Life on the edge : profiling extremophilic proteomes integrity

Group members associated: Cécile Cadoux, Federico Musso, Eric Girard, Giuseppe Zaccaï, Tristan Wagner, Bruno Franzetti

Exoplanets keep being found over the years, yet the most promising places for Life are located within our solar system: Europa and Enceladus subsurface oceans and Mars brines could have everything life needs according to terrestrial standards (liquid water, organic matter and energy source). However, the physical and chemical conditions of such environments could exceed terrestrial limits. To better understand the limits of life’s resilience on Earth and possibly on other planets we study how and to what extent extreme conditions of temperatures, salinity and pressure affect the folding states and molecular dynamic properties of individual proteins, large molecular complexes or living archaeal cells (halophiles, and thermo/hyperthermophiles from Thermococcales and Methanogens). We use various biophysical techniques such as nanoDSF, DLS as well as neutron spectrometry at ILL. We are also using the High-Pressure Platform to understand how far pressure can extend the range of conditions compatible with life processes. To achieve a more global understanding of extremophilic adaptations we develop proteome-wide approaches combining limited proteolysis, affinity trapping and mass spectrometry to identify the less robust proteins within the extremophilic proteomes (meltome). This information is combined with computer modelling structural approaches to identify to identify the folds and building blocks that limit the evolution and adaptation of Life in extreme conditions.

Funding

“Origin Of Life” IDEX project. A cross disciplinary program from “Université Grenoble Alpes” gathering astrophysicists chemists, and biologists.

Collaborations

• F. Natali : Neutron Spectrometry (ILL-Grenoble).
• Y Couté : Proteomics (Edyp Laboratory-Grenoble)
• D. Flament, M. Jebbar and G. Henneke. Ifremer, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LM2E), Brest.
• C. Brochier : Bioinformatics and molecular evolution (LBBE, Lyon 1 University)

Selected Publications

• Determination of in cellulo proteome molecular dynamics in different halophilic Archaea.
  Lorenzo Carré, Francesca Natali, Giuseppe Zaccai, Vaitson Çumaku, Bruno Franzetti. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 2025, 22 (224), ⟨10.1098/rsif.2024.0630⟩

• DNA polymerization in icy moon abyssal pressure conditions.
  Lorenzo Carré, Ghislaine Henneke, Etienne Henry, Didier Flament, Éric Girard, Franzetti Bruno, Bruno Franzetti. Astrobiology, 2023, pp.0201. ⟨10.1089/ast.2021.0201⟩

• Effects of chaotropic salts on global proteome stability in halophilic archaea: Implications for life signatures on Mars.
  Lorenzo Carré, Daniel Gonzalez, Éric Girard, Bruno Franzetti. Environmental Microbiology, 2023, 25 (11), pp.2216-2230. ⟨10.1111/1462-2920.16451⟩

• Relevance of Earth-Bound Extremophiles in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life.
  Lorenzo Carré, Giuseppe Zaccai, Xavier Delfosse, Eric Girard, Bruno Franzetti. Astrobiology, 2022, 22 (3), pp.322-367. ⟨10.1089/ast.2021.0033⟩

• Experimental study of proteome halophilicity using nanoDSF: a proof of concept.
  Lorenzo Carre, Éric Girard, Bruno Franzetti. Extremophiles, 2021, 26 (1), ⟨10.1007/s00792-021-01250-z⟩

• Relevance of earth-bound extremophiles in the search for extra-terrestrial life.
  Lorenzo Carré, Giuseppe Zaccai, Xavier Delfosse, Éric Girard, Bruno Franzetti. Astrobiology, In press, 22 (3), pp.322-367. ⟨10.1089/ast.2021.0033⟩

• Jebbar M, Franzetti B, Girard E, Oger P
  Microbial diversity and adaptation to high hydrostatic pressure in deep-sea hydrothermal vents prokaryotes. Extremophiles. 2015;19(4):721-40

• Vauclare P, Marty V, Fabiani E, Martinez N, Jasnin M, Gabel F, Zaccai, G and Franzetti, B
  Molecular adaptation and salt stress response of Halobacterium salinarum cells revealed by neutron spectroscopy. Extremophiles. 2015;19(6):1099-107

• Rosenbaum E, Gabel F, Durá MA, Finet S, Cléry-Barraud C, Masson P and Franzetti B
  Effects of hydrostatic pressure on the quaternary structure and enzymatic activity of a large peptidase complex from Pyrococcus horikoshii. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics (2012) 517 (2) : 104–110

• Tehei M, Franzetti B, Wood K, Gabel F, Fabiani E, Jasnin M, et al.
  Neutron scattering reveals extremely slow cell water in a Dead Sea organism. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007;104(3):766-71

• Tehei M, Franzetti B, Maurel MC, Vergne J, Hountondji C, Zaccai G.
  The search for traces of life: the protective effect of salt on biological macromolecules. Extremophiles. 2002;6(5):427-30