Viggó Thór Marteinsson, F. Gaboyer, Nicolas Walter, M. Malki, L. Garcia-Descalzo, Pauline Vannier, Kristina Beblo-Vranesevic, E. Monaghan, Ricardo Amils, Patricia Cabezas, Elke Rabbow, Felipe Gómez, Frances Westall, Petra Rettberg, Maria Bohmeier, Pascale Ehrenfreund, Christine Moissl-Eichinger, Charles S. Cockell, A. Perras, Petra Schwendner, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [Köln] (DLR), Medical University Graz, Universität Regensburg (UR), UK Centre for Astrobiology, SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy [Edinburgh], University of Edinburgh-University of Edinburgh, BioTechMed-Graz, Graz University of Technology [Graz] (TU Graz)-Karl-Franzens-Universität [Graz, Autriche]-Medical University Graz, MATIS - Prokaria, University of Iceland [Reykjavik], Leiden Observatory [Leiden], Universiteit Leiden [Leiden], Space Policy Institute [Washington], The George Washington University (GW), Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa [Madrid] (CBMSO), Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Centre de biophysique moléculaire (CBM), Université d'Orléans (UO)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC), European Science Foundation (ESF), Graz University of Technology [Graz] (TU Graz)-Medical University Graz-Karl-Franzens-Universität [Graz, Autriche], Matvæla- og næringarfræðideild (HÍ), Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition (UI), Heilbrigðisvísindasvið (HÍ), School of Health Sciences (UI), Háskóli Íslands, and University of Iceland
Publisher's version (útgefin grein), Four facultative anaerobic and two obligate anaerobic bacteria were isolated from extreme environments (deep subsurface halite mine, sulfidic anoxic spring, mineral-rich river) in the frame MASE (Mars Analogues for Space Exploration) project. The isolates were investigated under anoxic conditions for their survivability after desiccation up to 6 months and their tolerance to ionizing radiation up to 3000 Gy. The results indicated that tolerances to both stresses are strain-specific features. Yersinia intermedia MASE-LG-1 showed a high desiccation tolerance but its radiation tolerance was very low. The most radiation-tolerant strains were Buttiauxella sp. MASE-IM-9 and Halanaerobium sp. MASE-BB-1. In both cases, cultivable cells were detectable after an exposure to 3 kGy of ionizing radiation, but cells only survived desiccation for 90 and 30 days, respectively. Although a correlation between desiccation and ionizing radiation resistance has been hypothesized for some aerobic microorganisms, our data showed that there was no correlation between tolerance to desiccation and ionizing radiation, suggesting that the physiological basis of both forms of tolerances is not necessarily linked. In addition, these results indicated that facultative and obligate anaerobic organisms living in extreme environments possess varied species-specific tolerances to extremes, This work was supported by European Community's Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) [grant agreement no. 607297].