How Does Spaceflight Affect The Genomics And Proteomics Of Escherichia Coli?
Microbial safety has become a research hotspot with the development of manned space technology. Escherichia coli is a conditional pathogen that can cause infectious diseases.
Therefore, it is necessary to study the influence of the space environment on E. coli. Phenotypic experiments including growth curves, morphology, and environmental resistance experiment were used to study the phenotypic changes of E. coli after exposure to the space environment for 12 days carried by the “SJ-10” satellite.
Tandem mass tag was used to assess the proteome change of E. coli. We found that the survival rate of E. coli in the spaceflight group was decreased when cultivated in acidic and high-salt environments. Proteomic analysis identified 72 downregulated proteins involved in chemotaxis, intracellular pH elevation, glycolate catabolic process, and glutamate metabolic process in the spaceflight group.
Meanwhile, only one protein mtr that was involved in the uptake of tryptophan in E. coli was upregulated in the spaceflight group. Our research showed that proteomics results can explain phenotypic results, which demonstrated the successful application of proteomics in mechanism research. Our data provide a comprehensive resource for understanding the effect of the space environment on E. coli.
Conclusions
Our research explored the changes in the phenotype and proteome of E. coli after exposure to the space environment. The results of the phenotypic experiment showed that the survival rate of E. coli in the spaceflight group decreased in acidic and high-salt environments. Proteomics analysis revealed 73 differentially expressed proteins in the spaceflight group compared to the control group. Functional enrichment analysis showed that proteins in chemotaxis, intracellular pH elevation, glycolate catabolic process, and glutamate metabolic process were significantly downregulated in the spaceflight group. These results indicate that proteomics data can explain phenotypic changes, and our research will provide a theoretical basis for microbial safety in the space environment.
Yu Liu , Chong Xu, Guangxian Zhao, Yanji Wang, Yuanbing Zhu, Yishu Yin, Jiaping Wang logo and Yongzhi Li
Effect of spaceflight on the phenotype and proteome of Escherichia coli Open Life Sciences (open access)
Astrobiology
