Abstract
A fungal strain (FJII-L10-SW-P1) was isolated from the Mars 2020 spacecraft assembly facility and exhibited biofilm formation on spacecraft-qualified Teflon surfaces. The reconstruction of a six-loci gene tree (ITS, LSU, SSU, RPB1 and RPB2, and TEF1) using multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) analyses of the strain FJII-L10-SW-P1 supported a close relationship to other known Parengyodontium album subclade 3 isolates while being phylogenetically distinct from subclade 1 strains. The zig-zag rachides morphology of the conidiogenous cells and spindle-shaped conidia were the distinct morphological characteristics of the P. album subclade 3 strains. The MLST data and morphological analysis supported the conclusion that the P. album subclade 3 strains could be classified as a new species of the genus Parengyodontium and placed in the family Cordycipitaceae. The name Parengyodontium torokii sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate the strain, with FJII-L10-SW-P1 as the holotype. The genome of the FJII-L10-SW-P1 strain was sequenced, annotated, and the secondary metabolite clusters were identified. Genes predicted to be responsible for biofilm formation and adhesion to surfaces were identified. Homology-based assignment of gene ontologies to the predicted proteome of P. torokii revealed the presence of gene clusters responsible for synthesizing several metabolic compounds, including a cytochalasin that was also verified using traditional metabolomic analysis.
Highlights
Introduction distributed under the terms andNASA microbial burden assessment of the spacecraft-associated surfaces is biased toward detecting endospore-forming bacteria as a primary planetary protection (PP) concern [1,2]
As the FJII-L10-SW-P1 strain was able to tolerate harsh and inhospitable conditions during the NASA Mars 2020 mission, we looked for genes related to pigment biosynthesis, radioresistance, and microgravity resistance well characterized in other fungal species (Table S5)
We identified clusters of proteins shared by all four fungi and those shared within all Parengyodontium species and those specific for P. torokii and P. americanum
Summary
NASA microbial burden assessment of the spacecraft-associated surfaces is biased toward detecting endospore-forming bacteria as a primary planetary protection (PP) concern [1,2]. While fungal species produce protective structures (spores, conidia, or cysts) as both part of their life cycle and as a response to environmental stress, few studies have examined their presence on the spacecraft-associated surfaces or their survival under simulated space conditions [4,5]. Systematic characterizations of fungal strains associated with spacecraft environments for their phylogenetic novelty are yet to be conducted. In an ongoing microbial surveillance study of NASA Mars 2020 mission-associated spacecraft assembly environments, a novel fungal strain (FJII-L10-SW-P1) belonging to the genus Parengyodontium was isolated. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regionbased phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the Mars 2020 strain (FJII-L10-SW-P1)
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