Bacterial molecular machinery in the Martian cryosphere conditions
The exploration of Mars is one of the main objectives of space missions since the red planet is considered to be, or was in the past, potentially habitable. Although the surface of Mars is now dry and arid, abundant research suggests that water covered Mars billions of years ago. Recently, the exist...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1176582/full |
| _version_ | 1827580920997085184 |
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| author | Víctor Muñoz-Hisado Fátima Ruiz-Blas Jesús Manuel Sobrado Eva Garcia-Lopez Emma Martinez-Alonso Alberto Alcázar Cristina Cid |
| author_facet | Víctor Muñoz-Hisado Fátima Ruiz-Blas Jesús Manuel Sobrado Eva Garcia-Lopez Emma Martinez-Alonso Alberto Alcázar Cristina Cid |
| author_sort | Víctor Muñoz-Hisado |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The exploration of Mars is one of the main objectives of space missions since the red planet is considered to be, or was in the past, potentially habitable. Although the surface of Mars is now dry and arid, abundant research suggests that water covered Mars billions of years ago. Recently, the existence of liquid water in subglacial lakes has been postulated below the South pole of Mars. Until now, experiments have been carried out on the survival of microorganisms in Martian surface conditions, but it remains unknown how their adaptation mechanisms would be in the Martian cryosphere. In this work, two bacterial species (Bacillus subtilis and Curtobacterium flacumfaciens) were subjected to a simulated Martian environment during 24 h using a planetary chamber. Afterward, the molecular machinery of both species was studied to investigate how they had been modified. Proteomes, the entire set of proteins expressed by each bacterium under Earth (named standard) conditions and Martian conditions, were compared using proteomic techniques. To establish this evaluation, both the expression levels of each protein, and the variation in their distribution within the different functional categories were considered. The results showed that these bacterial species followed a different strategy. The Bacillus subtilis resistance approach consisted of improving its stress response, membrane bioenergetics, degradation of biomolecules; and to a lesser extent, increasing its mobility and the formation of biofilms or resistance endospores. On the contrary, enduring strategy of Curtobacterium flacumfaciens comprised of strengthening the cell envelope, trying to protect cells from the extracellular environment. These results are especially important due to their implications for planetary protection, missions to Mars and sample return since contamination by microorganisms would invalidate the results of these investigations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:28:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1a190039854d4d02b539fe22bef36729 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:28:03Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-1a190039854d4d02b539fe22bef367292023-12-18T08:24:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2023-07-011410.3389/fmicb.2023.11765821176582Bacterial molecular machinery in the Martian cryosphere conditionsVíctor Muñoz-Hisado0Fátima Ruiz-Blas1Jesús Manuel Sobrado2Eva Garcia-Lopez3Emma Martinez-Alonso4Alberto Alcázar5Cristina Cid6Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Madrid, SpainGFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, GermanyCentro de Astrobiologia (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Madrid, SpainCentro de Astrobiologia (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Madrid, SpainHospital Ramón y Cajal, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainHospital Ramón y Cajal, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, SpainCentro de Astrobiologia (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Madrid, SpainThe exploration of Mars is one of the main objectives of space missions since the red planet is considered to be, or was in the past, potentially habitable. Although the surface of Mars is now dry and arid, abundant research suggests that water covered Mars billions of years ago. Recently, the existence of liquid water in subglacial lakes has been postulated below the South pole of Mars. Until now, experiments have been carried out on the survival of microorganisms in Martian surface conditions, but it remains unknown how their adaptation mechanisms would be in the Martian cryosphere. In this work, two bacterial species (Bacillus subtilis and Curtobacterium flacumfaciens) were subjected to a simulated Martian environment during 24 h using a planetary chamber. Afterward, the molecular machinery of both species was studied to investigate how they had been modified. Proteomes, the entire set of proteins expressed by each bacterium under Earth (named standard) conditions and Martian conditions, were compared using proteomic techniques. To establish this evaluation, both the expression levels of each protein, and the variation in their distribution within the different functional categories were considered. The results showed that these bacterial species followed a different strategy. The Bacillus subtilis resistance approach consisted of improving its stress response, membrane bioenergetics, degradation of biomolecules; and to a lesser extent, increasing its mobility and the formation of biofilms or resistance endospores. On the contrary, enduring strategy of Curtobacterium flacumfaciens comprised of strengthening the cell envelope, trying to protect cells from the extracellular environment. These results are especially important due to their implications for planetary protection, missions to Mars and sample return since contamination by microorganisms would invalidate the results of these investigations.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1176582/fullMarsmicroorganismsBacillus subtilisCurtobacterium flacumfaciensstress responseplanetary protection |
| spellingShingle | Víctor Muñoz-Hisado Fátima Ruiz-Blas Jesús Manuel Sobrado Eva Garcia-Lopez Emma Martinez-Alonso Alberto Alcázar Cristina Cid Bacterial molecular machinery in the Martian cryosphere conditions Frontiers in Microbiology Mars microorganisms Bacillus subtilis Curtobacterium flacumfaciens stress response planetary protection |
| title | Bacterial molecular machinery in the Martian cryosphere conditions |
| title_full | Bacterial molecular machinery in the Martian cryosphere conditions |
| title_fullStr | Bacterial molecular machinery in the Martian cryosphere conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bacterial molecular machinery in the Martian cryosphere conditions |
| title_short | Bacterial molecular machinery in the Martian cryosphere conditions |
| title_sort | bacterial molecular machinery in the martian cryosphere conditions |
| topic | Mars microorganisms Bacillus subtilis Curtobacterium flacumfaciens stress response planetary protection |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1176582/full |
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