Acidianus manzaensis Archives

Overview of the workflow and experimental design. a) Workflow exposure experiment: Cultivation, followed by cell enrichment and deposition in the exposure wells to conduct 1. desiccation experiment, and 2. exposure to Mars-like conditions. Re-cultivation of the exposed cells was performed to determine cell survival, followed by organic extraction, mass spectrometry analysis (UHPLC – HRMS), and data analysis (MetaboScape®) to determine potential changes in the composition of thiophene-bearing quinones. Created with BioRender.com. b) Experimental design of the exposure experiment from cultivation to sample analysis and determination of cell recovery by re-cultivation of exposed and non-exposed cell-mineral material. Extractions were conducted immediately after harvesting the cell-mineral material of the fresh culture, followed by extraction and analysis of the samples in the Mars simulation chamber exposed to UV, non-exposed to UV, transport control, and laboratory control. -- chemrxiv.org

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Investigating Changes In Thiophene-bearing Quinones Of The Archaeon Acidianus manzaensis After Exposure To Mars-like Conditions

by Keith CowingOctober 15, 2025October 15, 2025

In the search for reliable biomarkers in other planetary environments such as Mars, molecules that are stable over geological timescales, while preserving indicative information about their potential biological origin, are […]

A: Bioreactor setup of A. manzaensis grown on ESAE-01 basalt analog material. B: Exposure wells with desiccated A. manzaensis cells and ESAE-01 basalt pellets. C: Successful recultivation of A. manzaensis cells after 1 month of desiccation. -- chemrxiv.org

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

A Two-week Journey To Mars: Investigating Changes In Thiophene-bearing Quinones Of The Extremely Thermoacidophilic Archaeon Acidianus manzaensis

by Keith CowingJuly 21, 2025July 21, 2025

In the search for reliable biomarker in other planetary environments such as Mars, we need molecules that are stable over geological timescales while preserving indicative information about their potential biological […]