Molecular Mechanisms of Microbial Survivability in Outer Space: A Systems Biology Approach

Since the dawn of space exploration, the survivability of terrestrial life in outer space conditions has attracted enormous attention. Space technology has enabled the development of advanced space exposure facilities to investigate in situ responses of microbial life to the stress conditions of space during interplanetary transfer. Significant progress has been made toward the understanding of the effects of space environmental factors, e.g., microgravity, vacuum and radiation, on microorganisms exposed to real and simulated space conditions. Of extreme importance is not only knowledge of survival potential of space-exposed microorganisms, but also the determination of mechanisms of survival and adaptation of predominant species to the extreme space environment, i.e., revealing the molecular machinery, which elicit microbial survivability and adaptation. Advanced technologies in -omics research have permitted genome-scale studies of molecular alterations of space-exposed microorganisms. A variety of reports show that microorganisms grown in the space environment exhibited global alterations in metabolic functions and gene expression at the transcriptional and translational levels. Proteomic, metabolomic and especially metabolic modeling approaches as essential instruments of space microbiology, synthetic biology and metabolic engineering are rather underrepresented. Here we summarized the molecular space-induced alterations of exposed microorganisms in terms of understanding the molecular mechanisms of microbial survival and adaptation to drastic outer space environment.

Knockout of crtB or crtI gene blocks the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway in Deinococcus radiodurans R1 and influences its resistance to oxidative DNA-damaging agents due to change of free radicals scavenging ability

Deinococcus radiodurans R1, a red-pigmented strain of the extremely radioresistant genus Deinococcus, contains a major carotenoid namely deinoxanthin. The high resistance of this organism against the lethal actions of DNA-damaging agents including ionizing radiation and ultraviolet light (UV) has been widely reported. However, the possible antioxidant role of carotenoids in this strain has not been completely elucidated. In this study, we constructed two colorless mutants by knockout of crtB and crtI genes, respectively. Comparative analysis of the two colorless mutants and the wild type showed that the two colorless mutants were more sensitive to ionizing radiation, UV, and hydrogen peroxide, but not to mitomycin-C (MMC). With electron spin resonance (ESR) and spin trapping techniques, we observed that hydroxyl radical signals occurred in the suspensions of UV irradiated Deinococcus radiodurans cells and the intensity of signals was influenced by carotenoids levels. We further showed that the carotenoid extract from the wild type could obviously scavenge superoxide anions generated by the irradiated riboflavin/EDTA system. These results suggest that carotenoids in D. radiodurans R1 function as free radical scavengers to protect this organism against the deleterious effects of oxidative DNA-damaging agents.

Identification and functional analysis of a phytoene desaturase gene from the extremely radioresistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans

The phytoene-related desaturases are the key enzymes in the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway. The gene encoding phytoene desaturase in the deinoxanthin synthesis pathway of Deinococcus radiodurans was identified and characterized. Two putative phytoene desaturase homologues (DR0861 and DR0810) were identified by analysis of conserved amino acid regions, and the former displayed the highest identity (68 %) with phytoene desaturase of the cyanobacterium Gloeobacter violaceus. DR0861 gene knockout and dinucleotide-binding motif deletion resulted in the arrest of lycopene synthesis and the accumulation of phytoene. The colourless DR0861 knockout mutant became more sensitive to acute ionizing radiation and oxygen stress. Complementation of the mutant with a heterologous or homologous gene restored its pigment and resistance. The desaturase activity of DR0861 (crtI) was further confirmed by the assay of enzyme activity in vitro and heterologous expression in Escherichia coli containing crtE and crtB genes (responsible for phytoene synthesis) from Erwinia uredovora. In addition, the amount of lycopene synthesis in E. coli resulting from the expression of crtI from D. radiodurans was determined, and this had significant dose-dependent effects on the survival rate of E. coli exposed to hydrogen peroxide and ionizing radiation.

Sensitivity of Deinococcus radiodurans to gamma-irradiation: a novel approach by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Deinococcus radiodurans is a red-pigmented coccus known to be particularly resistant to both chemical and radiative agents. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used as a convenient and easy-to-run method to monitor damage induced in this bacterium by ionizing radiations. First, stationary-phase cultures were submitted to increasing doses of gamma-irradiation ((137)Cs source). Beyond a threshold of 11 kGy, striking changes occurred in spectra of irradiated samples compared with unirradiated ones, especially in the 1750-900 cm(-1) region, which is spectroscopically assigned to amide I and II components, nucleotide bases, the phosphodiester backbone, and the sugar ring. Second, bacterial cultures were postirradiation reincubated. After a reincubation time of 15 h, the oxidative stress was in part overwhelmed, and the growth of D. radiodurans again occurred, although some biocellular components remained altered. Consequently, FT-IR analysis is an accurate means to rapidly visualize biomolecular changes undergone by cells both after gamma-irradiation and during the repair mechanism.

Pharmacologic application of FTIR spectroscopy: effect of ascorbic acid-induced free radicals on Deinococcus radiodurans

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used as a convenient and easy-to-run method to monitor radical-induced damage on the radiation-resistant Deinococcus radiodurans strain. Increasing concentrations of ascorbic acid added to the culture medium during the stationary phase produced striking changes in the infrared spectra. These changes especially occurred in the 1700-900 cm(-1) region, which is spectroscopically assigned to the amide I and II components, nucleotide bases, phosphodiester backbone and sugar rings, and were correlated with the oxidant effect of ascorbic acid. Thus, FTIR analysis allows a rapid characterization of the changes induced by ascorbic acid in the cell environment, which can be correlated in part with the generation of free radicals. Beyond a critical ascorbic acid concentration of 40 mM, these free radicals can cause severe damage to the biomolecular components, as soon as the antioxidant defenses of the bacterium are overwhelmed.