Abstract_EANA2025-174

Abstract EANA2025-174

Before going to Mars: Can tardigrades help in protecting other organisms in space?

Ewa Szuszkiewicz (1), Nina Antos-Krzemińska (2), Franco Ferrari (1), Łukasz Kaczmarek (3), Andonis Karachitos (2), Katarzyna Kasperkiewicz (4), Anna Kicińska (2), Hanna Kmita (2) and Izabela Poprawa (4)

(1) CASA* and Institute of Physics, University of Szczecin, Poland, (2) Department of Bioenergetics, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland, (3) Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland, (4) Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland

The era of space travel is approaching fast. Travels of tourists on ballistic flights are at their beginning, while human missions on the Moon or Mars are planned by the Space Agencies of several countries. Tourists and professional astronauts will be exposed to various conditions that are hardly encountered on Earth, such as microgravity, hypergravity, hypomagnetic conditions and high levels of radiation. It is important to know the possible consequences and threats to the health of the involved humans [1]. On the other hand, stable bases on Mars require establishing an ecosystem that is able to support life. For this, the launch of micro- and macro-organisms (including single-cell organisms, plants and animals) in space will be necessary. It is important to understand whether these organisms will survive outside of the protective environment of the Earth. Our investigation on the ISS (International Space Station) called Yeast TardigradeGene will test one of the promising mechanisms to enhance the adaptability of organisms to microgravity conditions. Moreover, it has the potential to broaden the use of yeast as a tool in advanced biomanufacturing, relevant for long space travels.

Yeast TardigradeGene examines whether a tardigrade gene expressing a mitochondrial protein, alternative oxidase, can protect budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) from the negative effects of microgravity. The tardigrade gene is integrated into the genome of S. cerevisiae, one of the most widely used model organisms, which is relevant for the sustainability of ecosystems in space, on the Moon or Mars. The impact of the ISS microgravity environment on the yeast cell vitality and cell energetic status, based on mitochondria functioning, will be compared in the absence and presence of the tardigrade gene. Tardigrades possess an exceptional capability to survive under extreme conditions [2]; therefore, a strong enhancement of the protective mechanisms is expected in the latter case, according to the well-known fact that mitochondria play an important role in cells’ response to extreme conditions [3].

The 13-day-long exposure of the modified yeast to microgravity conditions on the ISS ended on the 11th of July. The payload returned to Earth on the 15th of July, and now the investigation of the samples is ongoing.

Yeast TardigradeGene is part of the first Polish mission to the orbital laboratory called Ignis, which in turn is part of the Axiom Mission 4. The mission Ignis is funded by the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, and the project is implemented in cooperation with POLSA (Polish Space Agency) and ESA (European Space Agency).

Our activity is carried out under a program of, and funded by the European Space Agency (ESA Contract No 4000144488/24/NL/AS). The view expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency.

[1] S. McKenna-Lawlor, A. Bhardwaj, F. Ferrari, N. Kuznetsov, A.K. Lal, Yinghui Li, A. Nagamatsu, R. Nymmik, M. Panasyuk, V. Petrov, G. Reitz, L. Pinsky, S. Muszaphar Shukor, A.K. Singhvi, U. Straube, L. Tomi, and L. Townsend, Acta Astronautica, 104, 2 (2014).

[2] W. Erdmann and Ł. Kaczmarek, Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, 47, 4 (2017).

[3] D. Wojciechowska, M. Roszkowska, Ł. Kaczmarek, W. Jarmuszkiewicz, A. Karachitos and H. Kmita, PLoS One, 16, e0244260 (2021).