Effects of ionizing radiation on the survival of bacterial spores in artificial martian regolith

Bacterial spores of Bacillus subtilis were used as a model system to study the effects of ionizing radiation on the survivability of spores uncovered and covered with artificial martian regolith. Spore survival after X-ray exposure was mainly depending on the role of non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) as the major DNA double-strand break repair pathway during germination, the involvement of major small, acid-soluble spore proteins (SASP) as DNA radioprotectants and the coverage by martian regolith, whereas spores covered with martian regolith were significantly more sensitive to X-rays than uncovered spores, which is mainly due to the interaction of X-rays with artificial martian regolith resulting in the formation of secondary electrons and reactive oxygen species.