Selection of
            <i>Anabaena</i>
            sp. PCC 7938 as a Cyanobacterium Model for Biological ISRU on Mars

Ramalho, Tiago P; Chopin, Guillaume; Pérez-Carrascal, Olga María; Tromas, Nicolas; Verseux, Cyprien

doi:10.1128/aem.00594-22

Cited by 19 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…The ability of cyanobacteria to grow in martian regolith also makes them ideal candidates for supporting human habitats on Mars. Recent research has indicated that cyanobacteria, functioning as an in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) system, could serve as the foundation for a biological life-support system by providing crucial nutrients for heterotrophic microbes 53 . Through this symbiotic relationship, they would not only sustain the growth of these heterotrophic microbes but also enable the production of plants as a vital source of food for humans on Mars.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial growth in actual martian regolith in the form of Mars meteorite EETA79001

Naz,

Harandi,

Newmark

et al. 2023

Commun Earth Environ

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Studies to understand the growth of organisms on Mars are hampered by the use of simulants to duplicate martian mineralogy and chemistry. Even though such materials are improving, no terrestrial simulant can replace a real martian sample. Here we report the use of actual martian regolith, in the form of Mars meteorite EETA79001 sawdust, to demonstrate its ability to support the growth of four microorganisms, E. coli. Eucapsis sp., Chr20-20201027-1, and P. halocryophilus, for up to 23 days under terrestrial conditions using regolith:water ratios from 4:1 to 1:10. If the EETA79001 sawdust is widely representative of regolith on the martian surface, our results imply that microbial life under appropriate conditions could have been present on Mars in the past and/or today in the subsurface, and that the regolith does not contain any bactericidal agents. The results of our study have implications not only for putative martian microbial life but also for building bio-sustainable human habitats on Mars.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial growth in actual martian regolith in the form of Mars meteorite EETA79001

Naz,

Harandi,

Newmark

et al. 2023

Commun Earth Environ

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“…Another prospect for space applications could be to genetically engineer non-FR-adapted cyanobacterial strains in order to allow the synthesis of red-shifted chlorophylls and extend the available light spectrum (Luan et al, 2020;Liu et al, 2021). Potential background strains could be chosen for improvements in biomass production (Verseux et al, 2016;Liu et al, 2021;Ramalho et al, 2022), mineral resources extraction (Olsson-Francis and Cockell, 2010), or resistance to extreme conditions (Billi et al, 2022). Preliminary studies to partially incorporate FaRLiP components have already been performed in cyanobacteria (Shen et al, 2019;Trinugroho et al, 2020;Tros et al, 2020), albeit so far, a full integration of the complete gene set has yet to be achieved.…”

Section: Far-red Light Photosynthetic Adaptations In Cyanobacteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They have evolved on Earth 3.5 mya (Sanchez-Baracaldo and Cardona, 2020;Hickman-Lewis et al, 2022) and are adapted to a wide range of environments, ranging from both hot and cold deserts (Friedmann, 1980;Wynn-Williams, 2000;Lacap-Bugler et al, 2017) with strong radiation (Rastogi et al, 2014) to high salinity habitats (Oren, 2015) and symbioses with lichens (Spribille et al, 2022) or plants (Rai et al, 2000). In addition, they have been proposed as suitable, multi-purpose microorganisms that are supportive during human missions to other planets including the selection of model strains (e.g., Ramalho et al, 2022). Researchers are able to not only isolate and grow them under artificial conditions, but also use them for large-scale industrial production of natural goods (Mutale-Joan et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dark blue-green: Cave-inhabiting cyanobacteria as a model for astrobiology

Jung

Harion

et al. 2023

Front. Astron. Space Sci.

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Subterranean environments on Earth serve as an analog for the study of microbes on other planets, which has become an active area of research. Although it might sound contradictory that photosynthetic cyanobacteria thrive in extreme low light environments, they are frequent inhabitants of caves on Earth. Throughout the phylum these cyanobacteria have developed unique adaptations that cannot only be used for biotechnological processes but also have implications for astrobiology. They can, for example, both accommodate for the low light conditions by producing specific pigments that allow photosynthesis in near-infrared (IR) radiation/far-red light, and they can synthesize bioplastic compounds and calcium carbonate sheaths which represent valuable resources during human colonization of other planets or rock bodies. This article will highlight the potential benefits of cave-inhabiting cyanobacteria and will present a suitable bioreactor technique for the utilization of these special microbes during future space missions.

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“…According to this proposal, cyanobacteria would be fed with water mined from the ground; carbon and nitrogen sourced from the atmosphere 2 ; and the local regolith, from which it has been argued that they could extract the other necessary nutrients 3,4 . They would produce various consumables directly, such as dioxygen and dietary supplements, but also support the growth of secondary producers (e.g., plants 5 or microorganisms 2,6,7 ). These secondary producers could, in turn, generate a wide range of consumables including food, medicines, fuel precursors and structural materials 8,9 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of atmospheric pressure, and of the partial pressures of CO2 and N2, on the growth rates of Anabaena sp. PCC 7938: Assessment and implications for cyanobacterium cultivation on Mars

Verseux,

Ramalho,

Bohuon

et al. 2024

Preprint

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In situ resource utilization systems based on cyanobacteria could support the sustainability of crewed missions to Mars. However, their resource-efficiency will depend on the extent to which gases from the Martian atmosphere must be processed to support cyanobacterial growth. The main purpose of the present work is to help assess this extent. We therefore start with investigating the impact of changes in atmospheric conditions on the photoautotrophic, diazotrophic growth of the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7938. We show that lowering atmospheric pressure from 1 bar down to 80 hPa, without changing the partial pressures of metabolizable gases, does not reduce growth rates. We also provide equations, analogous to Monod’s, that describe the dependence of growth rates on the partial pressures of CO2 and N2. We then outline the relationships between atmospheric pressure and composition, the minimal mass of a photobioreactor’s outer walls (which is dependent on the inner-outer pressure difference), and growth rates. Relying on these relationships, we demonstrate that the structural mass of a photobioreactor can be decreased – without affecting cyanobacterial productivity – by reducing the inner gas pressure. We argue, however, that this reduction would be small next to the equivalent system mass of the cultivation system. A greater impact on resource-efficiency could come from the selection of atmospheric conditions which minimize gas processing requirements while adequately supporting cyanobacterial growth. The data and equations we provide can help identify these conditions.

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Selection of Anabaena sp. PCC 7938 as a Cyanobacterium Model for Biological ISRU on Mars

Abstract: The sustainability of crewed missions to Mars could be increased by biotechnologies which are connected to resources available on site via primary producers: diazotrophic, rock-leaching cyanobacteria. Indeed, this could greatly reduce the mass of payloads to be imported from Earth.

Cited by 19 publications

References 57 publications

Microbial growth in actual martian regolith in the form of Mars meteorite EETA79001

Microbial growth in actual martian regolith in the form of Mars meteorite EETA79001

Dark blue-green: Cave-inhabiting cyanobacteria as a model for astrobiology

Effects of atmospheric pressure, and of the partial pressures of CO2 and N2, on the growth rates of Anabaena sp. PCC 7938: Assessment and implications for cyanobacterium cultivation on Mars

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