Biomaterials in Ancient Salt Formations: Examination of Primary Crystals for Biological Materials

古代盐层中的生物材料：生物材料原生晶体的检查

• 批准号: 0819812
• 负责人: Russell Vreeland
• 金额: $ 11万
• 依托单位: West Chester University of Pennsylvania
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-10-01 至 2010-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0819812&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Biomaterials; Ancient; Salt; Formations; Examination

Intellectual Merit: The intellectual merit of this activity relates to continuing the search for ancient biomaterials trapped in primary halite crystals of significant geological age. These live organisms, DNA and/or viruses represent the state of evolution during each of the ages represented by the salts. They are also significant study materials for issues of long-term survival of microbial species and the possible movement of microorganisms from planet to planet across space. Recent research has shown that halophilic microorganisms can be isolated from brine inclusions in salt crystals of variousages (Norton and Grant 1988, Vreeland et al. 2000) and that fragments of bacterial and haloarcheal DNA can be recovered from fluid inclusions in ancient halite (Fish et al. 2002, Park et al. 2008 PNAS submitted). These reports are only the latest in a series of announcements made over the last century (Namyslowski 1919, Dombrowski 1961, Tasch 1963, Reiser and Tasch 1960). One study (Vreeland et al. 2000) has received significant publicity because of the extreme sterilization techniques used to avoid contamination by modern microorganisms. The 250-million-year-old Virgibacillus (strain 2-9-3) reported by Vreeland et al. (2000) has profound implications for long-term survival on Earth and for finding life on planets such as Mars. This project will continue to advance these fascinating discoveries. The research will be conducted in two different Permian-aged salt formations in an attempt to duplicate the original NSF funded discovery. Further, the project will gather additional samples from even older formations (Devonian 320 million years of age; Silurian 412 MYA) in an attempt to document sound evidence for even longer term survival in primary halite minerals. Due to the excellent preservation of the sites, vertical samples will also be obtained from an entire evaporation cycle in order to examine population differences that might have occurred as the saline chemistry of the ancient lakes changed over time. In addition, the project will examine these same layers in different horizontal samples of each of the mines in order to develop data regarding the spatial distribution of biological materials in each of the formations. The microbial populations in these various formations will be studied using both culture dependent and independent assays. Consequently, this project will provide data on the types of microbes that are able to survive within the salts while concurrently providing the first systematic DNA-based survey of microbial diversity within the formations and that may have been present during the original precipitation of the salt formations. The project also includes the first examination of these primary salt brines for the presence of bacterial viruses trapped within the ancient brines that formed the fluid inclusions within the crystals. Broader Impact: The project has many broad areas of impact including the support and training of several research interns, supporting training for several K-12 teachers in a joint educational effort between the PI and the Kansas Underground salt museum, and providing training in geobiology to a current NSF minority Post-Doctoral fellow who has expressed a sincere desire to become involved in the rapidly developing field of geological microbiology with a specific interest in the study of ancient biomaterials. In addition, the research focuses on an area of great public interest as it seeks to break the current record for the oldest live organism known while at the same time attempting to duplicate previous work that isolated the current record, a Permian aged microbe (ca. 250 MYA).

智力价值：这项活动的智力价值涉及继续寻找被困在具有重要地质时代的原生岩盐晶体中的古代生物材料。这些活的有机体、DNA 和/或病毒代表了盐所代表的每个时代的进化状态。它们也是微生物物种长期生存以及微生物在太空中从一个星球到另一个星球可能的移动问题的重要研究材料。最近的研究表明，嗜盐微生物可以从不同年代的盐晶体中的盐水包裹体中分离出来（Norton 和 Grant 1988，Vreeland 等人 2000），并且可以从古代石盐的流体包裹体中回收细菌和盐古 DNA 片段（Fish 等人 2002，Park 等人 2008 年提交给 PNAS）。这些报告只是上个世纪发布的一系列公告中的最新一份（Namyslowski 1919、Dombrowski 1961、Tasch 1963、Reiser 和 Tasch 1960）。一项研究（Vreeland 等人，2000 年）由于使用了极端的灭菌技术来避免现代微生物的污染而受到了广泛的关注。 Vreeland 等人报道了 2.5 亿年前的 Virgibacillus（菌株 2-9-3）。 （2000）对于地球上的长期生存以及在火星等行星上寻找生命具有深远的影响。该项目将继续推进这些令人着迷的发现。该研究将在两个不同的二叠纪盐层中进行，试图重复国家科学基金会资助的最初发现。此外，该项目还将从更古老的地层（泥盆纪 3.2 亿年；志留纪 412 MYA）收集更多样本，试图记录原生岩盐矿物长期存在的可靠证据。由于这些地点保存完好，还将从整个蒸发循环中获取垂直样本，以检查由于古代湖泊的盐分化学随时间变化而可能发生的种群差异。此外，该项目还将检查每个矿山不同水平样本中的这些相同层，以便开发有关每个地层中生物材料空间分布的数据。将使用依赖于培养物和独立于培养物的测定法来研究这些不同地层中的微生物种群。因此，该项目将提供能够在盐中生存的微生物类型的数据，同时对地层内以及盐地层最初沉淀期间可能存在的微生物多样性进行首次基于 DNA 的系统调查。该项目还包括首次检查这些原生盐卤水中是否存在被困在形成晶体内流体包裹体的古代卤水中的细菌病毒。更广泛的影响：该项目具有许多广泛的影响领域，包括对几名研究实习生的支持和培训，在 PI 和堪萨斯地下盐博物馆的联合教育工作中支持对几名 K-12 教师的培训，以及为现任 NSF 少数博士后研究员提供地球生物学培训，该研究员表示真诚希望参与快速发展的地质微生物学领域，并对古代生物材料的研究特别感兴趣。此外，该研究还重点关注了一个引起公众极大兴趣的领域，因为它试图打破已知最古老活生物体的当前记录，同时试图复制先前分离出当前记录的工作，即一种二叠纪年龄的微生物（约 250 MYA）。