We’re currently witnessing a race to space and it is of utmost relevance to guarantee that this is made in a sustainable and safe way. Therefore, we need to fully understand what happens to any microbial space companions of these missions. These might be: microbial contaminants that join as hitchhikers, microbial components of crews’ microbiome, or microbial species that we take outside our planet to help us develop relevant or essential processes that can support human activities. Fungi fit all these groups since they were one of the first life forms that we found destructing and decomposing materials in space (e.g., the first modular station Mir), and they are used in a wide range of processes in the most varied areas directly transferable for space exploration (e.g., production of enzymes, antimicrobials, metal nanoparticles, for diverse fermentations, and as food protein).
In this context, we need to know beforehand how will relevant fungal species (from potential pathogens and disease causing species, to common contaminants in built environments in space, or producers of important products and applications) react, behave and develop under the stressful conditions outside our planet. One of these conditions is microgravity. With the aid of a clinostat, currently available at the astrobiology and cosmochemistry experimental platforms of the State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences (Macau University of Science and Technology – MUST), we will simulate such conditions. Afterwards, we will analyse the genetic stability of a selected group of strains, from different fungal species, to detect any genotypic changes and predict potential altered phenotypes.
The results from this research will support the development of other mutual projects between MUST and University of Torino, and assist in the safe development of new products and materials which can contribute to a better life both in space and on Earth.