title: Functional activity of plasmid DNA after entry into the atmosphere of earth investigated by a new biomarker stability assay for ballistic spaceflight experiments.
abstract: Sounding rockets represent an excellent platform for testing the influence of space conditions during the passage of Earth's atmosphere and re-entry on biological, physical and chemical experiments for astrobiological purposes. We designed a robust functionality biomarker assay to analyze the biological effects of suborbital spaceflights prevailing during ballistic rocket flights. During the TEXUS-49 rocket mission in March 2011, artificial plasmid DNA carrying a fluorescent marker (enhanced green fluorescent protein: EGFP) and an antibiotic resistance cassette (kanamycin/neomycin) was attached on different positions of rocket exterior; (i) circular every 90 degree on the outer surface concentrical of the payload, (ii) in the grooves of screw heads located in between the surface application sites, and (iii) on the surface of the bottom side of the payload. Temperature measurements showed two major peaks at 118 and 130 °C during the 780 seconds lasting flight on the inside of the recovery module, while outer gas temperatures of more than 1000 °C were estimated on the sample application locations. Directly after retrieval and return transport of the payload, the plasmid DNA samples were recovered. Subsequent analyses showed that DNA could be recovered from all application sites with a maximum of 53% in the grooves of the screw heads. We could further show that up to 35% of DNA retained its full biological function, i.e., mediating antibiotic resistance in bacteria and fluorescent marker expression in eukaryotic cells. These experiments show that our plasmid DNA biomarker assay is suitable to characterize the environmental conditions affecting DNA during an atmospheric transit and the re-entry and constitute the first report of the stability of DNA during hypervelocity atmospheric transit indicating that sounding rocket flights can be used to model the high-speed atmospheric entry of organics-laden artificial meteorites.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Cora S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Thiel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Machine Design, Engineering Design and Product Development, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Svantje
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tauber
authors.affiliation: Airbus DS, Airbus-Allee 1, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schütte
authors.affiliation: Airbus DS, Airbus-Allee 1, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Burkhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nuesse
authors.affiliation: German Aerospace Center (DLR e.V.), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, Research Group Astrobiology, Linder Hoehe, Cologne (Köln), Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moeller
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Machine Design, Engineering Design and Product Development, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ullrich
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001272:Atmosphere; D001681:Biological Assay; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D018534:Earth, Planet; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007612:Kanamycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D009355:Neomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D010957:Plasmids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013026:Space Flight; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D007612:Kanamycin; D004247:DNA; D009355:Neomycin