Assessing the intrageneric environmental boundaries of the extremophilic cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis (Pleurocapsales) and its implications for space exploration

Assessing the intrageneric environmental boundaries of the extremophilic cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis (Pleurocapsales) and its implications for space exploration | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Assessing the intrageneric environmental boundaries of the extremophilic cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis (Pleurocapsales) and its implications for space exploration John R. Cumbers, Lynn Rothschild This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2828819/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Chroococcidiopsis contains species from multiple extreme environments, providing the opportunity to study intrageneric adaptation. Due to its extremophilic nature, Chroococcidiopsis is a candidate for off-planet settlement and as a model for life elsewhere. Eight unialgal strains cultured from diverse habitats were characterized for their ability to survive a range of extreme environments. The study revealed two previously uncharacterized but phylogenetically-related saltwater isolates that were more radiation resistant than the others, CCMP 1991 from Hawaii and to a lesser extent, CCMP 3184 from Samoa. The Hawaiian isolate repaired thymine dimers in the light faster than the Samoan isolate, suggesting repair by photoreactivation. The Hawaiian isolate was more tolerant to H2O2 than the Samoan isolate, indicating a protective role for antioxidants. Both isolates were more tolerant than the others to freeze/thawing in liquid nitrogen. Absorbance peaks are likely chlorophyll a, carotenoids, phycocyanin, scytonemin and MAAs. The Hawaiian isolate was unique in containing a peak at 325 nm that could play a role in DNA protection. The phenotypic similarities in radiation resistance and freeze/thawing resistance among the Hawaiian, Somoan and Negev isolates are likely due to environmental adaptation rather than phylogeny. These data provide environmental parameters of strains in an uninduced state and expand the utility of Chroococcidiopsis as a chassis or source of genetic material for space exploration. Biological sciences/Microbiology/Bacteriology Biological sciences/Ecology/Microbial ecology Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Planetary science/Astrobiology Chroococcidiopsis DNA repair Freezing tolerance H2O2 tolerance oxidative damage pigments thymine dimers UV tolerance desiccation tolerance Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementarydataforRothschildExtremophilesSciReppaper.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-2828819","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":197277100,"identity":"30743fb1-ad09-4d08-9d92-3dcf0cc70c06","order_by":0,"name":"John R. 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Due to its extremophilic nature, Chroococcidiopsis is a candidate for off-planet settlement and as a model for life elsewhere. Eight unialgal strains cultured from diverse habitats were characterized for their ability to survive a range of extreme environments. The study revealed two previously uncharacterized but phylogenetically-related saltwater isolates that were more radiation resistant than the others, CCMP 1991 from Hawaii and to a lesser extent, CCMP 3184 from Samoa. The Hawaiian isolate repaired thymine dimers in the light faster than the Samoan isolate, suggesting repair by photoreactivation. The Hawaiian isolate was more tolerant to H2O2 than the Samoan isolate, indicating a protective role for antioxidants. Both isolates were more tolerant than the others to freeze/thawing in liquid nitrogen. Absorbance peaks are likely chlorophyll a, carotenoids, phycocyanin, scytonemin and MAAs. The Hawaiian isolate was unique in containing a peak at 325 nm that could play a role in DNA protection. The phenotypic similarities in radiation resistance and freeze/thawing resistance among the Hawaiian, Somoan and Negev isolates are likely due to environmental adaptation rather than phylogeny. 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