RESUMO
Ionizing radiation is one of the main factors limiting the survival of microorganisms in extraterrestrial conditions. The survivability of microorganisms under irradiation depends significantly on the conditions, in which the irradiation occurs. In particular, temperature, pressure, oxygen and water concentrations are of great influence. However, the influence of factors such as the radiation intensity (in low-temperature conditions) and the type of mineral matrix, in which microorganisms are located, has been practically unstudied. It has been shown that the radioresistance of bacteria can increase after their exposure to sublethal doses and subsequent repair of damage under favorable conditions, however, such studies are also few and the influence of other factors of extraterrestrial space (temperature, pressure) was not studied in them. The viability of bacteria Arthrobacter polychromogenes, Kocuria rosea and Xanthomonas sp. after irradiation with gamma radiation at a dose of 1 kGy under conditions of low pressure (1 Torr) and low temperature (-50 °C) at different radiation intensities (4 vs. 0.8 kGy/h) with immobilization of bacteria on various mineral matrices (montmorillonite vs. analogue of lunar dust) has been studied. Native, previously non-irradiated strains, and strains that were previously irradiated with gamma radiation and subjected to 10 passages of cultivation on solid media were irradiated. The number of survived cells was determined by culturing on a solid medium. It has been shown that the radioresistance of bacteria depends significantly on the type of mineral matrix, on which they are immobilized, wherein montmorillonite contributes to an increased survivability in comparison with a silicate matrix. Survivability of the studied bacteria was found to increase with decreasing radiation intensity, despite the impossibility of active reparation processes under experimental conditions. Considering the low intensity of radiation on various space objects in comparison with radiobiological experiments, this suggests a longer preservation of the viable microorganisms outside the Earth than is commonly believed. An increase in bacterial radioresistance was revealed even after one cycle of irradiation of the strains and their subsequent cultivation under favourable conditions. This indicates the possibility of hypothetical microorganisms on Mars increasing their radioresistance.
RESUMO
At present, the surface of Mars is affected by a set of factors that can prevent the survival of Earth-like life. However, the modern concept of the evolution of the planet assumes the existence more favorable for life climate in the past. If in the past on Mars had formed a biosphere, similar to the one that originated in the early Earth, it is supposed that it is preserved till now in anabiotic state in the bowels of the planet, like microbial communities inhabiting the ancient permafrost of Arctic and Antarctic. In the conditions of modern Martian regolith, this relic life seems to be deprived of the possibility of damage reparation (or these processes occur on a geological time scale), and ionizing radiation should be considered the main factor inhibiting such anabiotic life. In the present study, we studied soil samples, selected in two different extreme habitats of the Earth: ancient permafrost from the Dry Valleys of Antarctica and Xerosol soil from the mountain desert in Morocco, gamma-irradiated with 40 kGy dose at low pressure (1 Torr) and low temperature (-50 °C). Microbial communities inhabiting these samples showed in situ high resistance to the applied effects, retained high number of viable cells, metabolic activity, and high biodiversity. Based on the results, it is assumed that the putative biosphere could be preserved in the dormant state for at least 500 thousand years and 8 million years in the surface layer of Mars regolith and at 5 m depth, respectively, at the current level of ionizing radiation intensity.
RESUMO
This research aimed to investigate the viability and biodiversity of microbial communities within ancient Arctic permafrost after exposure to a gamma-radiation dose of 100 kGy at low temperature (- 50 °C), low pressure (1 Torr) and dehydration conditions. The main objective was to assess the possibility for long-term survival of Earth-bound microorganisms in the subsurface of Martian regolith or inside small space bodies at constant absorption and accumulation of the gamma radiation dose. Investigated microbial communities had shown high resistance to a simulated Martian environment. After irradiation the total count of prokaryotic cells and number of metabolically active bacterial cells remained at the control level, while the number of bacterial CFUs decreased by 2 orders of magnitude, and the number of metabolically active cells of archaea decreased threefold. Besides, the abundance of culturable bacteria after irradiation was kept at a high level: not less than 3.7 × 105 cells/g. Potential metabolic activity of irradiated microbial communities in general were higher than in the control sample. A fairly high biodiversity of bacteria was detected in the exposed sample of permafrost, although the microbial community structure underwent significant changes after irradiation. In particular, actinobacteria populations of the genus Arthrobacter, which was not revealed in the control samples, became predominant in bacterial communities following the exposure. The results of the study testify that long-term preservation of microbial life inside Martian permafrost is possible. The data obtained can also be evaluated from the perspective of the potential for discovering viable Earth-bound microorganisms on other objects in the Solar system and inside of small bodies in outer space.
