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| Titel |
PCR-based Analysis of Microbial Communities in Extreme Environment: Results from EuroGeoMars MDRS campaign |
| VerfasserIn |
C. Thiel, D. Wills, B. Foing, J. Wadham, D. Cullen, C. van Sluis |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2009
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 11 (2009) |
| Datensatznummer |
250031053
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| Zusammenfassung |
| Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is found in almost all living organisms. The main function of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of genetic information.They are passed on from generation to generation as the hereditary material. This molecular structure is often compared to a genetic blueprint, a fingerprint, which is unique for each organism and can therefore be used as a mean of identification. In 1984 a revolutionary technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was established, able to amplify a single or few copies of DNA molecules across several orders of magnitude, generating millions of copies of the original DNA fragment. PCR is nowadays a common technique used in medical and biological research laboratories for a large variety of applications like functional analysis of genes, DNA-based phylogeny, diagnosis of hereditary diseases, detection and diagnosis of infectious diseases, and identification of genetic fingerprints. This powerful tool gives us the opportunity to investigate, if there is or was life on Mars since DNA fragments are highly stable what allows not only amplification from living organisms but also from samples with an age of several thousand years. If we assume that micro-organisms were exchanged between Mars and Earth via meteorites, it is imaginable that Martian life might also be based on DNA as carrier of genetic information.
Therefore our goal is to establish a routine for detection of DNA from micro-organisms based on the effective but also robust and simple PCR technique, demonstrated during the EuroGeoMars simulation campaign at Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). We have already analysed some MDRS soil samples at ESTEC ExoGeoLab facility. During the MDRS simulation we will show that it is possible to establish a minimal molecular biology lab in the habitat for an immediate on site analysis by PCR after sample collection. Samples will be taken from different locations and soil depths. The sample analysis will start immediately after returning to the habitat and will be finished during the following days. DNA will be isolated from micro-organisms by Powersoil DNA isolation kit and serves as template for PCR using oligonucleotides specific for ribosomal DNA to identify representatives of the different groups of micro-organisms: archaea, bacteria and eukaryotes. PCR products will be analysed by agarose gel electrophoresis and documented via UV-trans-illuminator and digital camera. |
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