1
|
Wallace ML, Tallarida N, Schubert WW, Lambert J. Life Detection on Icy Moons Using Flow Cytometry and Exogenous Fluorescent Stains. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:1071-1082. [PMID: 37672625 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Flow cytometry is a potential technology for in situ life detection on icy moons (such as Enceladus and Europa) and on the polar ice caps of Mars. We developed a method for using flow cytometry to positively identify four classes of biomarkers using exogenous fluorescent stains: nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. We demonstrated the effectiveness of exogenous stains with six known organisms and known abiotic material and showed that the cytometer is easily able to distinguish between the known organisms and the known abiotic material using the exogenous stains. To simulate a life-detection experiment on an icy world lander, we used six natural samples with unknown biotic and abiotic content. We showed that flow cytometry can identify all four biomarkers using the exogenous stains and can separate the biotic material from the known abiotic material on scatter plots. Exogenous staining techniques would likely be used in conjunction with intrinsic fluorescence, clustering, and sorting for a more complete and capable life-detection instrument on an icy moon lander.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew L Wallace
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Nicholas Tallarida
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Wayne W Schubert
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - James Lambert
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Domagal-Goldman SD, Wright KE, Adamala K, Arina de la Rubia L, Bond J, Dartnell LR, Goldman AD, Lynch K, Naud ME, Paulino-Lima IG, Singer K, Walther-Antonio M, Abrevaya XC, Anderson R, Arney G, Atri D, Azúa-Bustos A, Bowman JS, Brazelton WJ, Brennecka GA, Carns R, Chopra A, Colangelo-Lillis J, Crockett CJ, DeMarines J, Frank EA, Frantz C, de la Fuente E, Galante D, Glass J, Gleeson D, Glein CR, Goldblatt C, Horak R, Horodyskyj L, Kaçar B, Kereszturi A, Knowles E, Mayeur P, McGlynn S, Miguel Y, Montgomery M, Neish C, Noack L, Rugheimer S, Stüeken EE, Tamez-Hidalgo P, Imari Walker S, Wong T. The Astrobiology Primer v2.0. ASTROBIOLOGY 2016; 16:561-653. [PMID: 27532777 PMCID: PMC5008114 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2015.1460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Shawn D Domagal-Goldman
- 1 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
- 2 Virtual Planetary Laboratory , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Katherine E Wright
- 3 University of Colorado at Boulder , Colorado, USA
- 4 Present address: UK Space Agency, UK
| | - Katarzyna Adamala
- 5 Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Jade Bond
- 7 Department of Physics, University of New South Wales , Sydney, Australia
| | | | | | - Kennda Lynch
- 10 Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana , Missoula, Montana, USA
| | - Marie-Eve Naud
- 11 Institute for research on exoplanets (iREx) , Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Ivan G Paulino-Lima
- 12 Universities Space Research Association , Mountain View, California, USA
- 13 Blue Marble Space Institute of Science , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Kelsi Singer
- 14 Southwest Research Institute , Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | | | - Ximena C Abrevaya
- 16 Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio (IAFE) , UBA-CONICET, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Rika Anderson
- 17 Department of Biology, Carleton College , Northfield, Minnesota, USA
| | - Giada Arney
- 18 University of Washington Astronomy Department and Astrobiology Program , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Dimitra Atri
- 13 Blue Marble Space Institute of Science , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Jeff S Bowman
- 19 Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University , Palisades, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Regina Carns
- 22 Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Aditya Chopra
- 23 Planetary Science Institute, Research School of Earth Sciences, Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Australian National University , Canberra, Australia
| | - Jesse Colangelo-Lillis
- 24 Earth and Planetary Science, McGill University , and the McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Canada
| | | | - Julia DeMarines
- 13 Blue Marble Space Institute of Science , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Carie Frantz
- 27 Department of Geosciences, Weber State University , Ogden, Utah, USA
| | - Eduardo de la Fuente
- 28 IAM-Departamento de Fisica, CUCEI , Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, México
| | - Douglas Galante
- 29 Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory , Campinas, Brazil
| | - Jennifer Glass
- 30 School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia , USA
| | | | | | - Colin Goldblatt
- 33 School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria , Victoria, Canada
| | - Rachel Horak
- 34 American Society for Microbiology , Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Betül Kaçar
- 36 Harvard University , Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Akos Kereszturi
- 37 Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences , Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Emily Knowles
- 38 Johnson & Wales University , Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Paul Mayeur
- 39 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , Troy, New York, USA
| | - Shawn McGlynn
- 40 Earth Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yamila Miguel
- 41 Laboratoire Lagrange, UMR 7293, Université Nice Sophia Antipolis , CNRS, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | | | - Catherine Neish
- 43 Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Ontario , London, Canada
| | - Lena Noack
- 44 Royal Observatory of Belgium , Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sarah Rugheimer
- 45 Department of Astronomy, Harvard University , Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- 46 University of St. Andrews , St. Andrews, UK
| | - Eva E Stüeken
- 47 University of Washington , Seattle, Washington, USA
- 48 University of California , Riverside, California, USA
| | | | - Sara Imari Walker
- 13 Blue Marble Space Institute of Science , Seattle, Washington, USA
- 50 School of Earth and Space Exploration and Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University , Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Teresa Wong
- 51 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis , St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dartnell LR, Roberts TA, Moore G, Ward JM, Muller JP. Fluorescence characterization of clinically-important bacteria. PLoS One 2013; 8:e75270. [PMID: 24098687 PMCID: PMC3787103 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2013] [Accepted: 08/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Healthcare-associated infections (HCAI/HAI) represent a substantial threat to patient health during hospitalization and incur billions of dollars additional cost for subsequent treatment. One promising method for the detection of bacterial contamination in a clinical setting before an HAI outbreak occurs is to exploit native fluorescence of cellular molecules for a hand-held, rapid-sweep surveillance instrument. Previous studies have shown fluorescence-based detection to be sensitive and effective for food-borne and environmental microorganisms, and even to be able to distinguish between cell types, but this powerful technique has not yet been deployed on the macroscale for the primary surveillance of contamination in healthcare facilities to prevent HAI. Here we report experimental data for the specification and design of such a fluorescence-based detection instrument. We have characterized the complete fluorescence response of eleven clinically-relevant bacteria by generating excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) over broad wavelength ranges. Furthermore, a number of surfaces and items of equipment commonly present on a ward, and potentially responsible for pathogen transfer, have been analyzed for potential issues of background fluorescence masking the signal from contaminant bacteria. These include bedside handrails, nurse call button, blood pressure cuff and ward computer keyboard, as well as disinfectant cleaning products and microfiber cloth. All examined bacterial strains exhibited a distinctive double-peak fluorescence feature associated with tryptophan with no other cellular fluorophore detected. Thus, this fluorescence survey found that an emission peak of 340nm, from an excitation source at 280nm, was the cellular fluorescence signal to target for detection of bacterial contamination. The majority of materials analysed offer a spectral window through which bacterial contamination could indeed be detected. A few instances were found of potential problems of background fluorescence masking that of bacteria, but in the case of the microfiber cleaning cloth, imaging techniques could morphologically distinguish between stray strands and bacterial contamination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lewis R. Dartnell
- UCL Institute for Origins, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- The Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Tom A. Roberts
- Centre for Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology (CoMPLEX), University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ginny Moore
- Clinical Microbiology & Virology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - John M. Ward
- The Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jan-Peter Muller
- The Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary, Surrey, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Parro V, de Diego-Castilla G, Moreno-Paz M, Blanco Y, Cruz-Gil P, Rodríguez-Manfredi JA, Fernández-Remolar D, Gómez F, Gómez MJ, Rivas LA, Demergasso C, Echeverría A, Urtuvia VN, Ruiz-Bermejo M, García-Villadangos M, Postigo M, Sánchez-Román M, Chong-Díaz G, Gómez-Elvira J. A microbial oasis in the hypersaline Atacama subsurface discovered by a life detector chip: implications for the search for life on Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2011; 11:969-96. [PMID: 22149750 PMCID: PMC3242637 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2011.0654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2011] [Accepted: 09/01/2011] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The Atacama Desert has long been considered a good Mars analogue for testing instrumentation for planetary exploration, but very few data (if any) have been reported about the geomicrobiology of its salt-rich subsurface. We performed a Mars analogue drilling campaign next to the Salar Grande (Atacama, Chile) in July 2009, and several cores and powder samples from up to 5 m deep were analyzed in situ with LDChip300 (a Life Detector Chip containing 300 antibodies). Here, we show the discovery of a hypersaline subsurface microbial habitat associated with halite-, nitrate-, and perchlorate-containing salts at 2 m deep. LDChip300 detected bacteria, archaea, and other biological material (DNA, exopolysaccharides, some peptides) from the analysis of less than 0.5 g of ground core sample. The results were supported by oligonucleotide microarray hybridization in the field and finally confirmed by molecular phylogenetic analysis and direct visualization of microbial cells bound to halite crystals in the laboratory. Geochemical analyses revealed a habitat with abundant hygroscopic salts like halite (up to 260 g kg(-1)) and perchlorate (41.13 μg g(-1) maximum), which allow deliquescence events at low relative humidity. Thin liquid water films would permit microbes to proliferate by using detected organic acids like acetate (19.14 μg g(-1)) or formate (76.06 μg g(-1)) as electron donors, and sulfate (15875 μg g(-1)), nitrate (13490 μg g(-1)), or perchlorate as acceptors. Our results correlate with the discovery of similar hygroscopic salts and possible deliquescence processes on Mars, and open new search strategies for subsurface martian biota. The performance demonstrated by our LDChip300 validates this technology for planetary exploration, particularly for the search for life on Mars.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Victor Parro
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Hock AN, Cabrol NA, Dohm JM, Piatek J, Warren-Rhodes K, Weinstein S, Wettergreen DS, Grin EA, Moersch J, Cockell CS, Coppin P, Ernst L, Fisher G, Hardgrove C, Marinangeli L, Minkley E, Ori GG, Waggoner A, Wyatt M, Smith T, Thompson D, Wagner M, Jonak D, Stubbs K, Thomas G, Pudenz E, Glasgow J. Life in the Atacama: A scoring system for habitability and the robotic exploration for life. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006jg000321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew N. Hock
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences; University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles California USA
| | - Nathalie A. Cabrol
- Space Science Division; NASA Ames Research Center; Moffett Field California USA
- SETI Institute; Mountain View California USA
| | - James M. Dohm
- Hydrology and Water Resources Department; University of Arizona; Tucson Arizona USA
| | - Jennifer Piatek
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; University of Tennessee; Knoxville Tennessee USA
| | - Kim Warren-Rhodes
- Space Science Division; NASA Ames Research Center; Moffett Field California USA
- SETI Institute; Mountain View California USA
| | - Shmuel Weinstein
- Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center; Mellon Institute, Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | | | - Edmond A. Grin
- Space Science Division; NASA Ames Research Center; Moffett Field California USA
- SETI Institute; Mountain View California USA
| | - Jeffrey Moersch
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; University of Tennessee; Knoxville Tennessee USA
| | - Charles S. Cockell
- Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute; Open University; Milton Keynes UK
| | - Peter Coppin
- Eventscope, Remote Experience and Learning Laboratory, Studio for Creative Inquiry; Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | - Lauren Ernst
- Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center; Mellon Institute, Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | - Gregory Fisher
- Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center; Mellon Institute, Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | - Craig Hardgrove
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; University of Tennessee; Knoxville Tennessee USA
| | | | - Edwin Minkley
- Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center; Mellon Institute, Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | | | - Alan Waggoner
- Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center; Mellon Institute, Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | - Mike Wyatt
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; University of Tennessee; Knoxville Tennessee USA
| | - Trey Smith
- Robotics Institute; Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | - David Thompson
- Robotics Institute; Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | - Michael Wagner
- Robotics Institute; Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | - Dominic Jonak
- Robotics Institute; Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | - Kristen Stubbs
- Robotics Institute; Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | - Geb Thomas
- GROK Laboratory; University of Iowa; Iowa City Iowa USA
| | - Erin Pudenz
- GROK Laboratory; University of Iowa; Iowa City Iowa USA
| | | |
Collapse
|