Mar 17, 2021 11:10:00

Unknown bacteria found on the International Space Station

There is an inseparable relationship between invisible bacteria and viruses and us human beings, and it can be said that bacteria and viruses always exist where human beings exist.

Four bacterial strains were discovered on the International Space Station (ISS), which flies 400 km above the ground, and three of them were found to have been previously undiscovered.

Frontiers | Methylobacterium ajmalii sp. Nov., Isolated From the International Space Station | Microbiology
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.639396/full

Three bacterial strains discovered on space station may help grow plants on Mars | EurekAlert! Science News
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-03/f-3bs031521.php

Microbes Unknown to Science Discovered on The International Space Station
https://www.sciencealert.com/four-bacterial-strains-discovered-on-the-iss-may-help-grow-better-space-plants

Bacterial growth has been monitored on the ISS for six years, and more than 1000 species of samples have been collected and analyzed on Earth. Researchers such as Kasthuri Venkateswaran and Nitin Singh of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory have discovered four bacterial strains from samples obtained at different locations on the ISS.

Three of the four strains were isolated from samples taken between 2015 and 2016, and were found on the ceiling panel of the ISS research module, the

cupola of the observation module, and the surface of the dining table, respectively. I did. The fourth was also isolated in 2011 from a sample of a replaced old HEPA filter.

All four strains were found to belong to Methylobacteriaceae (Methylobacterium family). Methylobacterium is a type of bacteria found in soil and freshwater, and is known to be involved in nitrogen fixation and plant growth. The research team explains why the bacteria found in soil and freshwater were found on the ISS, 'because plants were brought into the ISS from the ground for cultivation experiments.'

Of these, the one found in the HEPA filter was identified as a known species called

Methylorubrum rhodesianum. The other three were found to be unknown bacterial strains and were named 'IF7SW-B2T', 'IIF1SW-B5' and 'IIF4SW-B5' respectively. The research team has proposed to name these three unknown strains 'Methylobacterium ajmalii' after Ajmal Khan, a prominent Indian biologist.

As a result of further research, among the three unknown strains, the genome of IF7SW-B2T contains the gene of the enzyme essential for the production of 'cytokinin' that promotes cell division of plant roots and buds. I found out that there is.

'In order to grow plants in polar regions with few resources, it is essential to isolate new microorganisms that help promote plant growth under stressful conditions,' said the research team. We see the stock as having great potential for future manned exploration missions on Mars and agriculture in space.

by Aslam Z., Lee CS, Kim K.-H., Im W.-T., Ten LN, Lee S.-T.

'It goes without saying that the ISS is an extreme environment that is kept clean. Crew safety is a top priority, and understanding the pathogens for humans and plants is important, but like the Methylobacterium ajmalii found this time. We also need microorganisms that are beneficial to us. '

The research team said, 'We need an integrated microbial monitoring system that can collect, process, and analyze samples in space instead of sending them to Earth for analysis. The technology will help NASA and other space-developing countries achieve long-term safe and sustainable space exploration. '