Journal
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Volume 12, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12631-5
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Funding
- Italian Space Agency through the project ReBUS-In-situ Resource BioUtilization per il Supporto alla Vita nello Spazio [2019-4-U.0]
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In this study, the repair capability of a desert cyanobacterium under Mars-like conditions was investigated, and no increased genetic variations were observed in the space-derivate compared to the reference strain. This research advances the use of cyanobacteria-based technologies in supporting human space exploration.
Despite the increasing interest in using microbial-based technologies to support human space exploration, many unknowns remain not only on bioprocesses but also on microbial survivability and genetic stability under non-Earth conditions. Here the desert cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis sp. CCMEE 029 was investigated for robustness of the repair capability of DNA lesions accumulated under Mars-like conditions (UV radiation and atmosphere) simulated in low Earth orbit using the EXPOSE-R2 facility installed outside the International Space Station. Genomic alterations were determined in a space-derivate of Chroococcidiopsis sp. CCMEE 029 obtained upon reactivation on Earth of the space-exposed cells. Comparative analysis of whole-genome sequences showed no increased variant numbers in the space-derivate compared to triplicates of the reference strain maintained on the ground. This result advanced cyanobacteria-based technologies to support human space exploration.
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