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- The scientists genetically analyzed the microbes collected from inside the International Space Station.
- They looked at samples collected from an air filter, a research station, and the dining room table.
- Three samples revealed a species of bacteria that had not been seen before on Earth.
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The collection of species of bacteria and fungi living among us is growing, and this is no exception in low-gravity environments like the International Space Station (ISS).
According to a new study, US and Indian researchers working with NASA have discovered four strains of bacteria that live in different locations on the ISS. Three of these strains were, until now, completely unknown to science.
An electron micrograph view of a Methylobacterium microbe.
Aslam Z. et. to 2007
Most of the microbes were identified in 2015 and 2016: one was found in an upper panel of the ISS research station; another in the cupola, observation and work area for the ISS crew; and the third appeared on the surface of the station dining room table.
The fourth was found in an old HEPA air filter that returned to Earth in 2011.
All four strains belong to a family of bacteria found in soil and fresh water. These bacteria are involved in nitrogen fixation, plant growth, and can help fight plant pathogens. Basically great microbes to have on hand if you’re growing things.
You might be wondering what those soil bacteria were doing on the ISS, but astronauts living on the space station have been growing small amounts of food for years, so it’s not surprising that scientists have found microbes related to them on board. floors.
The study authors genetically sequenced the microbes and found that three of them belonged to the same previously unidentified species of bacteria. The three strains were named IF7SW-B2T, IIF1SW-B5, and IIF4SW-B5.
They identified the fourth strain, the HEPA filter finding, as a known microbial species called Methylorubrum rhodesianum.
The research team, led by University of Southern California geneticist Swati Bijlani, has proposed naming the new bacterium species Methylobacterium ajmalii after Ajmal Khan, a renowned Indian biodiversity scientist. This new species is closely related to an existing species called Methylobacterium indicum.
Identify genes that help microbes survive in microgravity
Given that these microbes can survive aboard the ISS, Bijlani’s team set out to identify which genes from each of the four strains of bacteria could be used to help promote plant growth in the low-gravity conditions of the space.
“This will further aid in the identification of genetic determinants that could potentially be responsible for promoting plant growth under microgravity conditions and contributing to the development of self-sustaining plant crops for long-term space missions in the future,” the authors state. of the new study. wrote.
The team discovered that one of the strains, IF7SW-B2T, had genes involved in plant growth. One of the IF7SW-B2T genes helps encode an enzyme essential to produce cytokinin, a plant hormone that promotes cell division in roots and shoots.
The researchers said they have barely scratched the surface of the microbial diversity on the space station. About 1,000 samples have already been collected on the ISS, but they are still waiting to return to Earth.
