal springs support microbial communities at elevated temperatures in an ecosystem with high preservation potential that makes them interesting analogs for early evolution of the biogeosphere. The El Tatio geysers field in the Atacama Desert has astrobiological relevance due to the unique occurrence of geothermal features with steep hydrothermal gradients in an otherwise high altitude, hyper-arid environment. We present here results of our multidisciplinary field and molecular study of biogeochemical evidence for habitability and preservation in silica sinter at El Tatio. We sampled three morphologically similar geyser mounds characterized by differences in water activity (i.e., episodic liquid water, steam, and inactive geyser lacking hydrothermal activity). Multiple approaches were employed to determine (past and present) biological signatures and dominant metabolism. Lipid biomarkers indicated relative abundance of thermophiles (dicarboxylic acids) and sulfate reducing bacteria (branched carboxylic acids) in the sinter collected from the liquid water mound; photosynthetic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria (alkanes and isoprenoids) in the steam sinter mound; and archaea (squalane and crocetane) as well as purple sulfur bacteria (cyclopropyl acids) in the dry sinter from the inactive geyser. The three sinter structures preserved biosignatures representative of primary (thermophilic) and secondary (including endoliths and environmental contaminants) microbial communities. Sequencing of environmental 16S rRNA genes and immuno-assays generally corroborated the lipid-based microbial identification. The multiplex immunoassays and the compound-specific isotopic analysis of carboxylic acids, alkanols, and alkanes indicated that the principal microbial pathway for carbon fixation in the three sinter mounds was through the Calvin cycle, with a relative larger contribution of the reductive acetyl-CoA pathway in the dry system. Other inferred metabolic traits varied from the liquid mound (iron and sulfur chemistry), to the steam mound (nitrogen cycle), to the dry mound (perchlorate reduction). The combined results revealed different stages of colonization that reflect differences in the lifetime of the mounds, where primary communities dominated the biosignatures preserved in sinters from the still active geysers (liquid and steam mounds), in contrast to the surviving metabolisms and microbial communities at the end of lifetime of the inactive geothermal mound.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sherry L Cady
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Nancy Hinman
- Department of Geosciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States
| | - Mark E Bowden
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Stephen B Pointing
- Yale-NUS College, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kevin C Lee
- School of Science, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Kimberly Warren-Rhodes
- SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA, United States.,NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, United States
| | | | - Nathalie A Cabrol
- SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA, United States.,NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, United States
| | - Victor Parro
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain
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13
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Rummel JD, Conley CA. Inadvertently Finding Earth Contamination on Mars Should Not Be a Priority for Anyone. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:108-115. [PMID: 29451824 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
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