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Sephton MA, Freeman K, Hays L, Thiessen F, Benison K, Carrier B, Dworkin JP, Glamoclija M, Gough R, Onofri S, Peterson R, Quinn R, Russell S, Stüeken EE, Velbel M, Zolotov M. Thresholds of Temperature and Time for Mars Sample Return: Final Report of the Mars Sample Return Temperature-Time Tiger Team. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:443-488. [PMID: 38768433 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Sephton
- Imperial College London, Earth Science and Engineering, South Kensington Campus, London, UK
| | - Kate Freeman
- The Pennsylvania State University, Geosciences, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Lindsay Hays
- NASA Headquarters, Mars Sample Return Program, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Fiona Thiessen
- European Space Research and Technology Centre, Noordwijk, South Holland, Netherlands
| | - Kathleen Benison
- West Virginia University, Department of Geology and Geography, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - Brandi Carrier
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Jason P Dworkin
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Astrochemistry, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Mihaela Glamoclija
- Rutgers University Newark College of Arts and Sciences, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Raina Gough
- University of Colorado, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Silvano Onofri
- University of Tuscia, Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, Largo dell'Università snc Viterbo, Italy
| | | | - Richard Quinn
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Sara Russell
- Natural History Museum, Department of Earth Sciences, London, UK
| | - Eva E Stüeken
- University of St Andrews, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, St Andrews, Fife, UK
| | - Michael Velbel
- Michigan State University, Earth and Environmental Sciences, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Smithsonian Institution, Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Mikhail Zolotov
- Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Tempe, Arizona, USA
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2
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Nabi Afjadi M, Aziziyan F, Farzam F, Dabirmanesh B. Biotechnological applications of amyloid fibrils. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2024; 206:435-472. [PMID: 38811087 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2024.04.001] [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: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Protein aggregates and amyloid fibrils have special qualities and are used in a variety of biotechnological applications. They are extensively employed in bioremediation, biomaterials, and biocatalysis. Because of their capacity to encapsulate and release pharmaceuticals and their sensitivity to certain molecules, respectively, they are also used in drug delivery and biosensor applications. They have also demonstrated potential in the domains of food and bioremediation. Additionally, amyloid peptides have drawn interest in biological applications, especially in the investigation of illnesses like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The unique characteristics of amyloid fibrils, namely their mechanical strength and β-sheet structure, make them adaptable to a wide range of biotechnological uses. Even with their promise, one important factor to keep in mind before widely using modified amyloid materials is their potential toxicity. Thus, current research aims to overcome safety concerns while maximizing their potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Nabi Afjadi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Aziziyan
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farnoosh Farzam
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Bahareh Dabirmanesh
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
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3
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Styczinski MJ, Cooper ZS, Glaser DM, Lehmer O, Mierzejewski V, Tarnas J. Chapter 7: Assessing Habitability Beyond Earth. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:S143-S163. [PMID: 38498826 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0097] [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: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
All known life on Earth inhabits environments that maintain conditions between certain extremes of temperature, chemical composition, energy availability, and so on (Chapter 6). Life may have emerged in similar environments elsewhere in the Solar System and beyond. The ongoing search for life elsewhere mainly focuses on those environments most likely to support life, now or in the past-that is, potentially habitable environments. Discussion of habitability is necessarily based on what we know about life on Earth, as it is our only example. This chapter gives an overview of the known and presumed requirements for life on Earth and discusses how these requirements can be used to assess the potential habitability of planetary bodies across the Solar System and beyond. We first consider the chemical requirements of life and potential feedback effects that the presence of life can have on habitable conditions, and then the planetary, stellar, and temporal requirements for habitability. We then review the state of knowledge on the potential habitability of bodies across the Solar System and exoplanets, with a particular focus on Mars, Venus, Europa, and Enceladus. While reviewing the case for the potential habitability of each body, we summarize the most prominent and impactful studies that have informed the perspective on where habitable environments are likely to be found.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Styczinski
- University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Z S Cooper
- University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - D M Glaser
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - O Lehmer
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - V Mierzejewski
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Arizona, USA
| | - J Tarnas
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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Liu J, Michalski JR, Gao W, Schröder C, Li YL. Freeze-thaw cycles drove chemical weathering and enriched sulfates in the Burns formation at Meridiani, Mars. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadi1805. [PMID: 38232168 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi1805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Sulfate-rich sedimentary rocks explored by the Opportunity rover during its 14-year surface mission at Meridiani Planum provide an invaluable window into the thousands of sulfate deposits detected on Mars via remote sensing. Existing models explaining the formation of martian sulfates can be generally described as either bottom-up, groundwater-driven playa settings or top-down icy chemical weathering environments. Here, we propose a hybrid model involving both bottom-up and top-down processes driven by freeze-thaw cycles. Freezing leads to cryo-concentration of acidic fluids from precipitations at the surface, facilitating rapid chemical weathering despite low temperatures. Cryosuction causes the upward migration of vadose water and even groundwater with dissolved ions, resulting in the accumulation of ions in near-surface environments. Evaporation precipitates salts, but leaching separates chlorides from sulfates during the thawing period. Freeze-thaw cycles, therefore, can enrich sulfates at the surface. While freeze-thaw is more commonly understood as a mechanism of physical weathering, we suggest that it is a fundamental aspect of chemical weathering on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiacheng Liu
- Department of Earth Sciences, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Laboratory for Space Research, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Joseph R Michalski
- Department of Earth Sciences, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Laboratory for Space Research, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Wenyuan Gao
- Department of Geology, Northeastern University, Shenyang, China
| | - Christian Schröder
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Yi-Liang Li
- Department of Earth Sciences, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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5
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Gao J, Li H, Sun Z, Song J, Liu Y, Jin C, Zhang Z, Ma JA, Jiang W. Selective Chiral Recognition between Amino Acids and Growing Gypsum Crystals. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:12707-12714. [PMID: 37653708 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c01429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
In nature, selective chiral interactions between biomolecules and minerals provide insight into the mysterious origin of homochirality. Here, we show growing gypsum crystals in a nonequilibrium state can recognize chiral enantiomers of amino acids. The chiral selection for amino acids with different functional groups by growing minerals are distinct. For 11 amino acids, the d-isomer slows dynamic gypsum growth more than the l-isomer, whereas for another 7 amino acids, the opposite was observed. These differences in chiral recognition are attributed to the different stereochemical matching between the chiral amino acids and the dynamic steps of growing gypsum. These stereoselective interactions between amino acid enantiomers and dynamic growing crystals can be applied toward the fabrication of gypsum cements to regulate their structure and mechanical properties. These findings provide insight into understanding the mechanism of the origin of homochirality in nature and suggest a pathway for constructing advanced functional materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Gao
- Department of Chemistry, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, and Tianjin Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science & Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Haibin Li
- Department of Chemistry, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, and Tianjin Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science & Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Resource Chemistry and Eco-Environmental Protection in Tibetan Plateau of State Ethnic Affairs Commission, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qinghai Minzu University, Xining, Qinghai 810007, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiheng Sun
- Department of Chemistry, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, and Tianjin Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science & Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianwei Song
- Department of Chemistry, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, and Tianjin Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science & Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, and Tianjin Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science & Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Chao Jin
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Materials Physics and Processing Technology, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhisen Zhang
- Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun-An Ma
- Department of Chemistry, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, and Tianjin Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science & Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenge Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, and Tianjin Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science & Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
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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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Cotellucci A, Otálora F, Canals À, Criado-Reyes J, Pellegrino L, Bruno M, Aquilano D, Garcia-Ruiz JM, Dela Pierre F, Pastero L. 101 contact twins in gypsum experimentally obtained from calcium carbonate enriched solutions: mineralogical implications for natural gypsum deposits. J Appl Crystallogr 2023; 56:603-610. [PMID: 37284266 PMCID: PMC10241055 DOI: 10.1107/s1600576723002674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Gypsum twins are frequently observed in nature, triggered by a wide array of impurities that are present in their depositional environments and that may exert a critical role in the selection of different twin laws. Identifying the impurities able to promote the selection of specific twin laws has relevance for geological studies aimed at interpreting the gypsum depositional environments in ancient and modern deposits. Here, the effect of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) on gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) growth morphology has been investigated by performing temperature-controlled laboratory experiments with and without the addition of carbonate ions. The precipitation of twinned gypsum crystals has been achieved experimentally (101 contact twin law) by adding carbonate to the solution, and the involvement of rapidcreekite (Ca2SO4CO3·4H2O) in selecting the 101 gypsum contact twin law was supported, suggesting an epitaxial mechanism. Moreover, the occurrence of 101 gypsum contact twins in nature has been suggested by comparing the natural gypsum twin morphologies observed in evaporitic environments with those obtained in experiments. Finally, both orientations of the primary fluid inclusions (of the negative crystal shape) with respect to the twin plane and the main elongation of sub-crystals that form the twin are proposed as a fast and useful method (especially in geological samples) to distinguish between the 100 and 101 twin laws. The results of this study provide new insights into the mineralogical implications of twinned gypsum crystals and their potential as a tool to better understand natural gypsum deposits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Cotellucci
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - Fermín Otálora
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-UGR, Avda De las Palmeras 4, Granada, Armilla 18100, Spain
| | - Àngels Canals
- Departament de Mineralogía, Petrología i Geología Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias de la Terra, Universidad de Barcelona, Martí i Franqués 1, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Joaquin Criado-Reyes
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-UGR, Avda De las Palmeras 4, Granada, Armilla 18100, Spain
| | - Luca Pellegrino
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - Marco Bruno
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - Dino Aquilano
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - Juan Manuel Garcia-Ruiz
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-UGR, Avda De las Palmeras 4, Granada, Armilla 18100, Spain
| | - Francesco Dela Pierre
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - Linda Pastero
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, Torino 10125, Italy
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Meyer MJ, Milliken RE, Hurowitz JE, Robertson KM. Ancient Siliciclastic-Evaporites as Seen by Remote Sensing Instrumentation with Implications for the Rover-Scale Exploration of Sedimentary Environments on Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:477-495. [PMID: 36944138 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Accurate interpretation of the martian sedimentary rock record-and by extension that planet's paleoenvironmental history and potential habitability-relies heavily on rover-based acquisition of textural and compositional data and researchers to properly interpret those data. However, the degree to which this type of remotely sensed information can be unambiguously resolved and accurately linked to geological processes in ancient sedimentary systems warrants further study. In this study, we characterize Mars-relevant siliciclastic-evaporite samples by traditional laboratory-based geological methods (thin section petrography, X-ray diffraction [XRD], backscattered electron imaging, microprobe chemical analyses) and remote sensing methods relevant to martian rover payloads (visible-near-mid infrared reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence mapping, XRD). We assess each method's ability to resolve primary and secondary sedimentologic features necessary for the accurate interpretation of paleoenvironmental processes. While the most dominant textures and associated compositions (i.e., bedded gypsum evaporite) of the sample suite are readily identified by a combination of remote sensing techniques, equally important, although more subtle, components (i.e., interbedded windblown silt, meniscus cements) are not resolved unambiguously in bulk samples. However, rover-based techniques capable of coordinating spatially resolved compositional measurements with textural imaging reveal important features not readily detected using traditional assessments (i.e., subtle clay-organic associations, microscale diagenetic nodules). Our findings demonstrate the improved generational capacity of rovers to explore ancient sedimentary environments on Mars while also highlighting the complexities in extracting comprehensive paleoenvironmental information when limited to currently available rover-based techniques. Complete and accurate interpretation of ancient martian sedimentary environments, and by extension the habitability of those environments, likely requires sample return or in situ human exploration. Plain Language Summary Only when correctly translated can the ancient martian sedimentary rock record reveal the environmental evolution of the planet's surface through time. In this case study, we characterize Mars-relevant sedimentary rocks and evaluate the degree to which a comprehensive geological picture can be resolved unambiguously when limited to microscale remote sensing methods relevant to rovers on Mars. While the most dominant textural features and associated compositions of the sample suite are readily identified by a combination of remote sensing techniques, equally important but more subtle components are not resolved unambiguously in bulk samples. However, rover-based techniques capable of coordinating spatially resolved compositional measurements with textural imaging, such as Perseverance Rover's Planetary Instrument for X-Ray Lithochemistry instrument, reveal important features not readily detected by more traditional methods. We demonstrate that rovers have, generationally, improved in their capacity to resolve a true geological picture in ancient sedimentary environments, likely owing to an improved ability to coordinate spatially resolved compositional measurements with textural imaging at the microscale. However, our work also highlights the complexities involved in extracting subtle environmental information when limited to currently available rover-based techniques and suggests that comprehensive interpretation of ancient martian sedimentary systems likely requires sample return or in situ human exploration. Key Points Mars-relevant samples are characterized using both traditional laboratory and microscale rover-based remote sensing techniques to assess each method's ability to recognize features necessary for accurate paleoenvironmental process interpretation. While some key paleoenvironmental processes can reasonably be inferred via remote sensing methods, others cannot be resolved unambiguously. Perseverance Rover's Planetary Instrument for X-Ray Lithochemistry instrument reveals diagenetic features that would otherwise remain unseen by traditional thin section petrography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa J Meyer
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Ralph E Milliken
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Joel E Hurowitz
- Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Kevin M Robertson
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Perron A, Stalport F, Dupraz S, Person A, Coll P, Szopa C, Navarro-González R, Glavin D, Vaulay MJ, Ménez B. Thermal Stability of (Bio)Carbonates: A Potential Signature for Detecting Life on Mars? ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:359-371. [PMID: 37017440 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0202] [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: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The environmental conditions that prevail on the surface of Mars (i.e., high levels of radiation and oxidants) are not favorable for the long-term preservation of organic compounds on which all strategies for finding life on Mars have been based to date. Since life commonly produces minerals that are considered more resilient, the search for biominerals could constitute a promising alternative approach. Carbonates are major biominerals on Earth, and although they have not been detected in large amounts at the martian surface, recent observations show that they could constitute a significant part of the inorganic component in the martian soil. Previous studies have shown that calcite and aragonite produced by eukaryotes thermally decompose at temperatures 15°C lower than those of their abiotic counterparts. By using carbonate concretions formed by microorganisms, we find that natural and experimental carbonates produced by prokaryotes decompose at 28°C below their abiotic counterparts. The study of this sample set serves as a proof of concept for the differential thermal analysis approach to distinguish abiotic from bio-related carbonates. This difference in carbonate decomposition temperature can be used as a first physical evidence of life on Mars to be searched by in situ space exploration missions with the resolution and the technical constraints of the available onboard instruments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Perron
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA), CNRS UMR 7583, Université Paris Est Créteil et Université Paris Cité, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL), Créteil, France
- Université Paris Cité, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS UMR 7154, Paris, France
| | - Fabien Stalport
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA), CNRS UMR 7583, Université Paris Est Créteil et Université Paris Cité, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL), Créteil, France
| | - Sébastien Dupraz
- Université Paris Cité, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS UMR 7154, Paris, France
| | - Alain Person
- Laboratoire de Biominéralisations et Paléoenvironnements, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Patrice Coll
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA), CNRS UMR 7583, Université Paris Est Créteil et Université Paris Cité, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL), Créteil, France
| | - Cyril Szopa
- Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL), CNRS UMR 8190, UVSQ Université Paris-Saclay, Sorbonne Université, Guyancourt, France
| | - Rafael Navarro-González
- Laboratorio de Química de Plasmas y Estudios Planetarios, Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico
| | - Daniel Glavin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Marie Josèphe Vaulay
- Laboratoire Interfaces Traitements Organisation et DYnamique des Systèmes (ITODYS), CNRS UMR 7086, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Bénédicte Ménez
- Université Paris Cité, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS UMR 7154, Paris, France
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Finkel PL, Carrizo D, Parro V, Sánchez-García L. An Overview of Lipid Biomarkers in Terrestrial Extreme Environments with Relevance for Mars Exploration. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:563-604. [PMID: 36880883 PMCID: PMC10150655 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Lipid molecules are organic compounds, insoluble in water, and based on carbon-carbon chains that form an integral part of biological cell membranes. As such, lipids are ubiquitous in life on Earth, which is why they are considered useful biomarkers for life detection in terrestrial environments. These molecules display effective membrane-forming properties even under geochemically hostile conditions that challenge most of microbial life, which grants lipids a universal biomarker character suitable for life detection beyond Earth, where a putative biological membrane would also be required. What discriminates lipids from nucleic acids or proteins is their capacity to retain diagnostic information about their biological source in their recalcitrant hydrocarbon skeletons for thousands of millions of years, which is indispensable in the field of astrobiology given the time span that the geological ages of planetary bodies encompass. This work gathers studies that have employed lipid biomarker approaches for paleoenvironmental surveys and life detection purposes in terrestrial environments with extreme conditions: hydrothermal, hyperarid, hypersaline, and highly acidic, among others; all of which are analogous to current or past conditions on Mars. Although some of the compounds discussed in this review may be abiotically synthesized, we focus on those with a biological origin, namely lipid biomarkers. Therefore, along with appropriate complementary techniques such as bulk and compound-specific stable carbon isotope analysis, this work recapitulates and reevaluates the potential of lipid biomarkers as an additional, powerful tool to interrogate whether there is life on Mars, or if there ever was.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo L Finkel
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Physics and Mathematics and Department of Automatics, University of Alcalá, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Victor Parro
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Madrid, Spain
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11
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Guglielmin M, Azzaro M, Buzzini P, Battistel D, Roman M, Ponti S, Turchetti B, Sannino C, Borruso L, Papale M, Lo Giudice A. A possible unique ecosystem in the endoglacial hypersaline brines in Antarctica. Sci Rep 2023; 13:177. [PMID: 36604573 PMCID: PMC9814585 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-27219-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Here, we present the results related to a new unique terrestrial ecosystem found in an englacial hypersaline brine found in Northern Victoria Land (Antarctica). Both the geochemistry and microbial (prokaryotic and fungal) diversity revealed an unicity with respect to all the other known Antarctic brines and suggested a probable ancient origin mainly due a progressive cryoconcentration of seawater. The prokaryotic community presented some peculiarities, such as the occurrence of sequences of Patescibacteria (which can thrive in nutrient-limited water environments) or few Spirochaeta, and the presence of archaeal sequences of Methanomicrobia closely related to Methanoculleus, a methanogen commonly detected in marine and estuarine environments. The high percentage (35%) of unassigned fungal taxa suggested the presence of a high degree of undiscovered diversity within a structured fungal community (including both yeast and filamentous life forms) and reinforce the hypothesis of a high degree of biological uniqueness of the habitat under study.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Guglielmin
- grid.18147.3b0000000121724807Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Insubria University, Via Dunant, 3, 21100 Varese, Italy ,grid.18147.3b0000000121724807Climate Change Research Center, Insubria University, Via Regina Teodolinda, 37, 22100 Como, Italy
| | - M. Azzaro
- grid.5326.20000 0001 1940 4177Institute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council, Spianata S. Raineri. 86, 98122 Messina, Italy
| | - P. Buzzini
- grid.9027.c0000 0004 1757 3630Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
| | - D. Battistel
- grid.5326.20000 0001 1940 4177Institute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council, Spianata S. Raineri. 86, 98122 Messina, Italy ,grid.7240.10000 0004 1763 0578Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, University Ca’ Foscari of Venice, Via Torino, 155, 30172 Mestre, VE Italy
| | - M. Roman
- grid.7240.10000 0004 1763 0578Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, University Ca’ Foscari of Venice, Via Torino, 155, 30172 Mestre, VE Italy
| | - S. Ponti
- grid.18147.3b0000000121724807Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Insubria University, Via Dunant, 3, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - B. Turchetti
- grid.9027.c0000 0004 1757 3630Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
| | - C. Sannino
- grid.9027.c0000 0004 1757 3630Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
| | - L. Borruso
- grid.34988.3e0000 0001 1482 2038Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Piazza Università 5, 9100 Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
| | - M. Papale
- grid.5326.20000 0001 1940 4177Institute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council, Spianata S. Raineri. 86, 98122 Messina, Italy
| | - A. Lo Giudice
- grid.5326.20000 0001 1940 4177Institute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council, Spianata S. Raineri. 86, 98122 Messina, Italy
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12
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Liu L, Liu H, Zhang W, Chen Y, Shen J, Li Y, Pan Y, Lin W. Microbial diversity and adaptive strategies in the Mars-like Qaidam Basin, North Tibetan Plateau, China. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2022; 14:873-885. [PMID: 35925018 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.13111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The Qaidam Basin on the northern Tibetan Plateau, China, is one of the driest deserts at high elevations, and it has been considered a representative Mars analogue site. Despite recent advances in the diversity of microbial communities in the Qaidam Basin, our understanding of their genomic information, functional potential and adaptive strategies remains very limited. Here, we conducted a combination of physicochemical and metagenomic analyses to investigate the taxonomic composition and adaptive strategies of microbial life in the regolith across the Qaidam Basin. 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene-based and metagenomic analyses both reveal that microbial communities in the Qaidam Basin are dominated by the bacterial phylum Actinobacteria. The low levels of moisture and organic carbon contents appear to have essential constraints on microbial biomass and diversity. A total of 50 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes were reconstructed and analysed. Our results reveal the potential of microorganisms to use ambient trace gases to meet energy and carbon needs in this nutrient-limited desert. Furthermore, we find that DNA repair mechanisms and protein protection are likely essential for microbial life in response to stressors of hyperaridity, intense ultraviolet radiation and tremendous temperature fluctuations in this Mars analogue. These findings shed light on the diversity and survival strategies of microbial life inhabiting Mar-like environments, which provide implications for potential life on early Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Liu
- Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haiyun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wensi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jianxun Shen
- Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yiliang Li
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yongxin Pan
- Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Lin
- Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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13
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Nikitczuk MP, Bebout GE, Geiger CA, Ota T, Kunihiro T, Mustard JF, Halldórsson SA, Nakamura E. Nitrogen Incorporation in Potassic and Micro- and Meso-Porous Minerals: Potential Biogeochemical Records and Targets for Mars Sampling. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:1293-1309. [PMID: 36074082 PMCID: PMC9618379 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We measured the N concentrations and isotopic compositions of 44 samples of terrestrial potassic and micro- and meso-porous minerals and a small number of whole-rocks to determine the extent to which N is incorporated and stored during weathering and low-temperature hydrothermal alteration in Mars surface/near-surface environments. The selection of these minerals and other materials was partly guided by the study of altered volcanic glass from Antarctica and Iceland, in which the incorporation of N as NH4+ in phyllosilicates is indicated by correlated concentrations of N and the LILEs (i.e., K, Ba, Rb, Cs), with scatter likely related to the presence of exchanged, occluded/trapped, or encapsulated organic/inorganic N occurring within structural cavities (e.g., in zeolites). The phyllosilicates, zeolites, and sulfates analyzed in this study contain between 0 and 99,120 ppm N and have δ15Nair values of -34‰ to +65‰. Most of these minerals, and the few siliceous hydrothermal deposits that were analyzed, have δ15N consistent with the incorporation of biologically processed N during low-temperature hydrothermal or weathering processes. Secondary ion mass spectrometry on altered hyaloclastites demonstrates the residency of N in smectites and zeolites, and silica. We suggest that geological materials known on Earth to incorporate and store N and known to be abundant at, or near, the surface of Mars should be considered targets for upcoming Mars sample return with the intent to identify any signs of ancient or modern life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P. Nikitczuk
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Gray E. Bebout
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
| | - Charles A. Geiger
- Universität Salzburg, Fachbereich Chemie und Physik der Materialien, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Tsutomu Ota
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
| | - Takuya Kunihiro
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
| | - John F. Mustard
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Sæmundur A. Halldórsson
- Nordic Volcanological Center, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Eizo Nakamura
- Pheasant Memorial Laboratory for Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
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14
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Bonales LJ, Muñoz-Iglesias V, Prieto-Ballesteros O, Mateo-Martí E. Preservation of glycine coordination compounds under a gamma radiation dose representative of natural mars radioactivity. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13677. [PMID: 35953504 PMCID: PMC9372174 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17802-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The Martian subsurface is more favorable for organic preservation than its surface because of the shielding effect of rocks from cosmic rays and UV radiation with increasing depth. Nevertheless, the natural radioactivity on Mars owing to U, Th, and K must be considered to study the possible extant and/or extinct life. Here, we demonstrate the importance of natural radiation on the amino acid glycine in two different chemical environments, GlyFeSO4 5H2O and GlyMgSO4 5H2O, which are coordination compounds considered relevant to Mars. The results show that after a 600 kGy dose of gamma radiation, glycine was more stable when it bonded to Mg in the GlyMgSO4 5H2O coordination compound, it was less stable when it bonded to Fe in the GlyFeSO4 5H2O compound. Studies on the effects of gamma radiation on preservation of organic molecules bound to minerals and other potential compounds on Mars are significantly important in the search for biosignatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J Bonales
- Departamento de Evolución Molecular, Spanish Centre for Astrobiology, (CAB-CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Victoria Muñoz-Iglesias
- Departamento de Evolución Molecular, Spanish Centre for Astrobiology, (CAB-CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Planetología y habitabilidad, Spanish Centre for Astrobiology, (CAB-CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850, Madrid, Spain
| | - Olga Prieto-Ballesteros
- Departamento de Evolución Molecular, Spanish Centre for Astrobiology, (CAB-CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Planetología y habitabilidad, Spanish Centre for Astrobiology, (CAB-CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eva Mateo-Martí
- Departamento de Evolución Molecular, Spanish Centre for Astrobiology, (CAB-CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850, Madrid, Spain
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15
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Dušeková E, Berta M, Sedláková D, Řeha D, Dzurillová V, Shaposhnikova A, Fadaei F, Tomková M, Minofar B, Sedlák E. Specific anion effect on properties of HRV 3C protease. Biophys Chem 2022; 287:106825. [PMID: 35597150 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2022.106825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Specific salts effect is intensively studied from the prospective of modification of different physico-chemical properties of biomacromolecules. Limited knowledge of the specific salts effect on enzymes led us to address the influence of five sodium anions: sulfate, phosphate, chloride, bromide, and perchlorate, on catalytic and conformational properties of human rhinovirus-14 (HRV) 3C protease. The enzyme conformation was monitored by circular dichroism spectrum (CD) and by tyrosines fluorescence. Stability and flexibility of the enzyme have been analyzed by CD in the far-UV region, differential scanning calorimetry and molecular dynamics simulations, respectively. We showed significant influence of the anions on the enzyme properties in accordance with the Hofmeister effect. The HRV 3C protease in the presence of kosmotropic anions, in contrast with chaotropic anions, exhibits increased stability, rigidity. Correlations of stabilization effect of anions on the enzyme with their charge density and the rate constant of the enzyme with the viscosity B-coefficients of anions suggest direct interaction of the anions with HRV 3C protease. The role of stabilization and decreased fluctuation of the polypeptide chain of HRV 3C protease on its activation in the presence of kosmotropic anions is discussed within the frame of the macromolecular rate theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Dušeková
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Martin Berta
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Dagmar Sedláková
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 04154 Košice, Slovakia; Department of Biophysics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 47, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
| | - David Řeha
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Dzurillová
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Anastasiia Shaposhnikova
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Laboratory of Structural Biology and Bioinformatics, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 136, 37333 Nové Hrady, Czech Republic
| | - Fatemeh Fadaei
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Laboratory of Structural Biology and Bioinformatics, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 136, 37333 Nové Hrady, Czech Republic
| | - Mária Tomková
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Babak Minofar
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Erik Sedlák
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 04154 Košice, Slovakia.
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16
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Dušeková E, Garajová K, Yavaşer R, Tomková M, Sedláková D, Dzurillová V, Kulik N, Fadaei F, Shaposhnikova A, Minofar B, Sedlák E. Modulation of global stability, ligand binding and catalytic properties of trypsin by anions. Biophys Chem 2022; 288:106856. [PMID: 35872468 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2022.106856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Revised: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Specific salts effect is well-known on stability and solubility of proteins, however, relatively limited knowledge is known regarding the effect on catalytic properties of enzymes. Here, we examined the effect of four sodium anions on thermal stability and catalytic properties of trypsin and binding of the fluorescent probe, p-aminobenzamidine (PAB), to the enzyme. We show that the specific anions effect on trypsin properties agrees with the localization of the anions in the Hofmeister series. Thermal stability of trypsin, Tm, the affinity of the fluorescent probe to the binding site, Kd, and the rate constant, kcat, of trypsin-catalyzed hydrolysis of the substrate N-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester (BAEE) increase with increasing kosmotropic character of anions in the order: perchlorate<bromide<chloride<sulfate, while the value of Michaelis constant, KM, decreases. Correlations between the values of Tm, Kd for PAB, kcat, and KM for BAEE in the presence of 1 M studied salts suggest interrelation among these parameters of the enzyme. Global stabilization as well as increased rigidity of trypsin is accompanied by strengthening of interaction with fluorescent probe PAB and in accordance with decreasing values of KM for the substrate BAEE. Strong correlations between parameters characterizing the trypsin properties with the charge densities of anions clearly indicate direct electrostatic interaction as a basis of the specific anion effect on the conformational and functional properties of the enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Dušeková
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Katarína Garajová
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Moyzesova 11, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Rukiye Yavaşer
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Moyzesova 11, 04154 Košice, Slovakia; Chemistry Department, Faculty of Arts and Science, Aydın Adnan Menderes University, 09010 Aydın, Turkey
| | - Mária Tomková
- Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Dagmar Sedláková
- Department of Biophysics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 47, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Veronika Dzurillová
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Natalia Kulik
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Fatemeh Fadaei
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Laboratory of Structural Biology and Bioinformatics, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 136, 37333 Nové Hrady, Czech Republic
| | - Anastasiia Shaposhnikova
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Laboratory of Structural Biology and Bioinformatics, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 136, 37333 Nové Hrady, Czech Republic
| | - Babak Minofar
- Laboratory of Structural Biology and Bioinformatics, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 136, 37333 Nové Hrady, Czech Republic.
| | - Erik Sedlák
- Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 04154 Košice, Slovakia.
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17
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Singh D, Sinha RK, Singh P, Roy N, Mukherjee S. Astrobiological Potential of Fe/Mg Smectites with Special Emphasis on Jezero Crater, Mars 2020 Landing Site. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:579-597. [PMID: 35171004 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0013] [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: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Life is known to adapt in accordance with its surrounding environment and sustainable resources available to it. Since harsh conditions would have precluded any possible aerobic evolution of life at the martian surface, it is plausible that martian life, should it exist, would have evolved in such a way as to derive energy from more optimum resources. Iron is one of the most abundant elements present in the martian crust and occurs at about twice the amount present on Earth. Clay minerals contribute to about half the iron found in soils and sediments. On Earth, clay acts as an electron donor as well as an acceptor in the carbon cycles and thereby supports a wide variety of metabolic reactions. In this context, we consider the potential of Fe/Mg smectites, one of the most widely reported hydrated minerals on Mars, for preservation of macro- and microscopic biosignatures. We proceed by understanding the environmental conditions during the formation of smectites and various microbes and metabolic processes associated with them as indicated in Earth-based studies. We also explore the possibility of biosignatures and their identification within the Mars 2020 landing site (Jezero Crater) by using the astrobiological payloads on board the Perseverance rover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepali Singh
- School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Priyadarshini Singh
- School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Nidhi Roy
- School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Saumitra Mukherjee
- School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
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18
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Loizeau D, Pilorget C, Poulet F, Lantz C, Bibring JP, Hamm V, Royer C, Dypvik H, Krzesińska AM, Rull F, Werner SC. Planetary Terrestrial Analogues Library Project: 3. Characterization of Samples With MicrOmega. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:263-292. [PMID: 35263189 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2420] [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: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The Planetary Terrestrial Analogues Library (PTAL) project aims at building and exploiting a database involving several analytical techniques, to help characterize the mineralogical evolution of terrestrial bodies, starting with Mars. Around 100 natural Earth rock samples have been collected from selected locations to gather a variety of analogs for martian geology, from volcanic to sedimentary origin with different levels of alteration. All samples are to be characterized within the PTAL project with different mineralogical and elemental analysis techniques, including techniques brought on actual and future instruments at the surface of Mars (near infrared [NIR] spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy). This article presents the NIR measurements and interpretations acquired with the ExoMars MicrOmega spare instrument. MicrOmega is an NIR hyperspectral microscope, mounted in the analytical laboratory of the ExoMars rover Rosalind Franklin. All PTAL samples have been observed at least once with MicrOmega using a dedicated setup. For all PTAL samples, data description and interpretation are presented. For some chosen examples, color composite images and spectra are presented as well. A comparison with characterizations by NIR and Raman spectrometry is discussed for some of the samples. In particular, the spectral imaging capacity of MicrOmega allows detections of mineral components and potential organic molecules that were not possible with other one-spot techniques. In addition, it enables estimation of heterogeneities in the spatial distribution of various mineral species. The MicrOmega/PTAL data shall support the future observations and analyses performed by MicrOmega/Rosalind Franklin instrument.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien Loizeau
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Orsay, France
| | - Cédric Pilorget
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Orsay, France
| | - François Poulet
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Orsay, France
| | - Cateline Lantz
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Orsay, France
| | - Jean-Pierre Bibring
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Orsay, France
| | - Vincent Hamm
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Orsay, France
| | - Clément Royer
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Orsay, France
| | | | | | - Fernando Rull
- Cristalografia y Mineralogia, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Stephanie C Werner
- Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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19
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Chirality in Organic and Mineral Systems: A Review of Reactivity and Alteration Processes Relevant to Prebiotic Chemistry and Life Detection Missions. Symmetry (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/sym14030460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Chirality is a central feature in the evolution of biological systems, but the reason for biology’s strong preference for specific chiralities of amino acids, sugars, and other molecules remains a controversial and unanswered question in origins of life research. Biological polymers tend toward homochiral systems, which favor the incorporation of a single enantiomer (molecules with a specific chiral configuration) over the other. There have been numerous investigations into the processes that preferentially enrich one enantiomer to understand the evolution of an early, racemic, prebiotic organic world. Chirality can also be a property of minerals; their interaction with chiral organics is important for assessing how post-depositional alteration processes could affect the stereochemical configuration of simple and complex organic molecules. In this paper, we review the properties of organic compounds and minerals as well as the physical, chemical, and geological processes that affect organic and mineral chirality during the preservation and detection of organic compounds. We provide perspectives and discussions on the reactions and analytical techniques that can be performed in the laboratory, and comment on the state of knowledge of flight-capable technologies in current and future planetary missions, with a focus on organics analysis and life detection.
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20
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Kong X, Zhu S, Shavorskiy A, Li J, Liu W, Corral Arroyo P, Signorell R, Wang S, Pettersson JBC. Surface solvation of Martian salt analogues at low relative humidities. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: ATMOSPHERES 2022; 2:137-145. [PMID: 35419521 PMCID: PMC8929290 DOI: 10.1039/d1ea00092f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Salt aerosols play important roles in many processes related to atmospheric chemistry and the climate systems on both Earth and Mars. Complicated and still poorly understood processes occur on the salt surfaces when interacting with water vapor. In this study, ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) is used to characterize the surface chemical environment of Martian salt analogues originating from saline lakes and playas, as well as their responses to varying relative humidities. Generally, APXPS shows similar ionic compositions to those observed by ion chromatography (IC). However, XPS is a surface-sensitive method while IC is bulk-sensitive and differences are observed for species that preferentially partition to the surface or the bulk. Element-selective surface enhancement of Cl− is observed, likely caused by the presence of SO42−. In addition, Mg2+ is concentrated on the surface while Na+ is relatively depleted in the surface layer. Hence, the cations (Na+ and Mg2+) and the anions (Cl− and SO42−) show competitive correlations. At elevated relative humidity (RH), no major spectral changes were observed in the XPS results, except for the growth of an oxygen component originating from condensed H2O. Near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) measurements show that the magnesium and sodium spectra are sensitive to the presence of water, and the results imply that the surface is fully solvated already at RH = 5%. The surface solvation is also fully reversible as the RH is reduced. No major differences are observed between sample types and sample locations, indicating that the salts originated from saline lakes commonly have solvated surfaces under the environmental conditions on Earth. Salt aerosols play important roles in many processes related to atmospheric chemistry and the climate systems on both Earth and Mars.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangrui Kong
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, Atmospheric Science, University of Gothenburg, SE-41296 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Suyun Zhu
- MAX IV Laboratory, Lund University, SE221-00 Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Jun Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, Northwest University, Xi'an 710127, China
| | - Wanyu Liu
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, Northwest University, Xi'an 710127, China
| | - Pablo Corral Arroyo
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ruth Signorell
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sen Wang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, Northwest University, Xi'an 710127, China
| | - Jan B. C. Pettersson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, Atmospheric Science, University of Gothenburg, SE-41296 Gothenburg, Sweden
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21
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Bonales LJ, Mateo-Martí E. Study of the Stability of Gly·MgSO 4·5H 2O under Simulated Martian Conditions by In Situ Raman Spectroscopy. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:75-86. [PMID: 34874753 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Identification of spectroscopic fingerprints that correspond to relevant molecules/minerals in a Mars-like environment is a crucial search in astrobiology. Therefore, we studied the stability of Gly·MgSO4·5H2O under Mars-like surface conditions and compared it to the behavior of epsomite and glycine. Gly·MgSO4·5H2O has been identified as a molecule of astrobiological interest since an amino acid and water molecules, which are essential for life, are part of its structure. Furthermore, this compound may form by the interaction of sulfate minerals with glycine-bearing aqueous solutions, and both could be present on Mars. The main analyses were performed by using in situ Raman spectroscopy, a ground-breaking technique for NASA and ESA Mars planetary missions. We have integrated a Raman spectrometer in a Planetary Atmosphere and Surfaces Chamber (PASC) and have identified the processing of molecules exposed to a simulated martian atmosphere, UV irradiation, and temperature. Our results show that pressure is critical to provoke amorphization of Gly·MgSO4·5H2O, and the release of glycine from the compound; the stabilization effect at low temperature and stability of Gly·MgSO4·5H2O is greater than to glycine and epsomite. The strategy employed here allows us to evaluate the effect of diverse simulated martian environmental conditions on molecular preservation by using Raman spectroscopy.
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22
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Williams RM, Irwin RP, Noe Dobrea EZ, Howard AD, Dietrich WE, Cawley J. Inverted channel variations identified on a distal portion of a bajada in the central Atacama Desert, Chile. GEOMORPHOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2021; 393:107925. [PMID: 34785830 PMCID: PMC8587680 DOI: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2021.107925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In deserts, the interplay between occasional fluvial events and persistent aeolian erosion can form composite modern and relict surfaces, especially on the distal portion of alluvial fans. There, relief inversion of alluvial deposits by differential erosion can form longitudinal ridges. We identified two distinct ridge types formed by relief inversion on converging alluvial fans in the hyperarid Chilean Atacama Desert. Although they are co-located and similar in scale, the ridge types have different ages and formation histories that apparently correspond to minor paleoclimate variations. Gravel-armored ridges are remnants of deflated alluvial deposits with a bimodal sediment distribution (gravel and sand) dated to a minor pluvial phase at the end of the Late Pleistocene (~12 kyr). In contrast, younger (~9 kyr) sulfate-capped ridges formed during a minor arid phase with evaporite deposition in a pre-existing channel that armored the underlying deposits. Collectively, inverted channels at Salar de Llamara resulted from multiple episodes of surface overland flow and standing water spanning several thousand years. Based on ridge relief and age, the minimum long-term deflation rate is 0.1-0.2 m/kyr, driven primarily by wind erosion. This case study is an example of the equifinality concept whereby different processes lead to similar landforms. The complex history of the two ridge types can only be generally constrained in remotely sensed data. In situ observations are required to discern the specifics of the aqueous history, including the flow type, magnitude, sequence, and paleoenvironment. These findings have relevance for interpreting similar landforms on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M.E. Williams
- Planetary Science Institute, 1700 E. Fort Lowell, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719, United States of America
| | - Rossman P. Irwin
- Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 37012, MRC 315, Washington, DC 20013-7012, United States of America
| | - Eldar Z. Noe Dobrea
- Planetary Science Institute, 1700 E. Fort Lowell, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719, United States of America
| | - Alan D. Howard
- Planetary Science Institute, 1700 E. Fort Lowell, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719, United States of America
| | - William E. Dietrich
- Earth & Planetary Science, University of California—Berkeley, 307 McCone Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States of America
| | - J.C. Cawley
- Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 37012, MRC 315, Washington, DC 20013-7012, United States of America
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23
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Recognition of Sedimentary Rock Occurrences in Satellite and Aerial Images of Other Worlds—Insights from Mars. REMOTE SENSING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/rs13214296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Sedimentary rocks provide records of past surface and subsurface processes and environments. The first step in the study of the sedimentary rock record of another world is to learn to recognize their occurrences in images from instruments aboard orbiting, flyby, or aerial platforms. For two decades, Mars has been known to have sedimentary rocks; however, planet-wide identification is incomplete. Global coverage at 0.25–6 m/pixel, and observations from the Curiosity rover in Gale crater, expand the ability to recognize Martian sedimentary rocks. No longer limited to cases that are light-toned, lightly cratered, and stratified—or mimic original depositional setting (e.g., lithified deltas)—Martian sedimentary rocks include dark-toned examples, as well as rocks that are erosion-resistant enough to retain small craters as well as do lava flows. Breakdown of conglomerates, breccias, and even some mudstones, can produce a pebbly regolith that imparts a “smooth” appearance in satellite and aerial images. Context is important; sedimentary rocks remain challenging to distinguish from primary igneous rocks in some cases. Detection of ultramafic, mafic, or andesitic compositions do not dictate that a rock is igneous, and clast genesis should be considered separately from the depositional record. Mars likely has much more sedimentary rock than previously recognized.
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Jahmidi-Azizi N, Gault S, Cockell CS, Oliva R, Winter R. Ions in the Deep Subsurface of Earth, Mars, and Icy Moons: Their Effects in Combination with Temperature and Pressure on tRNA-Ligand Binding. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms221910861. [PMID: 34639202 PMCID: PMC8509373 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The interactions of ligands with nucleic acids are central to numerous reactions in the biological cell. How such reactions are affected by harsh environmental conditions such as low temperatures, high pressures, and high concentrations of destructive ions is still largely unknown. To elucidate the ions’ role in shaping habitability in extraterrestrial environments and the deep subsurface of Earth with respect to fundamental biochemical processes, we investigated the effect of selected salts (MgCl2, MgSO4, and Mg(ClO4)2) and high hydrostatic pressure (relevant for the subsurface of that planet) on the complex formation between tRNA and the ligand ThT. The results show that Mg2+ salts reduce the binding tendency of ThT to tRNA. This effect is largely due to the interaction of ThT with the salt anions, which leads to a strong decrease in the activity of the ligand. However, at mM concentrations, binding is still favored. The ions alter the thermodynamics of binding, rendering complex formation that is more entropy driven. Remarkably, the pressure favors ligand binding regardless of the type of salt. Although the binding constant is reduced, the harsh conditions in the subsurface of Earth, Mars, and icy moons do not necessarily preclude nucleic acid–ligand interactions of the type studied here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisrine Jahmidi-Azizi
- Physical Chemistry I-Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, 44227 Dortmund, Germany;
| | - Stewart Gault
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK; (S.G.); (C.S.C.)
| | - Charles S. Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK; (S.G.); (C.S.C.)
| | - Rosario Oliva
- Physical Chemistry I-Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, 44227 Dortmund, Germany;
- Correspondence: (R.O.); (R.W.)
| | - Roland Winter
- Physical Chemistry I-Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, 44227 Dortmund, Germany;
- Correspondence: (R.O.); (R.W.)
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25
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Merging Perspectives on Secondary Minerals on Mars: A Review of Ancient Water-Rock Interactions in Gale Crater Inferred from Orbital and In-Situ Observations. MINERALS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/min11090986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Phyllosilicates, sulfates, and Fe oxides are the most prevalent secondary minerals detected on Mars from orbit and the surface, including in the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover’s field site at Gale crater. These records of aqueous activity have been investigated in detail in Gale crater, where Curiosity’s X-ray diffractometer allows for direct observation and detailed characterization of mineral structure and abundance. This capability provides critical ground truthing to better understand how to interpret Martian mineralogy inferred from orbital datasets. Curiosity is about to leave behind phyllosilicate-rich strata for more sulfate-rich terrains, while the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is in its early exploration of ancient sedimentary strata in Jezero crater. It is thus an appropriate time to review Gale crater’s mineral distribution from multiple perspectives, utilizing the range of chemical, mineralogical, and spectral measurements provided by orbital and in situ observations. This review compares orbital predictions of composition in Gale crater with higher fidelity (but more spatially restricted) in situ measurements by Curiosity, and we synthesize how this information contributes to our understanding of water-rock interaction in Gale crater. In the context of combining these disparate spatial scales, we also discuss implications for the larger understanding of martian surface evolution and the need for a wide range of data types and scales to properly reconstruct ancient geologic processes using remote methods.
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26
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Kriegler S, Herzog M, Oliva R, Gault S, Cockell CS, Winter R. Structural responses of model biomembranes to Mars-relevant salts. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:14212-14223. [PMID: 34159996 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp02092g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Lipid membranes are a key component of contemporary living systems and are thought to have been essential to the origin of life. Most research on membranes has focused on situations restricted to ambient physiological or benchtop conditions. However, the influence of more extreme conditions, such as the deep subsurface on Earth or extraterrestrial environments are less well understood. The deep subsurface environments of Mars, for instance, may harbor high concentrations of chaotropic salts in brines, yet we know little about how these conditions would influence the habitability of such environments for cellular life. Here, we investigated the combined effects of high concentrations of salts, including sodium and magnesium perchlorate and sulfate, and high hydrostatic pressure on the stability and structure of model biomembranes of varying complexity. To this end, a variety of biophysical techniques have been applied, which include calorimetry, fluorescence spectroscopies, small-angle X-ray scattering, dynamic light scattering, and microscopy techniques. We show that the structure and phase behavior of lipid membranes is sensitively dictated by the nature of the salt, in particular its anion and its concentration. We demonstrate that, with the exception of magnesium perchlorate, which can also induce cubic lipid arrangements, long-chain saturated lipid bilayer structures can still persist at high salt concentrations across a range of pressures. The lateral organization of complex heterogeneous raft-like membranes is affected by all salts. For simple, in particular bacterial membrane-type bilayer systems with unsaturated chains, vesicular structures are still stable at Martian brine conditions, also up to the kbar pressure range, demonstrating the potential compatibility of environments containing such ionic and pressure extremes to lipid-encapsulated life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Kriegler
- Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Street 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.
| | - Marius Herzog
- Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Street 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.
| | - Rosario Oliva
- Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Street 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.
| | - Stewart Gault
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, Scotland
| | - Charles S Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, Scotland
| | - Roland Winter
- Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Street 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.
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27
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The Effects of Temperature and Pressure on Protein-Ligand Binding in the Presence of Mars-Relevant Salts. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10070687. [PMID: 34356542 PMCID: PMC8301423 DOI: 10.3390/biology10070687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Interactions of ligands with proteins are central to all reactions in the biological cell. How such reactions are affected by harsh environmental conditions, such as low temperatures, high pressures, and high concentrations of biologically destructive salts, is still largely unknown. Our work focused on specific salts found on Mars to understand whether the planet’s potentially liquid, water-rich subsurface harbors conditions that are theoretically favorable for life. Our data show that, while magnesium chloride and sulfate do not significantly alter protein–ligand interactions, the perchlorate ion strongly affects protein–ligand binding. However, the temperature and pressure conditions encountered on Mars do not necessarily preclude protein–ligand interactions of the type studied here. Abstract Protein–ligand interactions are fundamental to all biochemical processes. Generally, these processes are studied at ambient temperature and pressure conditions. We investigated the binding of the small ligand 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (ANS) to the multifunctional protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) at ambient and low temperatures and at high pressure conditions, in the presence of ions associated with the surface and subsurface of Mars, including the chaotropic perchlorate ion. We found that salts such as magnesium chloride and sulfate only slightly affect the protein–ligand complex formation. In contrast, magnesium perchlorate strongly affects the interaction between ANS and BSA at the single site level, leading to a change in stoichiometry and strength of ligand binding. Interestingly, both a decrease in temperature and an increase in pressure favor the ligand binding process, resulting in a negative change in protein–ligand binding volume. This suggests that biochemical reactions that are fundamental for the regulation of biological processes are theoretically possible outside standard temperature and pressure conditions, such as in the harsh conditions of the Martian subsurface.
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28
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Mojarro A, Jin L, Szostak JW, Head JW, Zuber MT. In search of the RNA world on Mars. GEOBIOLOGY 2021; 19:307-321. [PMID: 33565260 PMCID: PMC8248371 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Advances in origins of life research and prebiotic chemistry suggest that life as we know it may have emerged from an earlier RNA World. However, it has been difficult to reconcile the conditions used in laboratory experiments with real-world geochemical environments that may have existed on the early Earth and hosted the origin(s) of life. This challenge is due to geologic resurfacing and recycling that have erased the overwhelming majority of the Earth's prebiotic history. We therefore propose that Mars, a planet frozen in time, comprised of many surfaces that have remained relatively unchanged since their formation > 4 Gya, is the best alternative to search for environments consistent with geochemical requirements imposed by the RNA world. In this study, we synthesize in situ and orbital observations of Mars and modeling of its early atmosphere into solutions containing a range of pHs and concentrations of prebiotically relevant metals (Fe2+ , Mg2+ , and Mn2+ ) spanning various candidate aqueous environments. We then experimentally determine RNA degradation kinetics due to metal-catalyzed hydrolysis (cleavage) and evaluate whether early Mars could have been permissive toward the accumulation of long-lived RNA polymers. Our results indicate that a Mg2+ -rich basalt sourcing metals to a slightly acidic (pH 5.4) environment mediates the slowest rates of RNA cleavage, though geologic evidence and basalt weathering models suggest aquifers on Mars would be near neutral (pH ~ 7). Moreover, the early onset of oxidizing conditions on Mars has major consequences regarding the availability of oxygen-sensitive metals (i.e., Fe2+ and Mn2+ ) due to increased RNA degradation rates and precipitation. Overall, (a) low pH decreases RNA cleavage at high metal concentrations; (b) acidic to neutral pH environments with Fe2+ or Mn2+ cleave more RNA than Mg2+ ; and (c) alkaline environments with Mg2+ dramatically cleaves more RNA while precipitates were observed for Fe2+ and Mn2+ .
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel Mojarro
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMAUSA
| | - Lin Jin
- Department of Molecular Biology, and Center for Computational and Integrative BiologyMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMAUSA
| | - Jack W. Szostak
- Department of Molecular Biology, and Center for Computational and Integrative BiologyMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMAUSA
| | - James W. Head
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary SciencesBrown UniversityProvidenceRIUSA
| | - Maria T. Zuber
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMAUSA
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29
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Ruiz-Galende P, Fernández G, Torre-Fdez I, Aramendia J, Gomez-Nubla L, García-Florentino C, Castro K, Arana G, Madariaga JM. Characterization of sedimentary and volcanic rocks in Armintza outcrop (Biscay, Spain) and its implication for Oxia Planum (Mars) exploration. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2021; 251:119443. [PMID: 33485243 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2021.119443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The landing site of the next planetary mission lead by ESA (ExoMars 2022) will be Oxia Planum. This location has been chosen due to different reasons, among them, the existence of sedimentary rocks that could host remains of organic matter. The fact that this type of rocks coexists with volcanic ones makes of high importance the study of the processes and the possible interactions that could happen among them. Therefore, in this research work the Armintza outcrop (Biscay, North of Spain) is proposed as an Oxia Planum analogue since it has the dichotomy of volcanic and sedimentary rock layers that is expected on the landing site of the ExoMars 2022 mission. As Raman and visible near infrared spectroscopies will be in the payload of the rover of that mission, they have been used to characterize the samples collected in the Armintza outcrop. With the help of these techniques, feldspars (albite mainly) and phyllosilicates (kaolinite and dickite, together with micas and chlorite minerals) have been identified as the major products on the samples, together with some weathering products (carbonates, sulphates, oxides) and apatite. Moreover, remains of kerogen have been detected in the sedimentary layers in contact with the interlayered lava flows, confirming the capability of similar sedimentary-volcanic layers to trap and store organic remains for millions of years. After establishing which compounds have volcanic or sedimentary origin, and which must be considered alteration phases, we can consider Armintza as a good Oxia Planum analogue.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Ruiz-Galende
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain.
| | - G Fernández
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain
| | - I Torre-Fdez
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain
| | - J Aramendia
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain
| | - L Gomez-Nubla
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain
| | - C García-Florentino
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain
| | - K Castro
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain
| | - G Arana
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain
| | - J M Madariaga
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain
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30
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Cockell CS, Wordsworth R, Whiteford N, Higgins PM. Minimum Units of Habitability and Their Abundance in the Universe. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:481-489. [PMID: 33513037 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Although the search for habitability is a much-vaunted objective in the study of planetary environments, the material requirements for an environment to be habitable can be met with relatively few ingredients. In this hypothesis paper, the minimum material requirements for habitability are first re-evaluated, necessarily based on life "as we know it." From this vantage point, we explore examples of the minimum number of material requirements for habitable conditions to arise in a planetary environment, which we illustrate with "minimum habitability diagrams." These requirements raise the hypothesis that habitable conditions may be common throughout the universe. If the hypothesis was accepted, then the discovery of life would remain an important discovery, but habitable conditions on their own would be an unremarkable feature of the material universe. We discuss how minimum units of habitability provide a parsimonious way to consider the minimum number of geological inferences about a planetary body, and the minimum number of atmospheric components that must be measured, for example in the case of exoplanets, to be able to make assessments of habitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles S Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Robin Wordsworth
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Niall Whiteford
- Institute for Astronomy, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Peter M Higgins
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Institute for Astronomy, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, UK
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31
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Gault S, Cockell CS. Perchlorate Salts Exert a Dominant, Deleterious Effect on the Structure, Stability, and Activity of α-Chymotrypsin. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:405-412. [PMID: 33784200 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The presence of perchlorate ions on Mars raises the question of how these ions influence the biochemistry of any contaminant life introduced into the martian environment, or what selection pressures perchlorate ions exert on any environment that contains these ions, such as the Atacama Desert. In this study, we investigated the structure, stability, and enzyme activity of the model enzyme α-chymotrypsin in the presence of five Mars relevant salts, MgSO4, MgCl2, Mg(ClO4)2, Ca(ClO4)2, and NaClO4. We found that all the perchlorate salts reduced the enzyme activity of α-chymotrypsin in a concentration-dependent manner, with Mg(ClO4)2 and Ca(ClO4)2 having the greatest effect. This observation extends to our structural studies, which show that 1 M Mg(ClO4)2 and Ca(ClO4)2 greatly alter the tertiary structural environment of α-chymotrypsin. We also found that all the perchlorate salts assayed reduced the melting temperature of α-chymotrypsin, whereas the sulfate and chloride salts were able to increase the protein melting temperature. We also demonstrated that a brine containing both perchlorate and sulfate ions exerts the same deleterious effects on α-chymotrypsin's melting temperature and enzyme activity as that of a perchlorate-only brine. This suggests that the perchlorate salts exert a dominant, deleterious effect on protein biochemistry. These results indicate that although perchlorate salts are beneficial to the presence of liquid water due to low eutectic points, they also hamper the habitability of their own environment. Life in such brines would, therefore, have to adapt its cellular machinery to the perchlorate ion's presence or find a way of excluding it from said machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stewart Gault
- Centre for Astrobiology, SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Charles S Cockell
- Centre for Astrobiology, SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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32
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Fetahaj Z, Ostermeier L, Cinar H, Oliva R, Winter R. Biomolecular Condensates under Extreme Martian Salt Conditions. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:5247-5259. [PMID: 33755443 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c01832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Biomolecular condensates formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) are considered one of the early compartmentalization strategies of cells, which still prevail today forming nonmembranous compartments in biological cells. Studies of the effect of high pressures, such as those encountered in the subsurface salt lakes of Mars or in the depths of the subseafloor on Earth, on biomolecular LLPS will contribute to questions of protocell formation under prebiotic conditions. We investigated the effects of extreme environmental conditions, focusing on highly aggressive Martian salts (perchlorate and sulfate) and high pressure, on the formation of biomolecular condensates of proteins. Our data show that the driving force for phase separation of proteins is not only sensitively dictated by their amino acid sequence but also strongly influenced by the type of salt and its concentration. At high salinity, as encountered in Martian soil and similar harsh environments on Earth, attractive short-range interactions, ion correlation effects, hydrophobic, and π-driven interactions can sustain LLPS for suitable polypeptide sequences. Our results also show that salts across the Hofmeister series have a differential effect on shifting the boundary of immiscibility that determines phase separation. In addition, we show that confinement mimicking cracks in sediments and subsurface saline water pools in the Antarctica or on Mars can dramatically stabilize liquid phase droplets, leading to an increase in the temperature and pressure stability of the droplet phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zamira Fetahaj
- Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Street 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Lena Ostermeier
- Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Street 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Hasan Cinar
- Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Street 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Rosario Oliva
- Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Street 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Roland Winter
- Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Street 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
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Tan JS, Royle SH, Sephton MA. Artificial Maturation of Iron- and Sulfur-Rich Mars Analogues: Implications for the Diagenetic Stability of Biopolymers and Their Detection with Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:199-218. [PMID: 33226839 PMCID: PMC7876361 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2211] [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: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Acidic iron- and sulfur-rich streams are appropriate analogues for the late Noachian and early Hesperian periods of martian history, when Mars exhibited extensive habitable environments. Any past life on Mars may have left behind diagnostic evidence of life that could be detected at the present day. For effective preservation, these remains must have avoided the harsh radiation flux at the martian surface, survived geological storage for billions of years, and remained detectable within their geochemical environment by analytical instrument suites used on Mars today, such as thermal extraction techniques. We investigated the detectability of organic matter within sulfur stream sediments that had been subjected to artificial maturation by hydrous pyrolysis. After maturation, the samples were analyzed by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (py-GC-MS) to determine whether organic matter could be detected with this commonly used technique. We find that macromolecular organic matter can survive the artificial maturation process in the presence of iron- and sulfur-rich minerals but cannot be unambiguously distinguished from abiotic organic matter. However, if jarosite and goethite are present in the sulfur stream environment, they interfere with the py-GC-MS detection of organic compounds in these samples. Clay reduces the obfuscating effect of the oxidizing minerals by providing nondeleterious adsorption sites. We also find that after a simple alkali and acid leaching process that removes oxidizing minerals such as iron sulfates, oxides, and oxyhydroxides, the sulfur stream samples exhibit much greater organic responses during py-GC-MS in terms of both abundance and diversity of organic compounds, such as the detection of hopanes in all leached samples. Our results suggest that insoluble organic matter can be preserved over billions of years of geological storage while still retaining diagnostic organic information, but sample selection strategies must either avoid jarosite- and goethite-rich outcrops or conduct preparative chemistry steps to remove these oxidants prior to analysis by thermal extraction techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan S.W. Tan
- Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre, Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Samuel H. Royle
- Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre, Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Mark A. Sephton
- Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre, Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Gypsum Precipitation under Saline Conditions: Thermodynamics, Kinetics, Morphology, and Size Distribution. MINERALS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/min11020141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) is the most common sulfate mineral on Earth and is also found on Mars. It is an evaporitic mineral that predominantly precipitates from brines. In addition to its precipitation in natural environments, gypsum also forms an undesired scale in many industrial processes that utilize or produce brines. Thus, better insights into gypsum formation can contribute to the understanding of natural processes, as well as improving industrial practices. Subsequently, the thermodynamics, nucleation and crystal growth mechanisms and kinetics, and how these factors shape the morphology of gypsum have been widely studied. Over the last decade, the precipitation of gypsum under saline and hypersaline conditions has been the focus of several studies. However, to date, most of the thermodynamic data are derived from experiments with artificial solutions that have limited background electrolytes and have Ca2+/SO42− ratios that are similar to the 1:1 ratio in the mineral. Moreover, direct observations of the nucleation and growth processes of gypsum are still derived from experimental settings that can be described as having low ionic strength. Thus, the mechanisms of gypsum precipitation under conditions from which the mineral precipitates in many natural environments and industrial processes are still less well known. The present review focuses on the precipitation of gypsum from a range of aspects. Special attention is given to brines. The effects of ionic strength, brine composition, and temperature on the thermodynamic settings are broadly discussed. The mechanisms and rates of gypsum nucleation and growth, and the effect the thermodynamic properties of the brine have on these processes is demonstrated by recent microscopic and macroscopic observations. The morphology and size distribution of gypsum crystals precipitation is examined in the light of the precipitation processes that shape these properties. Finally, the present review highlights discrepancies between microscopic and macroscopic observations, and studies carried out under low and high ionic strengths. The special challenges posed by experiments with brines are also discussed. Thus, while this review covers contemporary literature, it also outlines further research that is required in order to improve our understanding of gypsum precipitation in natural environments and industrial settings.
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Rouquette L, Stalport F, Cottin H, Colas C, Georgelin T, Chaouche-Mechidal N, Lasne J, Mahfouf S, Raulin F, Selliez L, Szopa C, Coll P. Dimerization of Uracil in a Simulated Mars-like UV Radiation Environment. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:1363-1376. [PMID: 33179968 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2157] [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
The search for organic molecules at the surface of Mars is a key objective in astrobiology, given that many organic compounds are possible biosignatures and their presence is of interest with regard to the habitability of Mars. Current environmental conditions at the martian surface are harsh and affect the stability of organic molecules. For this reason, and because current and future Mars rovers collect samples from the upper surface layer, it is important to assess the fate of organic molecules under the conditions at the martian surface. Here, we present an experimental study of the evolution of uracil when exposed to UV radiation, pressure, and temperature conditions representative of the surface of Mars. Uracil was selected because it is a nucleobase that composes RNA, and it has been detected in interplanetary bodies that could be the exogenous source of this molecule by meteoritic delivery to the surface of Mars. Our results show that the experimental quantum efficiency of photodecomposition of uracil is 0.16 ± 0.14 molecule/photon. Although these results suggest that uracil is quickly photodegraded when directly exposed to UV light on Mars, such exposure produces dimers that are more stable over time than the monomer. The identified dimers could be targets of interest for current and future Mars space missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Rouquette
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA), UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris Est Créteil et Université de Paris, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Creteil Cedex, France
| | - Fabien Stalport
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA), UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris Est Créteil et Université de Paris, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Creteil Cedex, France
| | - Hervé Cottin
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA), UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris Est Créteil et Université de Paris, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Creteil Cedex, France
| | - Cyril Colas
- Institut de Chimie Organique et Analytique (ICOA), Université d'Orléans, UMR CNRS 7311, Orléans, France
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire (CBM), UPR CNRS 4301, Université d'Orléans, Orléans, France
| | - Thomas Georgelin
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire (CBM), UPR CNRS 4301, Université d'Orléans, Orléans, France
- Laboratoire de Réactivité de Surface, UMR CNRS 7197, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Naïla Chaouche-Mechidal
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA), UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris Est Créteil et Université de Paris, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Creteil Cedex, France
| | - Jerome Lasne
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA), UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris Est Créteil et Université de Paris, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Creteil Cedex, France
| | - Sara Mahfouf
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA), UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris Est Créteil et Université de Paris, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Creteil Cedex, France
| | - François Raulin
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA), UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris Est Créteil et Université de Paris, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Creteil Cedex, France
| | - Laura Selliez
- Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace (LPC2E), UMR CNRS7328, Université d'Orléans, Orléans Cedex, France
- Laboratoire atmosphères, milieux, observations spatiales, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, UMR 8190, UVSQ Université Paris-Saclay, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Guyancourt, France
| | - Cyril Szopa
- Laboratoire atmosphères, milieux, observations spatiales, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, UMR 8190, UVSQ Université Paris-Saclay, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Guyancourt, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - Patrice Coll
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA), UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris Est Créteil et Université de Paris, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Creteil Cedex, France
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Gault S, Jaworek MW, Winter R, Cockell CS. High pressures increase α-chymotrypsin enzyme activity under perchlorate stress. Commun Biol 2020; 3:550. [PMID: 33009512 PMCID: PMC7532203 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01279-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep subsurface environments can harbour high concentrations of dissolved ions, yet we know little about how this shapes the conditions for life. We know even less about how the combined effects of high pressure influence the way in which ions constrain the possibilities for life. One such ion is perchlorate, which is found in extreme environments on Earth and pervasively on Mars. We investigated the interactions of high pressure and high perchlorate concentrations on enzymatic activity. We demonstrate that high pressures increase α-chymotrypsin enzyme activity even in the presence of high perchlorate concentrations. Perchlorate salts were shown to shift the folded α-chymotrypsin phase space to lower temperatures and pressures. The results presented here may suggest that high pressures increase the habitability of environments under perchlorate stress. Therefore, deep subsurface environments that combine these stressors, potentially including the subsurface of Mars, may be more habitable than previously thought. Gault et al. show that high pressures increase α-chymotrypsin enzyme activity in the presence of high perchlorate concentrations. These perchlorate salts shift the folded enzyme phase space to lower temperatures and pressure and may move the optimum enzyme activity towards lower temperatures in addition to higher pressures, which has implications for Martian habitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stewart Gault
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, UK.
| | - Michel W Jaworek
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Str. 4a, D-44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Roland Winter
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Str. 4a, D-44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Charles S Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, UK
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Constraining the preservation of organic compounds in Mars analog nontronites after exposure to acid and alkaline fluids. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15097. [PMID: 32934272 PMCID: PMC7492362 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71657-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of organic matter in lacustrine mudstone sediments at Gale crater was revealed by the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, which also identified smectite clay minerals. Analogue experiments on phyllosilicates formed under low temperature aqueous conditons have illustrated that these are excellent reservoirs to host organic compounds against the harsh surface conditions of Mars. Here, we evaluate whether the capacity of smectites to preserve organic compounds can be influenced by a short exposure to different diagenetic fluids. We analyzed the stability of glycine embedded within nontronite samples previously exposed to either acidic or alkaline fluids (hereafter referred to as “treated nontronites”) under Mars-like surface conditions. Analyses performed using multiple techniques showed higher photodegradation of glycine in the acid-treated nontronite, triggered by decarboxylation and deamination processes. In constrast, our experiments showed that glycine molecules were preferably incorporated by ion exchange in the interlayer region of the alkali-treated nontronite, conferring them a better protection against the external conditions. Our results demonstrate that smectite previously exposed to fluids with different pH values influences how glycine is adsorbed into their interlayer regions, affecting their potential for preservation of organic compounds under contemporary Mars surface conditions.
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Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy of Ammoniovoltaite, (NH4)2Fe2+5Fe3+3Al(SO4)12(H2O)18. MINERALS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/min10090781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Ammoniovoltaite, (NH4)2Fe2+5Fe3+3Al(SO4)12(H2O)18, is a complex hydrated sulphate of the voltaite group that has been recently discovered on the surface of the Severo-Kambalny geothermal field (Kamchatka, Russia). Vibrational spectroscopy has been applied for characterization of the mineral. Both infrared and Raman spectra of ammoniovoltaite are characterized by an abundance of bands, which corresponds to the diversity of structural fragments and variations of their local symmetry. The infrared spectrum of ammoniovoltaite is similar to that of other voltaite-related compounds. The specific feature related to the dominance of the NH4 group is its ν4 mode observed at 1432 cm−1 with a shoulder at 1510 cm−1 appearing due to NH4 disorder. The Raman spectrum of ammoniovoltaite is basically different from that of voltaite by the appearance of an intensive band centered at 3194 cm−1 and attributed to the ν3 mode of NH4. The latter can serve as a distinctive feature of ammonium in voltaite-group minerals in resemblance to recently reported results for another NH4-mineral—tschermigite, where ν3 of NH4 occurs at 3163 cm−1. The values calculated from wavenumbers of infrared bands at 3585 cm−1, 3467 cm−1 and 3400 cm−1 for hydrogen bond distances: d(O···H) and d(O···O) correspond to bonding involving H1 and H2 atoms of Fe2+X6 (X = O, OH) octahedra. The infrared bands observed at 3242 cm−1 and 2483 cm−1 are due to stronger hydrogen bonding, that may refer to non-localized H atoms of Al(H2O)6 or NH4.
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Osinski G, Cockell C, Pontefract A, Sapers H. The Role of Meteorite Impacts in the Origin of Life. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:1121-1149. [PMID: 32876492 PMCID: PMC7499892 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The conditions, timing, and setting for the origin of life on Earth and whether life exists elsewhere in our solar system and beyond represent some of the most fundamental scientific questions of our time. Although the bombardment of planets and satellites by asteroids and comets has long been viewed as a destructive process that would have presented a barrier to the emergence of life and frustrated or extinguished life, we provide a comprehensive synthesis of data and observations on the beneficial role of impacts in a wide range of prebiotic and biological processes. In the context of previously proposed environments for the origin of life on Earth, we discuss how meteorite impacts can generate both subaerial and submarine hydrothermal vents, abundant hydrothermal-sedimentary settings, and impact analogues for volcanic pumice rafts and splash pools. Impact events can also deliver and/or generate many of the necessary chemical ingredients for life and catalytic substrates such as clays as well. The role that impact cratering plays in fracturing planetary crusts and its effects on deep subsurface habitats for life are also discussed. In summary, we propose that meteorite impact events are a fundamental geobiological process in planetary evolution that played an important role in the origin of life on Earth. We conclude with the recommendation that impact craters should be considered prime sites in the search for evidence of past life on Mars. Furthermore, unlike other geological processes such as volcanism or plate tectonics, impact cratering is ubiquitous on planetary bodies throughout the Universe and is independent of size, composition, and distance from the host star. Impact events thus provide a mechanism with the potential to generate habitable planets, moons, and asteroids throughout the Solar System and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- G.R. Osinski
- Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
- Address correspondence to: Dr. Gordon Osinski, Department of Earth Sciences, 1151 Richmond Street, University of Western Ontario, London ON, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - C.S. Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - A. Pontefract
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - H.M. Sapers
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Capacity of Chlorate to Oxidize Ferrous Iron: Implications for Iron Oxide Formation on Mars. MINERALS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/min10090729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Chlorate is an important Cl-bearing species and a strong potential Fe(II) oxidant on Mars. Since the amount of oxychlorine species (perchlorate and chlorate) detected on Mars is limited (<~1 wt.%), the effectiveness of chlorate to produce iron oxides depends heavily on its oxidizing capacity. Decomposition of chlorate or intermediates produced during its reduction, before reaction with Fe(II) would decrease its effective capacity as an oxidant. We thus evaluated the capacity of chlorate to produce Fe(III) minerals in Mars-relevant fluids, via oxidation of dissolved Fe(II). Each chlorate ion can oxidize 6 Fe(II) ions under all conditions investigated. Mass balance demonstrated that 1 wt.% chlorate (as ClO3−) could produce approximately 6 to 12 wt.% Fe(III) or mixed valent mineral products, with the amount varying with the formula of the precipitating phase. The mineral products are primarily determined by the fluid type (chloride- or sulfate-rich), the solution pH, and the rate of Fe(II) oxidation. The pH at the time of initial mineral nucleation and the amount of residual dissolved Fe(II) in the system exert important additional controls on the final mineralogy. Subsequent diagenetic transformation of these phases would yield 5.7 wt.% hematite per wt.% of chlorate reacted, providing a quantitative constraint on the capacity of chlorate to generate iron oxides on Mars.
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Cockell CS, Wilhelm MB, Perl S, Wadsworth J, Payler S, McMahon S, Paling S, Edwards T. 0.25 Ga Salt Deposits Preserve Signatures of Habitable Conditions and Ancient Lipids. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:864-877. [PMID: 32286848 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Polygonal features in a ∼250 million-year-old Permian evaporitic deposit were investigated for their geological and organic content to test the hypothesis that they could preserve the signature of ancient habitable conditions and biological activity. Investigations on evaporitic rock were carried out as part of the MIne Analog Research (MINAR) project at Boulby Mine, the United Kingdom. The edges of the polygons have a higher clay content and contain higher abundances of minerals such as quartz and microcline, and clays such as illite and chlorite, compared with the interior of polygons, suggesting that the edges were preferred locations for the accumulation of weathering products during their formation. The mineral content and its strontium isotope ratio suggest that the material is from continental weathering at the borders of the Permian Zechstein Sea. The edges of the polygons contain material with mean δ13C and δ15N values of -20.8 and 5.3, respectively. Lipids, including alkanes and hopanes, were extracted from the interior and edges of the polygons, which are inferred to represent organic material entrained in the evaporites when they were formed. The presence of long-chain alkanes (C20-C35) that lack a carbon preference, low abundances of C23-C29 hopanes, and lack of marine, evaporitic, or thermal maturity indicators show that lipid biomarkers were, at least in part, potentially derived from a continental source and have not undergone significant thermal maturation since deposition. Lipid extractions using weak acids revealed significantly more lipids than those without acid, potentially indicating that encapsulation was not the only type of preservation mechanism occurring in Boulby salts. These data demonstrate the potential for ancient evaporites and their polygons to preserve information on local geological conditions, ancient habitability, and evidence of life. The data show that analogous martian evaporitic deposits are good targets for future life detection missions and the investigation of ancient martian habitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles S Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Mary Beth Wilhelm
- Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
| | - Scott Perl
- California Institute of Technology/NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
| | - Jennifer Wadsworth
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Sam Payler
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- European Astronaut Centre, Cologne, Germany
| | - Sean McMahon
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Sean Paling
- STFC Boulby Underground Laboratory, Boulby, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Edwards
- STFC Boulby Underground Laboratory, Boulby, United Kingdom
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42
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Aerts JW, Riedo A, Melton DJ, Martini S, Flahaut J, Meierhenrich UJ, Meinert C, Myrgorodska I, Lindner R, Ehrenfreund P. Biosignature Analysis of Mars Soil Analogs from the Atacama Desert: Challenges and Implications for Future Missions to Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:766-784. [PMID: 32167834 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The detection of biosignatures on Mars is of outstanding interest in the current field of astrobiology and drives various fields of research, ranging from new sample collection strategies to the development of more sensitive detection techniques. Detailed analysis of the organic content in Mars analog materials collected from extreme environments on Earth improves the current understanding of biosignature preservation and detection under conditions similar to those of Mars. In this article, we examined the biological fingerprint of several locations in the Atacama Desert (Chile), which include different wet and dry, and intermediate to high elevation salt flats (also named salars). Liquid chromatography and multidimensional gas chromatography mass spectrometry measurement techniques were used for the detection and analysis of amino acids extracted from the salt crusts and sediments by using sophisticated extraction procedures. Illumina 16S amplicon sequencing was used for the identification of microbial communities associated with the different sample locations. Although amino acid load and organic carbon and nitrogen quantities were generally low, it was found that most of the samples harbored complex and versatile microbial communities, which were dominated by (extremely) halophilic microorganisms (most notably by species of the Archaeal family Halobacteriaceae). The dominance of salts (i.e., halites and sulfates) in the investigated samples leaves its mark on the composition of the microbial communities but does not appear to hinder the potential of life to flourish since it can clearly adapt to the higher concentrations. Although the Atacama Desert is one of the driest and harshest environments on Earth, it is shown that there are still sub-locations where life is able to maintain a foothold, and, as such, salt flats could be considered as interesting targets for future life exploration missions on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joost W Aerts
- Molecular Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Andreas Riedo
- Astrobiology Laboratory, Sackler Laboratory for Astrophysics, Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel J Melton
- Astrobiology Laboratory, Sackler Laboratory for Astrophysics, Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Simone Martini
- Astrobiology Laboratory, Sackler Laboratory for Astrophysics, Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jessica Flahaut
- CRPG, CNRS/University of Lorraine, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France
| | - Uwe J Meierhenrich
- CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | | | - Robert Lindner
- Life Support and Physical Sciences Instrumentation Section, European Space Agency, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
| | - Pascale Ehrenfreund
- Astrobiology Laboratory, Sackler Laboratory for Astrophysics, Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Royer C, Poulet F, Reess JM, Pilorget C, Hamm V, Fouchet T, Maurice S, Forni O, Bernardi P, Montmessin F, Lapauw L, Parisot J, Bonafous M, Gasnault O, Wiens RC. Pre-launch radiometric calibration of the infrared spectrometer onboard SuperCam for the Mars2020 rover. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2020; 91:063105. [PMID: 32611063 DOI: 10.1063/1.5145390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Near-infrared spectroscopy has become a well-known remote sensing technique for the surface characterization of planetary objects. Among them, Mars was observed in the past by three imaging spectrometers from orbit. The Infrared Spectrometer/SuperCam instrument performs near-infrared spectroscopy from the martian surface for the first time, with a 1.15 mrad field of view, in the 1.3 µm-2.6 µm range, enabling the identification of a variety of mafic and altered minerals. Before integration aboard the rover, the spectrometer underwent a calibration campaign. Here, we report the radiometric and linearity responses of the instrument, including the optical and thermal setups used to perform them over its nominal range of operations, in terms of instrument detector temperatures and spectral range. These responses were constrained by accuracy requirements (20% in absolute radiometry, 1% in relative). The derived instrument transfer function fits within these requirements (<15% in absolute and <0.8% in relative) and shall be used to calculate the expected instrumental signal-to-noise ratio for typical observation scenarios of mineral mixtures expected to be found in the Jezero crater, and ultimately to retrieve the spectral properties of the regions of interest observed by the rover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Royer
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - F Poulet
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - J-M Reess
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 5 Place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France
| | - C Pilorget
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - V Hamm
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - T Fouchet
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 5 Place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France
| | - S Maurice
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, CNRS, UMR 5277, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - O Forni
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, CNRS, UMR 5277, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - P Bernardi
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 5 Place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France
| | - F Montmessin
- LATMOS/IPSL, UVSQ Université Paris-Saclay, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Guyancourt, France
| | - L Lapauw
- LATMOS/IPSL, UVSQ Université Paris-Saclay, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Guyancourt, France
| | - J Parisot
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 5 Place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France
| | - M Bonafous
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 5 Place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France
| | - O Gasnault
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, CNRS, UMR 5277, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - R C Wiens
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
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Ende M, Kirkkala T, Loitzenbauer M, Talla D, Wildner M, Miletich R. High-Pressure Behavior of Nickel Sulfate Monohydrate: Isothermal Compressibility, Structural Polymorphism, and Transition Pathway. Inorg Chem 2020; 59:6255-6266. [PMID: 32293173 PMCID: PMC7201398 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.0c00370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
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Single crystals of
synthetic nickel sulfate monohydrate, α-NiSO4·H2O (space-group symmetry C2/c at ambient conditions), were subject to high-pressure behavior investigations
in a diamond-anvil cell up to 10.8 GPa. By means of subtle spectral
changes in Raman spectra recorded at 298 K on isothermal compression,
two discontinuities were identified at 2.47(1) and 6.5(5) GPa. Both
transitions turn out to be apparently second order in character, as
deduced from the continuous evolution of unit-cell volumes determined
from single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The first structural transition
from α- to β-NiSO4·H2O is an
obvious ferroelastic C2/c–P1̅ transition. It is purely displacive from a structural
point of view, accompanied by symmetry changes in the hydrogen-bonding
scheme. The second β- to γ-NiSO4·H2O transition, further splitting the O2 (hydrogen bridge acceptor)
position and violating the P1̅ space-group
symmetry, is also evident from the splitting of individual bands in
the Raman spectra. It can be attributed to symmetry reduction through
local violation of local centrosymmetry. Lattice elasticities were
obtained by fitting second-order Birch–Murnaghan equations
of state to the p-V data points
yielding the following zero-pressure bulk moduli values: K0 = 63.4 ± 1.0 GPa for α-NiSO4·H2O, K0 = 61.3 ± 1.9 GPa for
β-NiSO4·H2O, and K0 = 68.8 ± 2.5 GPa for γ-NiSO4·H2O. Synthetic nickel sulfate monohydrate
crystals (space group C2/c at ambient
conditions) were subject to in situ high-pressure solid-state investigations
(structure from single crystal X-ray diffraction, lattice parameter,
Raman spectra) in a diamond-anvil cell up to 10.8 GPa. Two discontinuities,
apparently phase transitions of second order, were identified at 2.47
± 0.01 (obvious ferroelastic C2/c−P1̅) and 6.5 ± 0.5 GPa (P1̅−P1̅). Birch−Murnaghan
equations of state were fitted to the P−V data, and the obtained parameters are given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Ende
- Department of Mineralogy and Crystallography, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, A-1090 Wien, Austria
| | - Terhi Kirkkala
- Department of Chemistry, University of Jyväskylä, Survontie 9 B, Ylistönrinne, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Michael Loitzenbauer
- Department of Mineralogy and Crystallography, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, A-1090 Wien, Austria
| | - Dominik Talla
- Department of Mineralogy and Crystallography, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, A-1090 Wien, Austria
| | - Manfred Wildner
- Department of Mineralogy and Crystallography, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, A-1090 Wien, Austria
| | - Ronald Miletich
- Department of Mineralogy and Crystallography, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, A-1090 Wien, Austria
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Cockell CS. Persistence of Habitable, but Uninhabited, Aqueous Solutions and the Application to Extraterrestrial Environments. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:617-627. [PMID: 32105517 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2179] [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: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In most environments on Earth, habitable environments contain life. Experiments were conducted to investigate the decoupling of the presence of habitable conditions and life. A set of microcosms habitable for known groups of organisms, but uninhabited (i.e., uninhabited habitats), was exposed to external environmental conditions to test the hypothesis that extreme habitable environments can remain uninhabited for sustained time periods. These microcosms were made of tubes containing liquid water and inorganic N, P, and S. Organics (used as electron donors and as a C source) were provided as L and D amino acids. One set of uninhabited habitats contained no additional salts, one set contained saturated NaCl, and one set contained saturated MgSO4. A ddH2O control and a complex medium for Halobacterium were used as controls. The presence of organisms was tested by enumeration of colonists and sequencing of extracted DNA. At each time point, inoculation into fresh medium was used to test for growth of organisms. After 1 week, the "no salt" and saturated MgSO4 solutions were colonized. After 6 months, both the NaCl-saturated and Halobacterium solutions remained uninhabited, but all other samples were colonized. These experiments demonstrate that certain types of habitable liquid water environments exposed to microbial atmospheric inoculation, even on Earth, can remain devoid of reproducing life for many months. On other planetary bodies, such as Mars, these data imply the possibility of preserved transient water bodies that would record habitable conditions, but no evidence of life, even if life existed elsewhere on the planet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles S Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, James Clerk Maxwell Building, The King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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46
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Nepal S, Kumar P. Growth, Cell Division, and Gene Expression of Escherichia coli at Elevated Concentrations of Magnesium Sulfate: Implications for Habitability of Europa and Mars. Microorganisms 2020; 8:E637. [PMID: 32349403 PMCID: PMC7285182 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8050637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
We perform quantitative studies of the growth, death, and gene expression of Escherichia coli in a wide range of magnesium sulfate (MgSO 4 ) concentrations (0-2.5 M). Elevated concentration of MgSO 4 causes the inhibition of cell growth, leading to an increase in the population doubling time. We find that cells exhibit three distinct morphological phenotypes-(i) normal, (ii) filamentous, and (iii) small cells at 1 . 25 M MgSO 4 . Filamentous cells arise due to the lack of cell division, while the small cells arise due to the partial plasmolysis of the cells. We further find that cell death starts for salt concentrations >1.25 M and increases with an increasing concentration of MgSO 4 . For salt concentrations ≥1.66 M, the growth of cells stops and all the cells become smaller than the control cells, suggesting the plasmolysis of the population. Cells grown at salt concentration up to 2 . 07 M are reversible in both the growth rate and morphology upon the removal of the salt stress. The time scale of reversibility increases with increasing salt concentration. Finally, we investigate the expression of an osmotically inducible gene (osmC), genes involved in magnesium transport (corA), sulfate transport (cysP), and osmotically driven transport of water (aqpZ). We find that a high concentration of magnesium sulfate leads to the upregulation of cysP and osmC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudip Nepal
- Department of Physics, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA;
- Microelectronics and Photonics Graduate Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Pradeep Kumar
- Department of Physics, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA;
- Microelectronics and Photonics Graduate Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
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47
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Lin J, Chen N, Feng R, Nilges MJ, Jia Y, Wang S, Pan Y. Sequestration of Selenite and Selenate in Gypsum (CaSO 4·2H 2O): Insights from the Single-Crystal Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Synchrotron X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy Study. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:3169-3180. [PMID: 32083476 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b05714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Gypsum is the most common sulfate mineral on Earth's surface and is the dominant solid byproduct in a wide variety of mining and industrial processes, thus representing a major source for heavy metal(loid) contamination, including selenium. Gypsum crystals grown from the gel diffusion technique in 0.02 M Na2SeO4 solution at pH 7.5 and 0.02 M Na2SeO3 solutions at pH 7.5 and 9.0 contain 828, 5198, and 5955 ppm Se, respectively. Synchrotron Se K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopic analyses show that selenite and selenate are the dominant species in Se4+- and Se6+-doped gypsum, respectively. The single-crystal EPR spectra of Se4+- and Se6+-doped gypsum after gamma-ray irradiation reveal five selenium-centered oxyradicals: SeO2-(I), SeO2-(II), SeO2-(III), SeO3-, and HSeO42-. The former three radicals provide unequivocal evidence for the substitution of their paramagnetic precursor SeO32- for SO42- in the gypsum structure, while the latter two confirm the replacement of SeO42- for SO42-. These results demonstrate that gypsum has a significant capacity for sequestrating both selenite and selenate in the structure but has a marked preference for the former, thus confirming important controls on the mobility and bioavailability of selenium oxyanions and pointing to optimal applications of gypsum for remediating selenium contamination under neutral to alkaline conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinru Lin
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, P. R. China
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Ning Chen
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2, Canada
- Canadian Light Source, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0X4, Canada
| | - Renfei Feng
- Canadian Light Source, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0X4, Canada
| | - Mark J Nilges
- Illinois EPR Research Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Yongfeng Jia
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, P. R. China
| | - Shaofeng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, P. R. China
| | - Yuanming Pan
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2, Canada
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48
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The role of primordial atmosphere composition in organic matter delivery to early Earth. RENDICONTI LINCEI. SCIENZE FISICHE E NATURALI 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s12210-020-00878-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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49
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Tan J, Sephton MA. Organic Records of Early Life on Mars: The Role of Iron, Burial, and Kinetics on Preservation. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:53-72. [PMID: 31755737 PMCID: PMC6987739 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Samples that are likely to contain evidence of past life on Mars must have been deposited when and where environments exhibited habitable conditions. Mars analog sites provide the opportunity to study how life could have exploited such habitable conditions. Acidic iron- and sulfur-rich streams are good geochemical analogues for the late Noachian and early Hesperian, periods of martian history where habitable conditions were widespread. Past life on Mars would have left behind fossilized microbial organic remains. These are often-sought diagnostic evidence, but they must be shielded from the harsh radiation flux at the martian surface and its deleterious effect on organic matter. One mechanism that promotes such preservation is burial, which raises questions about how organic biomarkers are influenced by the postburial effects of diagenesis. We investigated the kinetics of organic degradation in the subsurface of Mars. Natural mixtures of acidic iron- and sulfur-rich stream sediments and their associated microbial populations and remains were subjected to hydrous pyrolysis, which simulated the increased temperatures and pressures of burial alongside any promoted organic/mineral interactions. Calculations were made to extrapolate the observed changes over martian history. Our experiments indicate that low carbon contents, high water-to-rock ratios, and the presence of iron-rich minerals combine to provide unfavorable conditions for the preservation of soluble organic matter over the billions of years necessary to produce present-day organic records of late Noachian and early Hesperian life on Mars. Successful sample selection strategies must therefore consider the pre-, syn-, and postburial histories of sedimentary records on Mars and the balance between the production of biomass and the long-term preservation of organic biomarkers over geological time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Tan
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Address correspondence to: Jonathan Tan, Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Mark A. Sephton
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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50
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Preston LJ, Barcenilla R, Dartnell LR, Kucukkilic-Stephens E, Olsson-Francis K. Infrared Spectroscopic Detection of Biosignatures at Lake Tírez, Spain: Implications for Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:15-25. [PMID: 31592682 PMCID: PMC6987737 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The detection of potential biosignatures with mineral matrices is part of a multifaceted approach in the search for life on other planetary bodies. The 2020 ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover includes within its payload three IR spectrometers in the form of ISEM (Infrared Spectrometer for ExoMars), MicrOmega, and Ma-MISS (Mars Multispectral Imager for Subsurface Studies). The use of this technique in the detection and characterization of biosignatures is of great value. Organic materials are often co-deposited in terrestrial evaporites and as such have been proposed as relevant analogs in the search for life on Mars. This study focuses on Ca-sulfates collected from the hypersaline Tírez Lake in Spain. Mid infrared and visible near infrared analysis of soils, salt crusts, and crystals with green and red layering indicative of microbial colonization of the samples was acquired from across the lake and identified the main mineral to be gypsum with inputs of carbonate and silica. Organic functional groups that could be attributed to amides and carboxylic acids were identified as well as chlorophyll; however, due to the strong mineralogical absorptions observed, these were hard to unambiguously discern. Taxonomical assignment demonstrated that the archaeal community within the samples was dominated by the halophilic extremophile Halobacteriaceae while the bacterial community was dominated by the class Nocardiaceae. The results of this research highlight that sulfates on Mars are a mixed blessing, acting as an effective host for organic matter preservation but also a material that masks the presence of organic functional groups when analyzed with spectroscopic tools similar to those due to fly on the 2020 ExoMars rover. A suite of complementary analytical techniques therefore should be used to support the spectral identification of any candidate extraterrestrial biosignatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louisa J. Preston
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
| | - Rebeca Barcenilla
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London, UK
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