Three new bacterial strains discovered on the International Space Station could help grow plants on Mars
To withstand the hassle of space missions, foods grown outside of the earth need a little extra help from bacteria. Now, according to a recent discovery aboard the International Space Station (ISS), researchers can help create the ‘fuel’ to withstand plants in such stressful situations.
Publish their findings to Boundaries in microbiology, researchers work with NASA describes the discovery and isolation of 4 strains of bacteria belonging to the family Methylobacteriaceae from different locations aboard the ISS over two consecutive flights.
While 1 strain was identified as Methylorubrum rhodesianum, the other 3 were previously undiscovered and belong to a new species. The rod-shaped, motile bacteria received the names IF7SW-B2T, IIF1SW-B5 and IIF4SW-B5 with genetic analysis showing that they are closely related to Methylobacterium indicum.
Methylobacterium species are involved in nitrogen fixation, soluble phosphate, abiotic stress tolerance, promotion of plant growth and biocontrol against plant pathogens.
Potential for Mars missions
Now, in honor of the renowned Indian scientists on biodiversity, dr. Ajmal Khan, suggested the team to name the new species. Methylobacterium ajmalii.
Regarding the discovery, dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran (Venkat) and Dr Nitin Kumar Singh of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, (JPL), says that the strains may have “biotechnologically useful genetic determinants” for the growth of crops in space.
However, further experimental biology is needed to prove that it is indeed a potential game changer for space farming.
“To grow plants in extreme places where resources are minimal, isolation of new microbes is essential to promote plant growth under stressful conditions,” they said.
Along with JPL, other researchers collaborating on this discovery are based at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles; Cornell University and the University of Hyderabad in India.
With NASA one day looking for humans to the surface of March The U.S. National Research Council Decadal Survey recommends that the space agency use the ISS as a “test bed for the measurement of microorganisms,” according to Venkat and Singh.
“Since our group has expertise in growing microorganisms from extreme niches, we were commissioned by the NASA Space Biology Program to investigate the ISS for the presence and persistence of microorganisms,” they add.
Needless to say, the ISS is an extreme environment that is maintained clean. Crew safety is the top priority and therefore the importance of human / plant pathogens is important, but beneficial microbes like this novel Methylobacterium ajmalii is also needed. ”
The expansion of the ISS laboratory
As part of an ongoing observation mission, 8 sites on the ISS are being monitored for bacterial growth and have been for the past 6 years. These sample areas include where the crew meets or where experiments are performed, such as the plant growth chamber.
While hundreds of bacterial samples from the ISS have been analyzed to date, about 1,000 samples have been collected from various other locations on the space station, but are awaiting a journey back to Earth where they can be examined.
According to Venkat and Singh, the ultimate goal is to circumvent this lengthy process and possibly find new new strains using molecular biology equipment developed and demonstrated for the ISS.
“Instead of bringing samples back to Earth for analysis, we need an integrated microbial monitoring system that collects, processes and analyzes samples in space using molecular technologies,” Venkat and Singh said.
“This miniaturized ‘omics in space’ technology – a biosensor development – will help NASA and other space nations achieve safe and sustainable space exploration for long periods of time.”
Reference: “Methylobacterium ajmalii sp. Nov., Isolated From the International Space Station ”by Swati Bijlani, Nitin K. Singh, VV Ramprasad Eedara, Appa Rao Podile, Christopher E. Mason, Clay CC Wang and Kasthuri Venkateswaran, 15 March 2021, Boundaries in microbiology.
DOI: 10.3389 / fmicb.2021.639396