RESUMEN
The detection of biosignatures on Mars is of outstanding interest in the current field of astrobiology and drives various fields of research, ranging from new sample collection strategies to the development of more sensitive detection techniques. Detailed analysis of the organic content in Mars analog materials collected from extreme environments on Earth improves the current understanding of biosignature preservation and detection under conditions similar to those of Mars. In this article, we examined the biological fingerprint of several locations in the Atacama Desert (Chile), which include different wet and dry, and intermediate to high elevation salt flats (also named salars). Liquid chromatography and multidimensional gas chromatography mass spectrometry measurement techniques were used for the detection and analysis of amino acids extracted from the salt crusts and sediments by using sophisticated extraction procedures. Illumina 16S amplicon sequencing was used for the identification of microbial communities associated with the different sample locations. Although amino acid load and organic carbon and nitrogen quantities were generally low, it was found that most of the samples harbored complex and versatile microbial communities, which were dominated by (extremely) halophilic microorganisms (most notably by species of the Archaeal family Halobacteriaceae). The dominance of salts (i.e., halites and sulfates) in the investigated samples leaves its mark on the composition of the microbial communities but does not appear to hinder the potential of life to flourish since it can clearly adapt to the higher concentrations. Although the Atacama Desert is one of the driest and harshest environments on Earth, it is shown that there are still sub-locations where life is able to maintain a foothold, and, as such, salt flats could be considered as interesting targets for future life exploration missions on Mars.
Asunto(s)
Clima Desértico , Exobiología , Medio Ambiente Extraterrestre , Marte , Suelo/química , Vuelo Espacial , Aminoácidos/análisis , Bacterias/genética , Biodiversidad , Carbono/análisis , Chile , Cromatografía Liquida , ADN/análisis , Cromatografía de Gases y Espectrometría de Masas , Geografía , Nitrógeno/análisis , Compuestos Orgánicos/análisis , Filogenia , Análisis de Componente PrincipalRESUMEN
A simple, fast, and efficient High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) method was developed for the simultaneous quantitative determination of alcohols and acetates in Haitian vetiver essential oils (Chryzopogon zizanioides) and its acetylated form. Analytes were separated by using a mixture of n-hexane-chloroform-ethyl acetate (8:6:0.5, v/v/v) as mobile phase under 47% humidity. Quantification was achieved by densitometric evaluation of the analytes in absorbance mode under visible light (λ=530 nm) after staining with a vanillin-sulfuric acid reagent. Reference mixtures of alcohols and acetates were obtained by fractionation of Haitian vetiver oil or vetiver acetates, followed by purification of the fractions of interest by means of Over-Pressured Layer Chromatography (OPLC). The chemical composition of each reference fraction was determined by using GC-MS and GC×GC-MS, and their overall purity was determined by GC/FID and HPTLC. The TLC method provided compact spots for alcohols (R(f2)=0.18±0.01 and R(f1)=0.28±0.01) and acetates (R(f3)=0.65±0.01). Calibration plots showed good linear correlation with r²=0.9995±0.0001 and r²=0.9995±0.0001 for alcohols and r²=0.9996±0.0001 for acetates in a 40-200 ng spot⻹ concentration range with respect to peak areas. The method was validated for precision and accuracy. Limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were determined. Method specificity was confirmed using retention factor (R(f)) and GC-MS control of the standards reference mixtures.