Publication Date:
2022-05-26
Description:
© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Seyler, L., Kujawinski, E. B., Azua-Bustos, A., Lee, M. D., Marlow, J., Perl, S. M., & Cleaves, H. J. Metabolomics as an emerging tool in the search for astrobiologically relevant biomarkers. Astrobiology, (2020), doi:10.1089/ast.2019.2135.
Description:
It is now routinely possible to sequence and recover microbial genomes from environmental samples. To the degree it is feasible to assign transcriptional and translational functions to these genomes, it should be possible, in principle, to largely understand the complete molecular inputs and outputs of a microbial community. However, gene-based tools alone are presently insufficient to describe the full suite of chemical reactions and small molecules that compose a living cell. Metabolomic tools have developed quickly and now enable rapid detection and identification of small molecules within biological and environmental samples. The convergence of these technologies will soon facilitate the detection of novel enzymatic activities, novel organisms, and potentially extraterrestrial life-forms on solar system bodies. This review explores the methodological problems and scientific opportunities facing researchers who hope to apply metabolomic methods in astrobiology-related fields, and how present challenges might be overcome.
Description:
This study was partially supported by the ELSI Origins Network (EON), which is supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation. This work was partially supported by a JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas “Hadean Bioscience,” grant number JP26106003, and also partially supported by Project “icyMARS,” funded by the European Research Council, ERC Starting Grant No. 307496. A.A-B thanks the contribution from the Project “MarsFirstWater,” funded by the European Research Council, ERC Consolidator Grant No. 818602 and the HFSP Project UVEnergy RGY0066/2018.
Keywords:
Biomarkers
;
Biosignatures
;
Metabolism
;
Molecular fossils
;
Biogeochemistry
Repository Name:
Woods Hole Open Access Server
Type:
Article
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