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Alessia C, Federica DA, Claudia P, Barbara C, Laura Z, Silvano O. A preliminary survey of the cellular responses of the black fungus Cryomyces antarcticus to long and short-term dehydration. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2024; 16:e13309. [PMID: 39075848 PMCID: PMC11286975 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.13309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
The McMurdo Dry Valleys in Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, are known for their extreme aridity, cold, and nutrient-poor conditions. These valleys provide a valuable comparison to environments on Mars. The survival of microorganisms in these areas hinges on their ability to withstand dehydration due to the limited availability of liquid water. Some microorganisms have adapted to survive extended periods of metabolic inactivity and dehydration, a physiological response to the harsh conditions in which they exist. This adaptation is significant for astrobiology studies as it allows for testing the resilience of microorganisms under extraterrestrial conditions, exploring the boundaries and potential for life beyond Earth. In this study, we examined the survivability, metabolic activity, cellular membrane integrity, and ultrastructural damage of Cryomyces antarcticus, a eukaryotic organism used for astrobiological studies, following two dehydration processes. We conducted a fast dehydration process, simulating what happens on the surface of Antarctic rocks under typical environmental conditions, and a slow dehydration process, which is commonly used in astrobiological experiments. Our findings revealed a higher percentage of damaged cells following slow dehydration treatments, confirming that rapid dehydration reflects the adaptability of microorganisms to respond to sudden and drastic changes in the Antarctic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassaro Alessia
- Department of Ecological and Biological SciencesUniversity of TusciaViterboItaly
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of BolognaBolognaItaly
| | - D' Alò Federica
- Department of Ecological and Biological SciencesUniversity of TusciaViterboItaly
- Institute of Research on Terrestrial EcosystemsNational Research CouncilPorano (TR)Italy
| | - Pacelli Claudia
- Department of Ecological and Biological SciencesUniversity of TusciaViterboItaly
- Human Spaceflight and Scientific Research UnitItalian Space AgencyRomeItaly
| | - Cavalazzi Barbara
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of BolognaBolognaItaly
- LE STUDIUM Institute for Advanced StudiesOrléansFrance
| | - Zucconi Laura
- Department of Ecological and Biological SciencesUniversity of TusciaViterboItaly
- Institute of Polar SciencesNational Research Council of Italy (CNR‐ISP)MessinaItaly
| | - Onofri Silvano
- Department of Ecological and Biological SciencesUniversity of TusciaViterboItaly
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Leo P, de Melo Texeira M, Chander AM, Singh NK, Simpson AC, Yurkov A, Karouia F, Stajich JE, Mason CE, Venkateswaran K. Genomic characterization and radiation tolerance of Naganishia kalamii sp. nov. and Cystobasidium onofrii sp. nov. from Mars 2020 mission assembly facilities. IMA Fungus 2023; 14:15. [PMID: 37568226 PMCID: PMC10422843 DOI: 10.1186/s43008-023-00119-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
During the construction and assembly of the Mars 2020 mission components at two different NASA cleanrooms, several fungal strains were isolated. Based on their colony morphology, two strains that showed yeast-like appearance were further characterized for their phylogenetic position. The species-level classification of these two novel strains, using traditional colony and cell morphology methods combined with the phylogenetic reconstructions using multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA) based on several gene loci (ITS, LSU, SSU, RPB1, RPB2, CYTB and TEF1), and whole genome sequencing (WGS) was carried out. This polyphasic taxonomic approach supported the conclusion that the two basidiomycetous yeasts belong to hitherto undescribed species. The strain FJI-L2-BK-P3T, isolated from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Spacecraft Assembly Facility, was placed in the Naganishia albida clade (Filobasidiales, Tremellomycetes), but is genetically and physiologically different from other members of the clade. Another yeast strain FKI-L6-BK-PAB1T, isolated from the Kennedy Space Center Payload Hazardous and Servicing Facility, was placed in the genus Cystobasidium (Cystobasidiales, Cystobasidiomycetes) and is distantly related to C. benthicum. Here we propose two novel species with the type strains, Naganishia kalamii sp. nov. (FJI-L2-BK-P3T = NRRL 64466 = DSM 115730) and Cystobasidium onofrii sp. nov. (FKI-L6-BK-PAB1T = NRRL 64426 = DSM 114625). The phylogenetic analyses revealed that single gene phylogenies (ITS or LSU) were not conclusive, and MLSA and WGS-based phylogenies were more advantageous for species discrimination in the two genera. The genomic analysis predicted proteins associated with dehydration and desiccation stress-response and the presence of genes that are directly related to osmotolerance and psychrotolerance in both novel yeasts described. Cells of these two newly-described yeasts were exposed to UV-C radiation and compared with N. onofrii, an extremophilic UV-C resistant cold-adapted Alpine yeast. Both novel species were UV resistant, emphasizing the need for collecting and characterizing extremotolerant microbes, including yeasts, to improve microbial reduction techniques used in NASA planetary protection programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Leo
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, University Ca' Foscari of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172, Mestre, Italy
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell'università snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
- NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, California Institute of Technology, M/S 245-103, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
| | - Marcus de Melo Texeira
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
- Núcleo de Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Atul M Chander
- NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, California Institute of Technology, M/S 245-103, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
| | - Nitin K Singh
- NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, California Institute of Technology, M/S 245-104, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
| | - Anna C Simpson
- NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, California Institute of Technology, M/S 245-103, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
| | - Andrey Yurkov
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Fathi Karouia
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, PO BOX 1 MS 239/4, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA
- Space Research Within Reach, San Francisco, CA, 941110, USA
| | - Jason E Stajich
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of CA-Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Christopher E Mason
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics and the WorldQuant Initiative for Quantitative Prediction, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Kasthuri Venkateswaran
- NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, California Institute of Technology, M/S 245-104, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA.
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Terranova ML. Prominent Roles and Conflicted Attitudes of Eumelanin in the Living World. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24097783. [PMID: 37175490 PMCID: PMC10178024 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24097783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Eumelanin, a macromolecule widespread in all the living world and long appreciated for its protective action against harmful UV radiation, is considered the beneficial component of the melanin family (ευ means good in ancient Greek). This initially limited picture has been rather recently extended and now includes a variety of key functions performed by eumelanin in order to support life also under extreme conditions. A lot of still unexplained aspects characterize this molecule that, in an evolutionary context, survived natural selection. This paper aims to emphasize the unique characteristics and the consequent unusual behaviors of a molecule that still holds the main chemical/physical features detected in fossils dating to the late Carboniferous. In this context, attention is drawn to the duality of roles played by eumelanin, which occasionally reverses its functional processes, switching from an anti-oxidant to a pro-oxidant behavior and implementing therefore harmful effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Letizia Terranova
- Dipartimento Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata", Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Roma, Italy
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Cassaro A, Pacelli C, Onofri S. Survival, metabolic activity, and ultrastructural damages of Antarctic black fungus in perchlorates media. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:992077. [PMID: 36523839 PMCID: PMC9744811 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.992077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence from recent Mars landers identified the presence of perchlorates salts at 1 wt % in regolith and their widespread distribution on the Martian surface that has been hypothesized as a critical chemical hazard for putative life forms. However, the hypersaline environment may also potentially preserve life and its biomolecules over geological timescales. The high concentration of natural perchlorates is scarcely reported on Earth. The presence of perchlorates in soil and ice has been recorded in some extreme environments including the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica, one of the best terrestrial analogues for Mars. In the frame of "Life in space" Italian astrobiology project, the polyextremophilic black fungus Cryomyces antarcticus, a eukaryotic test organism isolated from the Antarctic cryptoendolithic communities, has been tested for its resistance, when grown on different hypersaline substrata. In addition, C. antarcticus was grown on Martian relevant perchlorate medium (0.4 wt% of Mg(ClO4)2 and 0.6 wt% of Ca(ClO4)2) to investigate the possibility for the fungus to survive in Martian environment. Here, the results indicate a good survivability and metabolic activity recovery of the black fungus when grown on four Martian relevant perchlorates. A low percentage of damaged cellular membranes have been found, confirming the ultrastructural investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Cassaro
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università snc, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Claudia Pacelli
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università snc, Viterbo, Italy
- Human Spaceflight and Scientific Research Unit, Italian Space Agency, via del Politecnico, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvano Onofri
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università snc, Viterbo, Italy
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Cassaro A, Pacelli C, Baqué M, de Vera JPP, Böttger U, Botta L, Saladino R, Rabbow E, Onofri S. Fungal Biomarkers Stability in Mars Regolith Analogues after Simulated Space and Mars-like Conditions. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7100859. [PMID: 34682280 PMCID: PMC8540304 DOI: 10.3390/jof7100859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of life on other planets and moons in our solar system is one of the most important challenges of this era. The second ExoMars mission will look for traces of extant or extinct life on Mars. The instruments on board the rover will be able to reach samples with eventual biomarkers until 2 m of depth under the planet’s surface. This exploration capacity offers the best chance to detect biomarkers which would be mainly preserved compared to samples on the surface which are directly exposed to harmful environmental conditions. Starting with the studies of the endolithic meristematic black fungus Cryomyces antarcticus, which has proved its high resistance under extreme conditions, we analyzed the stability and the resistance of fungal biomarkers after exposure to simulated space and Mars-like conditions, with Raman and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry, two of the scientific payload instruments on board the rover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Cassaro
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo Dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (A.C.); (L.B.); (R.S.); (S.O.)
| | - Claudia Pacelli
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo Dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (A.C.); (L.B.); (R.S.); (S.O.)
- Italian Space Agency, Via del Politecnico snc, 00133 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-068567466
| | - Mickael Baqué
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Planetary Laboratories Department, Institute of Planetary Research, Ruthefordstraße 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Jean-Pierre Paul de Vera
- MUSC, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Space Operations and Astronaut Training, 51147 Köln, Germany;
| | - Ute Böttger
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Optical Sensor Systems, 12489 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Lorenzo Botta
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo Dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (A.C.); (L.B.); (R.S.); (S.O.)
| | - Raffaele Saladino
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo Dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (A.C.); (L.B.); (R.S.); (S.O.)
| | - Elke Rabbow
- Radiation Biology Division, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, DLR, Linder Höhe, 51147 Köln, Germany;
| | - Silvano Onofri
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo Dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (A.C.); (L.B.); (R.S.); (S.O.)
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