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Liu Y, Wu Z, Zhang T, Zhao J, Shen C, Tang H, Shang J, Huang Y, Huang L. Acidithiobacillus species drive the formation of ferric-silica cemented microstructure: Insights into early hardpan development for mine site rehabilitation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169163. [PMID: 38072279 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169163] [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: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/31/2023]
Abstract
Hardpan-based profiles naturally formed under semi-arid climatic conditions have substantial potential in rehabilitating sulfidic tailings, resulting from their aggregation microstructure regulated by Fe-Si cements. Nevertheless, eco-engineered approaches for accelerating the formation of complex cementation structure remain unclear. The present study aims to investigate the microbial functions of extremophiles on mineral dissolution, oxidation, and aggregation (cementation) through a microcosm experiment containing pyrites and polysilicates, of which are dominant components in typical sulfidic tailings. Microspectroscopic analysis revealed that pyrite was rapidly dissolved and massive microbial corrosion pits were displayed on pyrite surfaces. Synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy demonstrated that approximately 30 % pyrites were oxidized to jarosite-like (ca. 14 %) and ferrihydrite-like minerals (ca. 16 %) in talc group, leading to the formation of secondary Fe precipitates. The Si ions co-dissolved from polysilicates may be embedded into secondary Fe precipitates, while these clustered Fe-Si precipitates displayed distinct morphology (e.g., "circular" shaped in the talc group, "fine-grained" shaped in the chlorite group, and "donut" shaped in the muscovite group). Moreover, the precipitates could join together and act as cementing agents aggregating mineral particles together, forming macroaggregates in talc and chlorite groups. The present findings revealed critical microbial functions on accelerating mineral dissolution, oxidation, and aggregation of pyrite and various silicates, which provided the eco-engineered feasibility of hardpan-based technology for mine site rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunjia Liu
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China; Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Zeqi Wu
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Tingrui Zhang
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Jiachen Zhao
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Chongyang Shen
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Huaizhi Tang
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Jianying Shang
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Yuanfang Huang
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China.
| | - Longbin Huang
- Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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2
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Picard A, Gartman A, Girguis PR. Interactions Between Iron Sulfide Minerals and Organic Carbon: Implications for Biosignature Preservation and Detection. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:587-604. [PMID: 33780638 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Microbe-mineral interactions can produce unique composite materials, which can preserve biosignatures. Geological evidence suggests that iron sulfide (Fe-S) minerals are abundant in the subsurface of Mars. On Earth, the formation of Fe-S minerals is driven by sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRM) that produce reactive sulfide. Moreover, SRM metabolites, as well as intact cells, can influence the morphology, particle size, aggregation, and composition of biogenic Fe-S minerals. In this work, we evaluated how simple and complex organic molecules-hexoses and amino acid/peptide mixtures, respectively-influence the formation of Fe-S minerals (simulated prebiotic conditions), and whether the observed patterns mimic the biological influence of SRM. To this end, organo-mineral aggregates were characterized with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy coupled to near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. Overall, Fe-S minerals were found to have a strong affinity for proteinaceous organic matter. Fe-S minerals precipitated at simulated prebiotic conditions yielded organic carbon distributions that were more homogeneous than treatments with whole SRM cells. In prebiotic experiments, spectroscopy detected potential organic transformations during Fe-S mineral formation, including conversion of hexoses to sugar acids and polymerization of amino acids/peptides into larger peptides/proteins. In addition, prebiotic mineral-carbon assemblages produced nanometer-scaled filamentous aggregated morphologies. On the contrary, in biotic treatments with cells, organic carbon in minerals displayed a more heterogeneous distribution. Notably, "hot spots" of organic carbon and oxygen-containing functional groups, with the size, shape, and composition of microbial cells, were preserved in mineral aggregates. We propose a list of characteristics that could be used to help distinguish biogenic from prebiotic/abiotic Fe-S minerals and help refine the search of extant or extinct microbial life in the martian subsurface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aude Picard
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
| | - Amy Gartman
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Peter R Girguis
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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3
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Jacquemot P, Viennet JC, Bernard S, Le Guillou C, Rigaud B, Delbes L, Georgelin T, Jaber M. The degradation of organic compounds impacts the crystallization of clay minerals and vice versa. Sci Rep 2019; 9:20251. [PMID: 31882914 PMCID: PMC6934458 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56756-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Expanding our capabilities to unambiguously identify ancient traces of life in ancient rocks requires laboratory experiments to better constrain the evolution of biomolecules during advanced fossilization processes. Here, we submitted RNA to hydrothermal conditions in the presence of a gel of Al-smectite stoichiometry at 200 °C for 20 days. NMR and STXM-XANES investigations revealed that the organic fraction of the residues is no longer RNA, nor the quite homogeneous aromatic-rich residue obtained in the absence of clays, but rather consists of particles of various chemical composition including amide-rich compounds. Rather than the pure clays obtained in the absence of RNA, electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) and diffraction (XRD) data showed that the mineralogy of the experimental residues includes amorphous silica and aluminosilicates mixed together with nanoscales phosphates and clay minerals. In addition to the influence of clay minerals on the degradation of organic compounds, these results evidence the influence of the presence of organic compounds on the nature of the mineral assemblage, highlighting the importance of fine-scale mineralogical investigations when discussing the nature/origin of organo-mineral microstructures found in ancient rocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Jacquemot
- National Museum of Natural History (MNHN), Sorbonne University, CNRS, Institute of Mineralogy, Material Physics and Cosmochemistry (IMPMC - UMR 7590), F-75005, Paris, France
- Sorbonne University, CNRS, Laboratory of Molecular and Structural Archeology (LAMS - UMR 8220), F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Viennet
- National Museum of Natural History (MNHN), Sorbonne University, CNRS, Institute of Mineralogy, Material Physics and Cosmochemistry (IMPMC - UMR 7590), F-75005, Paris, France
- Sorbonne University, CNRS, Laboratory of Molecular and Structural Archeology (LAMS - UMR 8220), F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Sylvain Bernard
- National Museum of Natural History (MNHN), Sorbonne University, CNRS, Institute of Mineralogy, Material Physics and Cosmochemistry (IMPMC - UMR 7590), F-75005, Paris, France.
| | | | | | - Ludovic Delbes
- National Museum of Natural History (MNHN), Sorbonne University, CNRS, Institute of Mineralogy, Material Physics and Cosmochemistry (IMPMC - UMR 7590), F-75005, Paris, France
| | | | - Maguy Jaber
- Sorbonne University, CNRS, Laboratory of Molecular and Structural Archeology (LAMS - UMR 8220), F-75005, Paris, France
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4
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Javaux EJ. Challenges in evidencing the earliest traces of life. Nature 2019; 572:451-460. [PMID: 31435057 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1436-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Earth has been habitable for 4.3 billion years, and the earliest rock record indicates the presence of a microbial biosphere by at least 3.4 billion years ago-and disputably earlier. Possible traces of life can be morphological or chemical but abiotic processes that mimic or alter them, or subsequent contamination, may challenge their interpretation. Advances in micro- and nanoscale analyses, as well as experimental approaches, are improving the characterization of these biosignatures and constraining abiotic processes, when combined with the geological context. Reassessing the evidence of early life is challenging, but essential and timely in the quest to understand the origin and evolution of life, both on Earth and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuelle J Javaux
- Early Life Traces & Evolution-Astrobiology, UR Astrobiology, Department of Geology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
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5
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Alleon J, Summons RE. Organic geochemical approaches to understanding early life. Free Radic Biol Med 2019; 140:103-112. [PMID: 30858060 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2019.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 03/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Here we discuss the early geological record of preserved organic carbon and the criteria that must be applied to distinguish biological from non-biological origins. Sedimentary graphite, irrespective of its isotopic composition, does not constitute a reliable biosignature because the rocks in which it is found are generally metamorphosed to the point where convincing signs of life have been erased. Rather, multiple lines of evidence, including sedimentary textures, microfossils, large accumulations of organic matter and isotopic data for co-existing carbon, nitrogen and sulfur are required before biological origin can be convincingly demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Alleon
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Roger E Summons
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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6
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Bryce C, Blackwell N, Schmidt C, Otte J, Huang YM, Kleindienst S, Tomaszewski E, Schad M, Warter V, Peng C, Byrne JM, Kappler A. Microbial anaerobic Fe(II) oxidation - Ecology, mechanisms and environmental implications. Environ Microbiol 2018; 20:3462-3483. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Casey Bryce
- Geomicrobiology; University of Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
| | - Nia Blackwell
- Geomicrobiology; University of Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
| | | | - Julia Otte
- Geomicrobiology; University of Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
| | - Yu-Ming Huang
- Geomicrobiology; University of Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
| | | | | | - Manuel Schad
- Geomicrobiology; University of Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
| | - Viola Warter
- Geomicrobiology; University of Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
| | - Chao Peng
- Geomicrobiology; University of Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
| | - James M. Byrne
- Geomicrobiology; University of Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
| | - Andreas Kappler
- Geomicrobiology; University of Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
- Center for Geomicrobiology, Department of Bioscience; Aarhus University; Aarhus Denmark
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7
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Igisu M, Yokoyama T, Ueno Y, Nakashima S, Shimojima M, Ohta H, Maruyama S. Changes of aliphatic C-H bonds in cyanobacteria during experimental thermal maturation in the presence or absence of silica as evaluated by FTIR microspectroscopy. GEOBIOLOGY 2018; 16:412-428. [PMID: 29869829 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Aliphatic C-H bonds are one of the major organic signatures detected in Proterozoic organic microfossils, and their origin is a topic of interest. To investigate the influence of the presence of silica on the thermal alteration of aliphatic C-H bonds in prokaryotic cells during diagenesis, cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 were heated at temperatures of 250-450°C. Changes in the infrared (IR) signals were monitored by micro-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Micro-FTIR shows that absorbances at 2,925 cm-1 band (aliphatic CH2 ) and 2,960 cm-1 band (aliphatic CH3 ) decrease during heating, indicating loss of the C-H bonds, which was delayed by the presence of silica. A theoretical approach using solid-state kinetics indicates that the most probable process for the aliphatic C-H decrease is three-dimensional diffusion of alteration products under both non-embedded and silica-embedded conditions. The extrapolation of the experimental results obtained at 250-450°C to lower temperatures implies that the rate constant for CH3 (kCH3 ) is similar to or lower than that for CH2 (kCH2 ; i.e., CH3 decreases at a similar rate or more slowly than CH2 ). The peak height ratio of 2,960 cm-1 band (CH3 )/2,925 cm-1 band (CH2 ; R3/2 values) either increased or remained constant during the heating. These results reveal that the presence of silica does affect the decreasing rate of the aliphatic C-H bonds in cyanobacteria during thermal maturation, but that it does not significantly decrease the R3/2 values. Meanwhile, studies of microfossils suggest that the R3/2 values of Proterozoic prokaryotic fossils from the Bitter Springs Group and Gunflint Formation have decreased during fossilization, which is inconsistent with the prediction from our experimental results that R3/2 values did not decrease after silicification. Some process other than thermal degradation, possibly preservation of specific classes of biomolecules with low R3/2 values, might have occurred during fossilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motoko Igisu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Tadashi Yokoyama
- Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Ueno
- Department of Subsurface Geobiology Analysis and Research, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Kanagawa, Japan
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoru Nakashima
- Department of Earth and Space Science, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Mie Shimojima
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Ohta
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Shigenori Maruyama
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
- Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
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8
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Sánchez-España J, Wang K, Falagán C, Yusta I, Burgos WD. Microbially mediated aluminosilicate formation in acidic anaerobic environments: A cell-scale chemical perspective. GEOBIOLOGY 2018; 16:88-103. [PMID: 29322690 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Through the use of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) combined with other complementary techniques (SEM, cryo-TEM, HRTEM, and EELS), we have studied the interaction of microorganisms inhabiting deep anoxic waters of acidic pit lakes with dissolved aluminum, silica, sulfate, and ferrous iron. These elements were close to saturation (Al, SiO2 ) or present at very high concentrations (0.12 m Fe(II), 0.12-0.22 m SO42- ) in the studied systems. The anaerobic conditions of these environments allowed investigation of geomicrobial interactions that are difficult to see in oxidized, Fe(III)-rich environments. Detailed chemical maps and through-cell line scans suggest both extra- and intracellular accumulation of Al, Si, S, and Fe(II) in rod-like cells and other structures (e.g., spherical particles and bacteriomorphs) of probable microbial origin. The bacterial rods showed external nanometric coatings of adsorbed Fe(II) and Al on the cell surface and cell interiors with significant presence of Al, Si, and S. These microbial cells coexist with spherical particles showing similar configuration (Fe(II) external coatings and [Al, Si, S]-rich cores). The Al:Si and Al:S ratios and the good Al-Si correlation in the cell interiors suggest the concurrent formation of two amorphous phases, namely a proto-aluminosilicate with imogolite-like composition and proto-hydrobasaluminite. In both cases, the mineralization appears to comprise two stages: a first stage of aluminosilicate and Al-hydroxysulfate precipitation within the cell or around cellular exudates, and a second stage of SO42- and Fe(II) adsorption on surface sites existing on the mineral phases in the case of (SO42- ) or on presumed organic molecules [in the case of Fe(II)]. These microbially related solids could have been formed by permineralization and mineral replacement of senescent microbial cells. However, these features could also denote biomineralization by active bacterial cells as a detoxification mechanism, a possibility which should be further explored. We discuss the significance of the observed Al/microbe and Si/microbe interactions and the implications for clay mineral formation at low pH.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Sánchez-España
- Environmental Hydrogeochemistry, Geological Survey of Spain (IGME), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Geological Resources, Geological Survey of Spain (IGME), Madrid, Spain
| | - K Wang
- Materials Characterization Laboratory (MCL), The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - C Falagán
- College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - I Yusta
- Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, Faculty of Science and Technology, The Basque Country University (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain
| | - W D Burgos
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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9
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Miot J, Bernard S, Bourreau M, Guyot F, Kish A. Experimental maturation of Archaea encrusted by Fe-phosphates. Sci Rep 2017; 7:16984. [PMID: 29208997 PMCID: PMC5717249 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17111-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Burial is generally detrimental to the preservation of biological signals. It has often been assumed that (bio)mineral-encrusted microorganisms are more resistant to burial-induced degradation than non-encrusted ones over geological timescales. For the present study, we submitted Sulfolobus acidocaldarius experimentally encrusted by amorphous Fe phosphates to constrained temperature conditions (150 °C) under pressure for 1 to 5 days, thereby simulating burial-induced processes. We document the molecular and mineralogical evolution of these assemblages down to the sub-micrometer scale using X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopies and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy at the carbon K-edge. The present results demonstrate that the presence of Fe-phosphates enhances the chemical degradation of microbial organic matter. While Fe-phosphates remained amorphous in abiotic controls, crystalline lipscombite (FeIIxFeIII3-x(PO4)2(OH)3-x) entrapping organic matter formed in the presence of S. acidocaldarius cells. Lipscombite textures (framboidal vs. bipyramidal) appeared only controlled by the initial level of encrustation of the cells, suggesting that the initial organic matter to mineral ratio influences the competition between nucleation and crystal growth. Altogether these results highlight the important interplay between minerals and organic matter during fossilization, which should be taken into account when interpreting the fossil record.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Miot
- IMPMC, Sorbonne Université, MNHN, UPMC, CNRS UMR 7590, 4 pl. Jussieu, 75005, Paris, France.
| | - S Bernard
- IMPMC, Sorbonne Université, MNHN, UPMC, CNRS UMR 7590, 4 pl. Jussieu, 75005, Paris, France
| | - M Bourreau
- MCAM, MNHN, UPMC, CNRS UMR 7245, 63 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
| | - F Guyot
- IMPMC, Sorbonne Université, MNHN, UPMC, CNRS UMR 7590, 4 pl. Jussieu, 75005, Paris, France
| | - A Kish
- MCAM, MNHN, UPMC, CNRS UMR 7245, 63 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
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10
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Gaboyer F, Le Milbeau C, Bohmeier M, Schwendner P, Vannier P, Beblo-Vranesevic K, Rabbow E, Foucher F, Gautret P, Guégan R, Richard A, Sauldubois A, Richmann P, Perras AK, Moissl-Eichinger C, Cockell CS, Rettberg P, Marteinsson, Monaghan E, Ehrenfreund P, Garcia-Descalzo L, Gomez F, Malki M, Amils R, Cabezas P, Walter N, Westall F. Mineralization and Preservation of an extremotolerant Bacterium Isolated from an Early Mars Analog Environment. Sci Rep 2017; 7:8775. [PMID: 28821776 PMCID: PMC5562696 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08929-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The artificial mineralization of a polyresistant bacterial strain isolated from an acidic, oligotrophic lake was carried out to better understand microbial (i) early mineralization and (ii) potential for further fossilisation. Mineralization was conducted in mineral matrixes commonly found on Mars and Early-Earth, silica and gypsum, for 6 months. Samples were analyzed using microbiological (survival rates), morphological (electron microscopy), biochemical (GC-MS, Microarray immunoassay, Rock-Eval) and spectroscopic (EDX, FTIR, RAMAN spectroscopy) methods. We also investigated the impact of physiological status on mineralization and long-term fossilisation by exposing cells or not to Mars-related stresses (desiccation and radiation). Bacterial populations remained viable after 6 months although the kinetics of mineralization and cell-mineral interactions depended on the nature of minerals. Detection of biosignatures strongly depended on analytical methods, successful with FTIR and EDX but not with RAMAN and immunoassays. Neither influence of stress exposure, nor qualitative and quantitative changes of detected molecules were observed as a function of mineralization time and matrix. Rock-Eval analysis suggests that potential for preservation on geological times may be possible only with moderate diagenetic and metamorphic conditions. The implications of our results for microfossil preservation in the geological record of Earth as well as on Mars are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Gaboyer
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS, Orléans, France.
| | - C Le Milbeau
- Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans, UMR 7327, CNRS-Université d'Orléans, 1A Rue de la Férollerie, 45071, Orléans Cedex 2, France
| | - M Bohmeier
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | - P Schwendner
- UK Center for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - P Vannier
- MATIS - Prokaria, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - K Beblo-Vranesevic
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | - E Rabbow
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | - F Foucher
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS, Orléans, France
| | - P Gautret
- Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans, UMR 7327, CNRS-Université d'Orléans, 1A Rue de la Férollerie, 45071, Orléans Cedex 2, France
| | - R Guégan
- Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans, UMR 7327, CNRS-Université d'Orléans, 1A Rue de la Férollerie, 45071, Orléans Cedex 2, France
| | - A Richard
- Centre de Microscopie Electronique, Université d'Orléans, Orléans, France
| | - A Sauldubois
- Centre de Microscopie Electronique, Université d'Orléans, Orléans, France
| | - P Richmann
- Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans, UMR 7327, CNRS-Université d'Orléans, 1A Rue de la Férollerie, 45071, Orléans Cedex 2, France
| | - A K Perras
- University Regensburg, Department of Microbiology, Regensburg, Germany.,Medical University of Graz, Department of Internal Medicine, Graz, Austria
| | | | - C S Cockell
- UK Center for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - P Rettberg
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | | | - E Monaghan
- Leiden Observatory, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - P Ehrenfreund
- Leiden Observatory, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - L Garcia-Descalzo
- Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial - Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CAB), Madrid, Spain
| | - F Gomez
- Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial - Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CAB), Madrid, Spain
| | - M Malki
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - R Amils
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - P Cabezas
- European Science Foundation (ESF), Strasbourg, France
| | - N Walter
- European Science Foundation (ESF), Strasbourg, France
| | - F Westall
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS, Orléans, France
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11
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Evidence for early life in Earth's oldest hydrothermal vent precipitates. Nature 2017; 543:60-64. [PMID: 28252057 DOI: 10.1038/nature21377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Although it is not known when or where life on Earth began, some of the earliest habitable environments may have been submarine-hydrothermal vents. Here we describe putative fossilized microorganisms that are at least 3,770 million and possibly 4,280 million years old in ferruginous sedimentary rocks, interpreted as seafloor-hydrothermal vent-related precipitates, from the Nuvvuagittuq belt in Quebec, Canada. These structures occur as micrometre-scale haematite tubes and filaments with morphologies and mineral assemblages similar to those of filamentous microorganisms from modern hydrothermal vent precipitates and analogous microfossils in younger rocks. The Nuvvuagittuq rocks contain isotopically light carbon in carbonate and carbonaceous material, which occurs as graphitic inclusions in diagenetic carbonate rosettes, apatite blades intergrown among carbonate rosettes and magnetite-haematite granules, and is associated with carbonate in direct contact with the putative microfossils. Collectively, these observations are consistent with an oxidized biomass and provide evidence for biological activity in submarine-hydrothermal environments more than 3,770 million years ago.
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Alleon J, Bernard S, Le Guillou C, Daval D, Skouri-Panet F, Kuga M, Robert F. Organic molecular heterogeneities can withstand diagenesis. Sci Rep 2017; 7:1508. [PMID: 28473702 PMCID: PMC5431453 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01612-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Reconstructing the original biogeochemistry of organic fossils requires quantifying the extent of the chemical transformations that they underwent during burial-induced maturation processes. Here, we performed laboratory experiments on chemically different organic materials in order to simulate the thermal maturation processes that occur during diagenesis. Starting organic materials were microorganisms and organic aerosols. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) was used to collect X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) data of the organic residues. Results indicate that even after having been submitted to 250 °C and 250 bars for 100 days, the molecular signatures of microorganisms and aerosols remain different in terms of nitrogen-to-carbon atomic ratio and carbon and nitrogen speciation. These observations suggest that burial-induced thermal degradation processes may not completely obliterate the chemical and molecular signatures of organic molecules. In other words, the present study suggests that organic molecular heterogeneities can withstand diagenesis and be recognized in the fossil record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Alleon
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), Sorbonne Universités - CNRS UMR 7590, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, IRD UMR 206, 61 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France.,Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Sylvain Bernard
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), Sorbonne Universités - CNRS UMR 7590, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, IRD UMR 206, 61 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France.
| | | | - Damien Daval
- Laboratoire d'Hydrologie et de Géochimie de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg/EOST - CNRS UMR 7517, 1 Rue Blessig, 67084, Strasbourg, France
| | - Feriel Skouri-Panet
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), Sorbonne Universités - CNRS UMR 7590, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, IRD UMR 206, 61 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Maïa Kuga
- Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - François Robert
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), Sorbonne Universités - CNRS UMR 7590, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, IRD UMR 206, 61 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
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Alleon J, Bernard S, Le Guillou C, Marin-Carbonne J, Pont S, Beyssac O, McKeegan KD, Robert F. Molecular preservation of 1.88 Ga Gunflint organic microfossils as a function of temperature and mineralogy. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11977. [PMID: 27312070 PMCID: PMC4915024 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The significant degradation that fossilized biomolecules may experience during burial makes it challenging to assess the biogenicity of organic microstructures in ancient rocks. Here we investigate the molecular signatures of 1.88 Ga Gunflint organic microfossils as a function of their diagenetic history. Synchrotron-based XANES data collected in situ on individual microfossils, at the submicrometre scale, are compared with data collected on modern microorganisms. Despite diagenetic temperatures of ∼150–170 °C deduced from Raman data, the molecular signatures of some Gunflint organic microfossils have been exceptionally well preserved. Remarkably, amide groups derived from protein compounds can still be detected. We also demonstrate that an additional increase of diagenetic temperature of only 50 °C and the nanoscale association with carbonate minerals have significantly altered the molecular signatures of Gunflint organic microfossils from other localities. Altogether, the present study provides key insights for eventually decoding the earliest fossil record. Thermal diagenesis is generally seen as detrimental to the preservation of organic biosignatures. Using synchrotron-based XANES data, Alleon et al. find preservation of the molecular signatures of organic microfossils from the 1.88 Ga Gunflint cherts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Alleon
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), Sorbonne Universités - CNRS UMR 7590, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UPMC Univ Paris 06, IRD UMR 206, 61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Sylvain Bernard
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), Sorbonne Universités - CNRS UMR 7590, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UPMC Univ Paris 06, IRD UMR 206, 61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Corentin Le Guillou
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), Sorbonne Universités - CNRS UMR 7590, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UPMC Univ Paris 06, IRD UMR 206, 61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Johanna Marin-Carbonne
- Univ Lyon, UJM Saint Etienne, Laboratoire Magma et Volcans, UBP, CNRS, IRD, 23 rue Dr Paul Michelon, 42100 St Etienne, France
| | - Sylvain Pont
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), Sorbonne Universités - CNRS UMR 7590, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UPMC Univ Paris 06, IRD UMR 206, 61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Olivier Beyssac
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), Sorbonne Universités - CNRS UMR 7590, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UPMC Univ Paris 06, IRD UMR 206, 61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Kevin D McKeegan
- Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California-Los Angeles, 595 Charles Young Drive East, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA
| | - François Robert
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), Sorbonne Universités - CNRS UMR 7590, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UPMC Univ Paris 06, IRD UMR 206, 61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
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