Abstract EANA2025-10

Keywords: Genetic Engineering, Extremophiles, Galactic Cosmic Rays.

 

In future Long-Term Space Missions (LTSMs) astronauts will be exposed to multiple extreme space factors like microgravity, low temperatures and ionizing radiation.

Because the difficulty of resupplying spacecraft makes it necessary to safeguard stored biological material like seeds. They are particularly vulnerable because radiation accelerates ageing, induces mutations, increases disease susceptibility and could trigger premature germination and produce flavorless mature plants.

In LTSMs to Mars, food supplies may be sent years before the crew. The transit and launch time would greatly increase their exposure to the harsh conditions of outer space, and could represent a potential risk for the sustainable space agriculture planned in situ for Mars and other deep-space destinations.

To mitigate this risk, we propose harnessing survival mechanisms from extremophiles Ramazzottius varieornatus, the most radioresistant tardigrade, and Deinococcus radiodurans, the most radioresistant bacterium.  Our objective is to express three genes in the seeds of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana: (I) a nucleosome-associated protein that physically shields DNA, (II) a double-strand-break-binding protein that protects DNA from endonuclease degradation and stimulates efficient ligation, and (III) a regulatory protein that senses single-strand breaks and rapidly activates DNA repair pathways.

We hypothesise that the transgenic expression of these proteins will enhance seed viability despite the relatively long-term exposure to galactic cosmic rays and solar particle events. This strategy could be transferred to edible crops, providing a genetic countermeasure for sustainable space agriculture and long-term food autonomy.