Morphological, molecular and metabolic changes of extremophiles exposed to space radiation conditions at the ISS.
Abstract
Radiation is the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or the moving of subatomic particles from a source. It is categorized as either ionizing or non-ionizing depending on the energy of the radiated particles. Natural sources of ionizing radiation include cosmic rays, which are extremely high-energy particles (largely protons) originated by stars and even black holes that travel across the universe nearly at the speed of light. But ionizing radiation could also be generated through nuclear disasters or by the use of nuclear weapons. The danger of ionizing radiation is that it is not well tolerated by most organisms on our planet and we do not have today effective ways of protection against it. Depending on the dose of exposure, it can penetrate the body and the radiation energy can be absorbed by tissues, where it can directly interact with DNA and cause damage by breaking its chemical bonds and also it is able to damage different functional molecules needed for the well-being of the organisms from humans to microbes on Earth. This proposal aims to investigate the effect of ionizing radiation on six different extremophilic microorganisms which have shown high degree of resistance to this type of radiation. This study will be performed through the analysis of morphological and genomic changes as well as changes in the protein expression level that the proposed extremophilic microorganisms will suffer after staying at the ISS for 3-6 months. Interdisciplinary approach that combines microbiology, molecular biology and biochemical analysis will be performed. It is expected that by analyzing the differences with the same microorganisms grown on Earth, it will be possible to identify key proteins or genes involved in radiation protection, DNA repair and-or survival mechanisms improving our current understanding of the survival mechanisms these microorganisms possess. In addition to investigate the effect of ionizing radiation on viable cultures of extremophiles and to explore the discovery of novel biomolecules after the extended exposure to high level radiation, the potential applications of this research could include new material development for the aerospace industry providing improved space survivability as well as applications of the new biomolecules in medical and military biodefense protection efforts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 06, 2025
- Source ID
- FA95502510005
Entities
People
- Jenny M Blamey
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force