Fungal Biotechnology in Space: Why and How?

Cortesão, Marta; Schütze, Tabea; Marx, Robert G.; Moeller, Ralf; Meyer, Vera

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-29541-7_18

Cited by 27 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 153 publications

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“…( Singaravelan et al, 2008 ; Esbelin et al, 2013 ; Segers et al, 2018 ; Cortesão et al, 2020a ), probably due to the roles of pigmentation, cell wall structure, and metabolic suppression, which might enable them to survive space travel on the outer surfaces of a spacecraft, and to thrive within the spacecraft’s controlled habitat. Alarmingly, the inhalation of A. niger spores may cause respiratory diseases, especially when in closed indoor habitats such as the ISS, which facilitate spore dispersal ( Silverman et al, 1967 ; Latge, 1999 ; Esbelin et al, 2013 ; Cortesão et al, 2020a , b ). This motivates further study on how the species responds to spaceflight conditions, and consequent implications for astronaut health, in particular in long-term space missions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, on Earth, A. niger is used in biotechnology to produce a wide-range of useful compounds including citric acid, antibiotics, and enzymes ( Meyer et al, 2011 ; Cairns et al, 2018 ). Consequently, A. niger could play an important role in human space exploration as long-duration, far-reaching, missions may require biomanufacturing and resource-independence from Earth ( Silverman et al, 1967 ; Latge, 1999 ; Esbelin et al, 2013 ; Cortesão et al, 2020a , b ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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MARSBOx: Fungal and Bacterial Endurance From a Balloon-Flown Analog Mission in the Stratosphere

et al. 2021

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Whether terrestrial life can withstand the martian environment is of paramount interest for planetary protection measures and space exploration. To understand microbial survival potential in Mars-like conditions, several fungal and bacterial samples were launched in September 2019 on a large NASA scientific balloon flight to the middle stratosphere (∼38 km altitude) where radiation levels resembled values at the equatorial Mars surface. Fungal spores of Aspergillus niger and bacterial cells of Salinisphaera shabanensis, Staphylococcus capitis subsp. capitis, and Buttiauxella sp. MASE-IM-9 were launched inside the MARSBOx (Microbes in Atmosphere for Radiation, Survival, and Biological Outcomes Experiment) payload filled with an artificial martian atmosphere and pressure throughout the mission profile. The dried microorganisms were either exposed to full UV-VIS radiation (UV dose = 1148 kJ m−2) or were shielded from radiation. After the 5-h stratospheric exposure, samples were assayed for survival and metabolic changes. Spores from the fungus A. niger and cells from the Gram-(–) bacterium S. shabanensis were the most resistant with a 2- and 4-log reduction, respectively. Exposed Buttiauxella sp. MASE-IM-9 was completely inactivated (both with and without UV exposure) and S. capitis subsp. capitis only survived the UV shielded experimental condition (3-log reduction). Our results underscore a wide variation in survival phenotypes of spacecraft associated microorganisms and support the hypothesis that pigmented fungi may be resistant to the martian surface if inadvertently delivered by spacecraft missions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

MARSBOx: Fungal and Bacterial Endurance From a Balloon-Flown Analog Mission in the Stratosphere

et al. 2021

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“…Nonetheless, A. niger is also a well-established cell factory used in modernday biotechnology to produce various compounds such as proteins, enzymes, and pharmaceuticals (Meyer et al, 2015;Cairns et al, 2018). This makes A. niger a potential asset in long-term space missions, where astronauts will have to produce their own compounds of interest such as vitamins or antibiotics (Cortesão et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aspergillus niger Spores Are Highly Resistant to Space Radiation

et al. 2020

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The filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger is one of the main contaminants of the International Space Station (ISS). It forms highly pigmented, airborne spores that have thick cell walls and low metabolic activity, enabling them to withstand harsh conditions and colonize spacecraft surfaces. Whether A. niger spores are resistant to space radiation, and to what extent, is not yet known. In this study, spore suspensions of a wild-type and three mutant strains (with defects in pigmentation, DNA repair, and polar growth control) were exposed to X-rays, cosmic radiation (helium-and iron-ions) and UV-C (254 nm). To assess the level of resistance and survival limits of fungal spores in a long-term interplanetary mission scenario, we tested radiation doses up to 1000 Gy and 4000 J/m 2. For comparison, a 360-day round-trip to Mars yields a dose of 0.66 ± 0.12 Gy. Overall, wild-type spores of A. niger were able to withstand high doses of X-ray (LD 90 = 360 Gy) and cosmic radiation (helium-ion LD 90 = 500 Gy; and ironion LD 90 = 100 Gy). Drying the spores before irradiation made them more susceptible toward X-ray radiation. Notably, A. niger spores are highly resistant to UV-C radiation (LD 90 = 1038 J/m 2), which is significantly higher than that of other radiation-resistant microorganisms (e.g., Deinococcus radiodurans). In all strains, UV-C treated spores (1000 J/m 2) were shown to have decreased biofilm formation (81% reduction in wildtype spores). This study suggests that A. niger spores might not be easily inactivated by exposure to space radiation alone and that current planetary protection guidelines should be revisited, considering the high resistance of fungal spores.

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“…Space biotechnology has primarily focused on microbes 15,20 , fungi 25 , and plants 20,26 . From this perspective, we review the promise in expanding the utility of plants as a molecular medical foundry for production of pharmaceuticals in deep space and contrast this with the capabilities of alternative biological organisms.…”

Section: Defining a Medical Foundry For Space Explorationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Pharming to Support Human Life on the Moon, Mars, and Beyond

McNulty¹,

Xiong

Yates

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Space missions have always assumed that the risk of spacecraft malfunction far outweighs the risk of human system failure. This assumption breaks down for longer duration exploration missions and exposes vulnerabilities in space medical system. Space agencies can no longer buy down the majority of human system risk through the crew member selection process and emergency re-supply or evacuation. No mature medical solutions exist to close the risk gap. With recent advances in biotechnology, there is promise in augmenting a space pharmacy with a biologically-based space foundry for on-demand manufacturing of high-value medical products. Here we review the challenges and opportunities of molecular pharming, the production of pharmaceuticals in plants, as the basis of a space medical foundry to close the risk gap in current space medical systems. Plants have long been considered an important life support object in space and can now also be viewed as programmable factories in space. Advances in molecular pharming-based space foundries will have widespread application in promoting simple and accessible pharmaceutical manufacturing on Earth.

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Fungal Biotechnology in Space: Why and How?

Cited by 27 publications

References 153 publications

MARSBOx: Fungal and Bacterial Endurance From a Balloon-Flown Analog Mission in the Stratosphere

MARSBOx: Fungal and Bacterial Endurance From a Balloon-Flown Analog Mission in the Stratosphere

Aspergillus niger Spores Are Highly Resistant to Space Radiation

Molecular Pharming to Support Human Life on the Moon, Mars, and Beyond

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