The resistance of the thermophilic species Parageobacillus thermantarcticus in space simulated conditions

The bacterial species belonging to the group of Extremophiles, i.e. those microorganisms that are able to resist extreme environmental conditions, are an interesting biological model for Astrobiology. The relevance of assessing the resistance of bacterial species in spatial conditions has recently been highlighted also by the "AstRoMap European Astrobiology Roadmap" [1]. Indeed, according to the AstRoMap one main research issue in Astrobiology is represented by "life and habitability" i.e. the search for conditions limiting or sustaining life in the universe beyond the Earth. In this frame, the laboratory simulation of spatial conditions is one main approach to the identification of those microbial species that could potentially adapt to live in space on other planets. Here we present the results of our studies concerning the resistance of cells and spores of the thermophilic species Parageobacillus thermantarcticus in laboratory conditions simulating some space parameters. P. thermantarcticus was subjected to several stressors mimicking the space environment including: desiccation [2,3], UV radiations [2,3], X-rays [2,3] and gamma-rays [4]. Some preliminary results of the analysis, at a molecular level, of cells' response to stressing conditions are also reported[2,3,4]. References 1.Horneck et al. (2016) Astrobiology, 16: 201-43. 2.Mastascusa et al.(2014) O.L.E.B., 44: 231-7. 3.Di Donato et al. (2018) O.L.E.B., 48(1): 141-58. 4.Romano et al. (2018) Extremophiles, 10.1007/s00792-018-1049-0