Characterization ofAspergillus nigerIsolated from the International Space Station

ABSTRACTThe initial characterization of theAspergillus nigerisolate JSC-093350089, collected from U.S. segment surfaces of the International Space Station (ISS), is reported, along with a comparison to the extensively studied strain ATCC 1015. Whole-genome sequencing of the ISS isolate enabled its phylogenetic placement within theA. niger/welwitschiae/lacticoffeatusclade and revealed that the genome of JSC-093350089 is within the observed genetic variance of other sequencedA. nigerstrains. The ISS isolate exhibited an increased rate of growth and pigment distribution compared to a terrestrial strain. Analysis of the isolate’s proteome revealed significant differences in the molecular phenotype of JSC-093350089, including increased abundance of proteins involved in theA. nigerstarvation response, oxidative stress resistance, cell wall modulation, and nutrient acquisition. Together, these data reveal the existence of a distinct strain ofA. nigeron board the ISS and provide insight into the characteristics of melanized fungal species inhabiting spacecraft environments.IMPORTANCEA thorough understanding of how fungi respond and adapt to the various stimuli encountered during spaceflight presents many economic benefits and is imperative for the health of crew. AsA. nigeris a predominant ISS isolate frequently detected in built environments, studies ofA. nigerstrains inhabiting closed systems may reveal information fundamental to the success of long-duration space missions. This investigation provides valuable insights into the adaptive mechanisms of fungi in extreme environments as well as countermeasures to eradicate unfavorable microbes. Further, it enhances understanding of host-microbe interactions in closed systems, which can help NASA’s Human Research Program maintain a habitat healthy for crew during long-term manned space missions.

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Whole-Genome Sequences of Clinical Enterobacter bugandensis Isolates from Germany

Microbiology Resource Announcements ◽

10.1128/mra.00465-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (29) ◽

Author(s):

Jane Falgenhauer ◽

Can Imirzalioglu ◽

Linda Falgenhauer ◽

Yancheng Yao ◽

Anja M. Hauri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

International Space Station ◽

Space Station ◽

Whole Genome ◽

Pathogenic Species ◽

Genome Sequences ◽

Content Type ◽

International Space ◽

Life Threatening ◽

First Time

Enterobacter bugandensis is the most pathogenic species of the genus Enterobacter and is a cause of life-threatening infections in neonates. Curiously, it was also detected in samples from the International Space Station. Here, we present complete closed genome sequences of two clinical E. bugandensis isolates recognized for the first time in Germany.

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NASA sets sights on private space stations

Emerald Expert Briefings ◽

10.1108/oxan-db246447 ◽

2019 ◽

Keyword(s):

International Space Station ◽

Space Station ◽

Low Earth Orbit ◽

Earth Orbit ◽

The Moon ◽

Private Space ◽

Content Type ◽

International Space ◽

Foreign Governments ◽

Corporate Clients

Subject Space stations. Significance As Washington returns its sights to the moon, it is reforming its policies regarding the International Space Station (ISS) with a view to jump-starting a 'low-earth orbit economy' in which private firms offer services to corporate clients, foreign governments and wealthy individuals. Impacts China's space station, due for completion in 2022, could draw third-country projects away from commercial US space stations. Governments are more promising clients for commercial crewed spaceflight than 'space tourists' are. Commercial stations and passenger spacecraft could make human spaceflight accessible to allied states. Spaceflight will remain politicised.

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Challenges for a Sustainable Food Production System on Board of the International Space Station: A Technical Review

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10050687 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 687

Author(s):

Petronia Carillo ◽

Biagio Morrone ◽

Giovanna Marta Fusco ◽

Stefania De Pascale ◽

Youssef Rouphael

Keyword(s):

International Space Station ◽

Life Support ◽

Space Station ◽

Space Missions ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

International Space ◽

Physical Constraints ◽

Fresh Food ◽

Long Duration ◽

Lighting Systems

The possibility of prolonging space missions—and consequently the permanence of humans in space—depends on the possibility of providing them with an adequate supply of fresh foods to meet their nutritional requirements. This would allow space travelers to mitigate health risks associated with exposure to space radiation, microgravity and psychological stress. In this review, we attempt to critically summarize existing studies with the aim of suggesting possible solutions to overcome the challenges to develop a bio-regenerative life support system (BLSS) that can contribute to life support, supplying food and O2, while removing CO2 on the International Space Station (ISS). We describe the physical constraints and energy requirements for ISS farming in relation to space and energy resources, the problems related to lighting systems and criteria for selecting plants suitable for farming in space and microgravity. Clearly, the dimensions of a growth hardware that can be placed on ISS do not allow to produce enough fresh food to supplement the stored, packaged diet of astronauts; however, experimentation on ISS is pivotal for implementing plant growth systems and paves the way for the next long-duration space missions, including those in cis-lunar space and to the lunar surface.

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Countermeasures-based Improvements in Stress, Immune System Dysregulation and Latent Herpesvirus Reactivation onboard the International Space Station – Relevance for Deep Space Missions and Terrestrial Medicine

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews ◽

10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.05.007 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 115 ◽

pp. 68-76 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Brian E. Crucian ◽

George Makedonas ◽

Clarence F. Sams ◽

Duane L. Pierson ◽

Richard Simpson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

International Space Station ◽

Space Station ◽

Space Missions ◽

Deep Space ◽

International Space

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Draft Genome Sequence of Solibacillus kalamii, Isolated from an Air Filter Aboard the International Space Station

Genome Announcements ◽

10.1128/genomea.00696-17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (35) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Arman Seuylemezian ◽

Nitin K. Singh ◽

Parag Vaishampayan ◽

Kasthuri Venkateswaran

Keyword(s):

International Space Station ◽

Genome Sequence ◽

Draft Genome ◽

Space Station ◽

High Energy ◽

Draft Genome Sequence ◽

Air Filter ◽

Content Type ◽

International Space

ABSTRACT We report here the draft genome of Solibacillus kalamii ISSFR-015, isolated from a high-energy particulate arrestance filter aboard the International Space Station. The draft genome sequence of this strain contains 3,809,180 bp with an estimated G+C content of 38.61%.

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Russia will tailor space ambitions to limited means

Emerald Expert Briefings ◽

10.1108/oxan-db265036 ◽

2021 ◽

Keyword(s):

International Space Station ◽

Market Share ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Space Station ◽

The Arctic ◽

Content Type ◽

International Space ◽

Left Behind ◽

World Class ◽

The Way

Significance This clears the way for SpaceX and Soyuz craft to carry each other's passengers to the International Space Station (ISS). The loss of Russia's monopoly on such flights is emblematic of broader troubles. Moscow's space programme is being left behind as US companies forge ahead and China competes as a world-class rival. Impacts The space programme's Soviet-era symbolic importance will be more difficult to uphold without new achievements. Roskosmos will be unable to recapture former market share and may be reduced to satellite launches for states unable to use US services. The Arktika-M satellite is the first of two planned to monitor climate and environmental changes in the Arctic.

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Robotic hand developed for both space missions on the International Space Station and commercial applications on the ground

2009 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems ◽

10.1109/iros.2009.5354482 ◽

2009 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Taihei Ueno ◽

Mitsushige Oda

Keyword(s):

International Space Station ◽

Space Station ◽

Space Missions ◽

Robotic Hand ◽

International Space ◽

Commercial Applications

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Draft Genome Sequences of Two Fusarium oxysporum Isolates Cultured from Infected Zinnia hybrida Plants Grown on the International Space Station

Genome Announcements ◽

10.1128/genomea.00326-18 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (20) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Camilla Urbaniak ◽

Gioia Massa ◽

Mary Hummerick ◽

Christina Khodadad ◽

Andrew Schuerger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fusarium Oxysporum ◽

International Space Station ◽

Draft Genome ◽

Space Station ◽

Whole Genome ◽

Genome Sequences ◽

Content Type ◽

International Space

ABSTRACT Here, we present the whole-genome sequences of two Fusarium oxysporum isolates cultured from infected Zinnia hybrida plants that were grown onboard the International Space Station (ISS).

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Characterization of Aspergillus fumigatus Isolates from Air and Surfaces of the International Space Station

mSphere ◽

10.1128/msphere.00227-16 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 1 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Benjamin P. Knox ◽

Adriana Blachowicz ◽

Jonathan M. Palmer ◽

Jillian Romsdahl ◽

Anna Huttenlocher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aspergillus Fumigatus ◽

Human Health ◽

International Space Station ◽

Space Station ◽

Clinical Isolates ◽

Content Type ◽

International Space ◽

Human Habitat ◽

Manned Space

ABSTRACT As durations of manned space missions increase, it is imperative to understand the long-term consequence of microbial exposure on human health in a closed human habitat. To date, studies aimed at bacterial and fungal contamination of space vessels have highlighted species compositions biased toward hardy, persistent organisms capable of withstanding harsh conditions. In the current study, we assessed traits of two independent Aspergillus fumigatus strains isolated from the International Space Station. Ubiquitously found in terrestrial soil and atmospheric environments, A. fumigatus is a significant opportunistic fungal threat to human health, particularly among the immunocompromised. Using two well-known clinical isolates of A. fumigatus as comparators, we found that both ISS isolates exhibited normal in vitro growth and chemical stress tolerance yet caused higher lethality in a vertebrate model of invasive disease. These findings substantiate the need for additional studies of physical traits and biological activities of microbes adapted to microgravity and other extreme extraterrestrial conditions. One mission of the Microbial Observatory Experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) is to examine the traits and diversity of fungal isolates to gain a better understanding of how fungi may adapt to microgravity environments and how this may affect interactions with humans in a closed habitat. Here, we report an initial characterization of two isolates, ISSFT-021 and IF1SW-F4, of Aspergillus fumigatus collected from the ISS and a comparison to the experimentally established clinical isolates Af293 and CEA10. Whole-genome sequencing of ISSFT-021 and IF1SW-F4 showed 54,960 and 52,129 single nucleotide polymorphisms, respectively, compared to Af293, which is consistent with observed genetic heterogeneity among sequenced A. fumigatus isolates from diverse clinical and environmental sources. Assessment of in vitro growth characteristics, secondary metabolite production, and susceptibility to chemical stresses revealed no outstanding differences between ISS and clinical strains that would suggest special adaptation to life aboard the ISS. Virulence assessment in a neutrophil-deficient larval zebrafish model of invasive aspergillosis revealed that both ISSFT-021 and IF1SW-F4 were significantly more lethal than Af293 and CEA10. Taken together, these genomic, in vitro, and in vivo analyses of two A. fumigatus strains isolated from the ISS provide a benchmark for future investigations of these strains and for continuing research on specific microbial isolates from manned space environments. IMPORTANCE As durations of manned space missions increase, it is imperative to understand the long-term consequence of microbial exposure on human health in a closed human habitat. To date, studies aimed at bacterial and fungal contamination of space vessels have highlighted species compositions biased toward hardy, persistent organisms capable of withstanding harsh conditions. In the current study, we assessed traits of two independent Aspergillus fumigatus strains isolated from the International Space Station. Ubiquitously found in terrestrial soil and atmospheric environments, A. fumigatus is a significant opportunistic fungal threat to human health, particularly among the immunocompromised. Using two well-known clinical isolates of A. fumigatus as comparators, we found that both ISS isolates exhibited normal in vitro growth and chemical stress tolerance yet caused higher lethality in a vertebrate model of invasive disease. These findings substantiate the need for additional studies of physical traits and biological activities of microbes adapted to microgravity and other extreme extraterrestrial conditions.

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