Papers by Lynn Rothschild
Biosystems, 1990
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ABSTRACT Chloroflexus aurantiacus is a thermotolerant anoxygenic green phototrophic bacterium tha... more ABSTRACT Chloroflexus aurantiacus is a thermotolerant anoxygenic green phototrophic bacterium that is prominent in alkaline hot springs at temperatures between 52 and 60 C. This species often grows in the hyperoxic environment beneath cyanobacterial mats at higher temperatures up to 70 - 72 C. Cf. aurantiacus is an evolutionarily important organism since it is in the earliest branch of the eubacteria that are capable of photosynthesis and many of its characteristics can be found in other diverse groups of phototrophic bacteria. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.
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California and the World Ocean '97: Ocean Resources: An Agenda for the Future, 1998
Will global change affect planktonic productivity? LJ Rothschild Taking a Look at California'... more Will global change affect planktonic productivity? LJ Rothschild Taking a Look at California's Ocean Resources: An Agenda for the Future. 2, 1563-1575, 1998. Phytoplankton are a major source of marine primary productivity. ...
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Planetary and Space Science, May 1, 2020
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Cellular origin and life in extreme habitats, 2013
Life on Earth occupies a multidimensional niche space that has yet to be fully described. The nic... more Life on Earth occupies a multidimensional niche space that has yet to be fully described. The niche space of terrestrial life is knowable, and thus, it guides the search for hypothesized life. Since terrestrial life is constrained by its organic carbon foundation and requirement for water as a solvent, extremes in such environmental parameters as temperature, pH, and pressure will determine the geographic range in which life can survive. Most previous studies have focused on individual environmental variables, but in fact, each niche space occupies all parameters. Thus, to not only understand the limits of life on Earth but also use these constraints as a framework for the identification of potential abodes for life elsewhere necessitates an analysis of multiple environmental parameters simultaneously. After searching the published literature, we have compiled data about mechanisms of survival at individual and multiple extremes in order to model the niche space for terrestrial life. Published data are incomplete and inconsistent for a full analysis of all extremes and their polyextremophilic combinations, so after describing the breadth of the field, we focus on the two best-documented parameters, temperature and pH, to create a two-dimensional niche space model for future analysis. We conclude by pointing out that synthetic biology has the ability to expand the limits for life on Earth and thus increase the chances of overlap between terrestrial and potential extraterrestrial biota.
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Proteins: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics
Amyloid‐based prions have simple structures, a wide phylogenetic distribution, and a plethora of ... more Amyloid‐based prions have simple structures, a wide phylogenetic distribution, and a plethora of functions in contemporary organisms, suggesting they may be an ancient phenomenon. However, this hypothesis has yet to be addressed with a systematic, computational, and experimental approach. Here we present a framework to help guide future experimental verification of candidate prions with conserved functions to understand their role in the early stages of evolution and potentially in the origins of life. We identified candidate prions in all high‐quality proteomes available in UniProt computationally, assessed their phylogenomic distributions, and analyzed candidate‐prion functional annotations. Of the 27 980 560 proteins scanned, 228 561 were identified as candidate prions (~0.82%). Among these candidates, there were 84 Gene Ontology (GO) terms conserved across the three domains of life. We found that candidate prions with a possible role in adaptation were particularly well‐represen...
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Advanced Materials
DNA double helices containing metal‐mediated DNA (mmDNA) base pairs are constructed from Ag+ and ... more DNA double helices containing metal‐mediated DNA (mmDNA) base pairs are constructed from Ag+ and Hg2+ ions between pyrimidine:pyrimidine pairs with the promise of nanoelectronics. Rational design of mmDNA nanomaterials is impractical without a complete lexical and structural description. Here, the programmability of structural DNA nanotechnology toward its founding mission of self‐assembling a diffraction platform for biomolecular structure determination is explored. The tensegrity triangle is employed to build a comprehensive structural library of mmDNA pairs via X‐ray diffraction and generalized design rules for mmDNA construction are elucidated. Two binding modes are uncovered: N3‐dominant, centrosymmetric pairs and major groove binders driven by 5‐position ring modifications. Energy gap calculations show additional levels in the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO) of mmDNA structures, rendering them attractive molecular electronic candidates.
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Biologics, such as pharmaceutical peptides, have notoriously short shelf lives, insufficient for ... more Biologics, such as pharmaceutical peptides, have notoriously short shelf lives, insufficient for long-duration space flight missions to the Moon or Mars. To enable the sustainable presence of humans on the Moon or Mars, we must develop methods for on-site production of pharmaceutical peptides in space, a concept we call Astropharmacy. Here, we present proof-of-concept for the first step needed: a low-mass system for pharmaceutical production designed to be stable in space. To demonstrate feasibility, we engineered strains of the space-hardy spore-forming bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, to secrete two pharmaceutical peptides important for astronaut health: teriparatide (an anabolic agent for combating osteoporosis) and filgrastim (an effective countermeasure for radiation-induced neutropenia). We found that the secretion peptides from the walM and yoqH genes of B. subtilis 168 worked well for secreting teriparatide and filgrastim, respectively. In consideration of the TRISH challenge t...
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Israel Plant Ecology Meeting, Feb 10, 2020
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Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Mar 1, 2021
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European Astrobiology Conference, Oct 6, 2015
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AGUFM, Dec 1, 2016
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The time has come to for NASA to exploit synthetic biology in pursuit of its missions, including ... more The time has come to for NASA to exploit synthetic biology in pursuit of its missions, including aeronautics, earth science, astrobiology and most notably, human exploration. Conversely, NASA advances the fundamental technology of synthetic biology as no one else can because of its unique expertise in the origin of life and life in extreme environments, including the potential for alternate life forms. This enables unique, creative "game changing" advances. NASA's requirement for minimizing upmass in flight will also drive the field toward miniaturization and automation. These drivers will greatly increase the utility of synthetic biology solutions for military, health in remote areas and commercial purposes. To this end, we have begun a program at NASA to explore the use of synthetic biology in NASA's missions, particular space exploration. As part of this program, we began hosting an iGEM team of undergraduates drawn from Brown and Stanford Universities to conduc...
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Human exploration off planet is severely limited by the cost of launching materials into space an... more Human exploration off planet is severely limited by the cost of launching materials into space and re-supply. Thus materials brought from earth must be light, stable and reliable at destination. Using traditional approaches a lunar or Mars base would require either transporting a hefty store of metals or heavy manufacturing equipment and construction materials for in situ extraction; both would severely limit any other mission objectives. Long-term human space presence requires periodic replenishment, adding a massive cost overhead. Even robotic missions often sacrifice science goals for heavy radiation and thermal protection. Biology has the potential to solve these problems because it can replicate and repair itself, and do a wide variety of chemical reactions including making food, fuel and materials. Synthetic biology can greatly enhance and expand life's evolved repertoire. Using natural and synthetically altered organisms as the feedstock for additive manufacturing could o...
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Papers by Lynn Rothschild