Extremophiles live in a variety of extreme environments, from boiling hot springs to the icy depths of the ocean. Understanding how these amazing organisms survive could shed light on the possibility of life on other planets. Traditionally, scientists have relied on DNA sequencing to identify microbes. However, this method has limitations, especially in the case of closely related extremophile species.
The team led by Ralf Möller offers a solution: protein fingerprinting. Instead of analyzing DNA, they analyze protein fragments, or peptides, to create a unique “proteomic signature” for each microbe.
The researchers tested their method on water samples taken from high-altitude lakes in the Chilean Andes, an environment similar to early Mars. They compared the accuracy of protein fingerprints with traditional gene sequencing using the 16s rRNA gene, a common method for identifying microorganisms.
The results were promising. Both methods successfully identified the majority of culturable microbes (63 of 66). However, the protein fingerprinting method was superior in identifying previously unknown species. When gene sequencing failed in three samples, prototyping identified two potential new species of extremophilic bacteria.
This technology could be revolutionary in terms of astrobiology and could offer a more reliable method to search for alien life beyond Earth.
Source: Ferra
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