The salty tango of brine composition and UV photochemistry effects on Halobacterium salinarum cell envelope biosignature preservation
Abstract Hypersaline environments, including brines and brine inclusions of evaporite crystals, are currently of great interest due to their unique preservation properties for the search for terrestrial and potentially extraterrestrial biosignatures of ancient life. However, much is still unclear ab...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Communications Biology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08007-w |
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| author | Lucas Bourmancé Arul Marie Rémy Puppo Sébastien Brûlé Philippe Schaeffer Maud Toupet Ruben Nitsche Andreas Elsaesser Adrienne Kish |
| author_facet | Lucas Bourmancé Arul Marie Rémy Puppo Sébastien Brûlé Philippe Schaeffer Maud Toupet Ruben Nitsche Andreas Elsaesser Adrienne Kish |
| author_sort | Lucas Bourmancé |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Hypersaline environments, including brines and brine inclusions of evaporite crystals, are currently of great interest due to their unique preservation properties for the search for terrestrial and potentially extraterrestrial biosignatures of ancient life. However, much is still unclear about the specific effects that dictate the preservation properties of brines. Here we present the first insights into the preservation of cell envelope fragments in brines, characterizing the relative contributions of brine composition, UV photochemistry, and cellular macromolecules on biosignature preservation. Cell envelopes from the model halophile Halobacterium salinarum were used to simulate dead microbial cellular remains in hypersaline environments based on life as we currently know it. Using different Early Earth and Mars analogue brines, we show that acidic and NaCl-dominated brine compositions are more predisposed to preserving complex biosignatures from UV degradation, but that the composition of the biological material also influences this preservation. Furthermore, a combinatory effect between chaotropicity and photochemistry occurs, with the relative importance of each being brine-specific. These results provide an experimental framework for biosignature detection in hypersaline environments, emphasizing the need for laboratory simulations to evaluate preservation properties of each potential brine environment, on Earth and elsewhere in the solar system. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cec664b25fef44a3b4a0276732ea99e3 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2399-3642 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-cec664b25fef44a3b4a0276732ea99e32025-08-20T03:10:10ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Biology2399-36422025-04-018111410.1038/s42003-025-08007-wThe salty tango of brine composition and UV photochemistry effects on Halobacterium salinarum cell envelope biosignature preservationLucas Bourmancé0Arul Marie1Rémy Puppo2Sébastien Brûlé3Philippe Schaeffer4Maud Toupet5Ruben Nitsche6Andreas Elsaesser7Adrienne Kish8Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), CNRSUnité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), CNRSUnité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), CNRSInstitut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Plateforme de Biophysique MoléculaireInstitut de Chimie de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, CNRSUnité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), CNRSExperimental Biophysics and Space Sciences, Institute of Experimental Physics, Freie Universität BerlinExperimental Biophysics and Space Sciences, Institute of Experimental Physics, Freie Universität BerlinUnité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), CNRSAbstract Hypersaline environments, including brines and brine inclusions of evaporite crystals, are currently of great interest due to their unique preservation properties for the search for terrestrial and potentially extraterrestrial biosignatures of ancient life. However, much is still unclear about the specific effects that dictate the preservation properties of brines. Here we present the first insights into the preservation of cell envelope fragments in brines, characterizing the relative contributions of brine composition, UV photochemistry, and cellular macromolecules on biosignature preservation. Cell envelopes from the model halophile Halobacterium salinarum were used to simulate dead microbial cellular remains in hypersaline environments based on life as we currently know it. Using different Early Earth and Mars analogue brines, we show that acidic and NaCl-dominated brine compositions are more predisposed to preserving complex biosignatures from UV degradation, but that the composition of the biological material also influences this preservation. Furthermore, a combinatory effect between chaotropicity and photochemistry occurs, with the relative importance of each being brine-specific. These results provide an experimental framework for biosignature detection in hypersaline environments, emphasizing the need for laboratory simulations to evaluate preservation properties of each potential brine environment, on Earth and elsewhere in the solar system.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08007-w |
| spellingShingle | Lucas Bourmancé Arul Marie Rémy Puppo Sébastien Brûlé Philippe Schaeffer Maud Toupet Ruben Nitsche Andreas Elsaesser Adrienne Kish The salty tango of brine composition and UV photochemistry effects on Halobacterium salinarum cell envelope biosignature preservation Communications Biology |
| title | The salty tango of brine composition and UV photochemistry effects on Halobacterium salinarum cell envelope biosignature preservation |
| title_full | The salty tango of brine composition and UV photochemistry effects on Halobacterium salinarum cell envelope biosignature preservation |
| title_fullStr | The salty tango of brine composition and UV photochemistry effects on Halobacterium salinarum cell envelope biosignature preservation |
| title_full_unstemmed | The salty tango of brine composition and UV photochemistry effects on Halobacterium salinarum cell envelope biosignature preservation |
| title_short | The salty tango of brine composition and UV photochemistry effects on Halobacterium salinarum cell envelope biosignature preservation |
| title_sort | salty tango of brine composition and uv photochemistry effects on halobacterium salinarum cell envelope biosignature preservation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08007-w |
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