Hot Springs 4
Special Collection Articles
ASTROBIOLOGY
Volume 21, Number 12, 2021
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2368
ExoMars Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA)
Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry (LDI-MS)
Analysis of Phototrophic Communities from a Silica-Depositing
Hot Spring in Yellowstone National Park, USA
Sandra Siljeström,1 Xiang Li,2,3 William Brinckerhoff,3 Friso van Amerom,4 and Sherry L. Cady5
Abstract
The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) is a key scientific instrument on the ExoMars Rover mission.
MOMA is designed to detect and characterize organic compounds, over a wide range of volatility and molecular
weight, in samples obtained from up to 2 m below the martian surface. Thorough analog sample studies are
required to best prepare to interpret MOMA data collected on Mars. We present here the MOMA characterization of Mars analog samples, microbial streamer communities composed primarily of oxygenic and anoxygenic phototrophs, collected from an alkaline silica-depositing hot spring in Yellowstone National Park,
Wyoming, USA. Samples of partly mineralized microbial streamers and their total lipid extract (TLE) were
measured on a MOMA Engineering Test Unit (ETU) instrument by using its laser desorption/ionization mass
spectrometry (LDI-MS) mode. MOMA LDI-MS detected a variety of lipids and pigments such as chlorophyll a,
monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, digalactosyldiacylglycerol, diacylglycerols, and b-carotene in the TLE sample.
Only chlorophyll a was detected in the untreated streamer samples when using mass isolation, which was likely
due to the higher background signal of this sample and the relative high ionization potential of the chlorophyll a
compared with other compounds in unextracted samples. The results add to the LDI-MS sample characterization database and demonstrate the benefit of using mass isolation on the MOMA instrument to reveal the
presence of complex organics and potential biomarkers preserved in a natural sample. This will also provide
guidance to in situ analysis of surface samples during Mars operations. Key Words: ExoMars—MOMA—Laser
desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI)—Mars analog—Yellowstone. Astrobiology 21, 1515–1525.
1. Introduction
T
he search for signs of past or present life on Mars is the
primary science goal of the joint ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Program (Vago et al., 2017), including the ExoMars
Rover Mission, which features the rover Rosalind Franklin.
A key rover instrument that supports this goal is the Mars
Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA, Fig. 1), a lightweight
(*12 kg), low-power (75 W average), dual-ion source mass
spectrometer–based instrument that utilizes a miniaturized
linear ion trap (Goesmann et al., 2017). MOMA uses two
modes of operation (i) pyrolysis/gas chromatography–mass
spectrometry (pyr/GC-MS), which analyzes heat-evolved
volatile and semivolatile compounds carried through a gas
chromatograph and ionized with an electron beam, and (ii)
laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS),
which analyzes molecular ions (or their fragments and clusters) desorbed directly from a sample surface at ambient Mars
pressure with a pulsed laser (Siljeström et al., 2014; Li et al.,
2015; Goetz et al., 2016; Goesmann et al., 2017). Compared
to electron ionization, laser desorption is a relatively soft
ionization technique that enables detection of mid- to highmolecular-weight (100–1000 Da or more) nonvolatile organic compounds with reduced molecular fragmentation.
1
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Department of Chemistry, Biomaterials and Textiles, Stockholm, Sweden.
Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science & Technology, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
3
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.
4
Mini-Mass Consulting, Inc., Hyattsville, Maryland, USA.
5
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA.
2
Ó Sandra Siljeström et al., 2021; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. This Open Access article is distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.
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SILJESTRÖM ET AL.
FIG. 1. (Left) MOMA instrument on board the 2022 ExoMars rover. (Right) The ETU instrument for the analog sample
study. Mass spectrometer (MS).
Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) instruments have been used during several previous (Pietrogrande, 2013) and ongoing (Mahaffy et al., 2012) space
missions, and there are established databases for data interpretation (e.g., NIST 17 GC Method / Retention Index
Library [Babushok et al., 2007]) for this well-known technique. In contrast, LDI-MS will be used in space for the first
time as part of MOMA. While commercial databases exist
for LDI-MS spectral identification of proteins and other
biological molecules found in cells (Stump et al., 2002),
typically following purifying sample extraction steps, LDIMS has not been extensively applied to the analysis of intact
geological samples, let alone under martian conditions or
with Mars-relevant samples.
Maximizing the effectiveness of LDI-MS on MOMA thus
requires study of the technique itself as well as thorough
analog sample analysis campaigns conducted under simulated Mars operating conditions. Only a handful of LDI-MS
Mars-ambient experiments have been conducted with the
use of standards and simple mixtures in prior studies (e.g.,
Li et al., 2015; Goesmann et al., 2017; Goetz et al., 2017),
and such experiments with complex natural samples have
received even less attention (Bishop et al., 2013).
End-to-end LDI-MS examination of terrestrial analogs of
potential martian materials, prepared and analyzed under
simulated Mars operating conditions—for example, under
Mars atmospheric conditions (*6–10 mbar of primarily
CO2)—addresses realistic environmental and sample-specific
challenges that will be faced when operating MOMA on
Mars. The use of crushed/fine-grained Mars analog samples
provides an opportunity to identify how variation in sample
characteristics (e.g., surface topology, porosity, texture) impacts mass spectral intensity, stability, fragmentation, and
other factors in LDI mode on MOMA. Additionally, mea-
surement of various Mars analog samples that contain different proportions of mineral phases and organics that have
experienced different degrees of taphonomic alteration, under
Mars conditions, will augment the database required for full
interpretation of organics that could be detected in geological
materials on the Red Planet.
Here, we report the MOMA LDI-MS analysis of a natural, partly mineralized microbial streamer community as an
example of how data from this operational mode can support
the overall search for molecular biosignatures on Mars. The
analog samples analyzed here are mid-temperature (hydrothermal fluid *45°C) phototrophic streamers collected from
a slightly alkaline silica-depositing hot spring (pH *8.5) in
Yellowstone National Park, USA (Siljeström et al., 2017).
The living and partly mineralized streamer samples were
composed of consortia of indigenous phototrophic thermophilic microbial populations, evidence of which are preserved as entombed remains in siliceous hot spring sinters
(Siljeström et al., 2017). As these Mars analog samples were
previously characterized (Siljeström et al., 2017), this study
utilized the samples to focus on optimizing the LDI-MS
acquisition conditions and data analysis protocols.
Siliceous hot spring deposits (aka silica sinters) preserve
some of the oldest evidence for terrestrial life on Earth
(Djokic et al., 2017) and are considered excellent astrobiology targets (McMahon et al., 2018) due to the rapid entombment of microbial consortia in opaline silica (Walter
and Des Marais, 1993; Des Marais and Walter, 2019).
Opaline silica sinters have likely been identified on Mars, in
situ, during the Mars Exploration Rover mission (Ruff et al.,
2020) and remotely in moundlike deposits that rim volcanic
calderas in Nili Patera (Skok et al., 2010). These opaline
silica deposits on Mars appear spectroscopically not to have
experienced the earliest diagenetic phase transformations
MOMA ANALYSIS OF PHOTOTROPHS FROM HOT SPRING
that alter the primary amorphous opal to thermodynamically
more favorable opal phases (Sun and Milliken, 2020).
Hence, primary microbial biosignatures may be preserved in
aqueously precipitated opaline silica deposits, especially
those that are hydrothermally precipitated (Walter, 1996;
Hinman and Walter, 2005; Guido and Campbell, 2017;
Cady et al., 2018).
At Oxia Planum, where the Rosalind Franklin rover with
MOMA will land, opaline silica deposits have been detected
in association with the edges of delta lobe deposits (Pan
et al., 2019). While these opaline silica deposits appear to
have formed in situ via diagenetic rather than hydrothermal
processes, low-temperature (<100°C) hydrothermal activity
likely occurred in the region given the occurrence of
abundant phyllosilicates (Carter et al., 2016; Vago et al.,
2017; Quantin-Nataf et al., 2019). Hence, the potential exists for (hydrothermal and non-hydrothermal) opaline silica
to occur locally (e.g., as vein and fracture fills and in vugs)
and wherever silicifying fluids migrate through detrital
materials (McMahon et al., 2018).
Most sediments that MOMA will analyze at Oxia Planum
are *4 Ga (Tanaka et al., 2014). However, a combination
of a lack of plate tectonics, slow surface weathering rates,
protection from radiation due to burial by surface regolith,
and freeze-drying due to low surface temperatures and
pressure is likely to enhance the potential to preserve refractory organic molecules in rocks over long periods of
time on Mars (Morrison et al., 1969; Vago et al., 2017;
McMahon et al., 2018). Even on Earth, where most ancient
rocks have experienced at least some degree of metamorphism, organic biomarkers such as porphyrins and certain
isoprenoids can survive >1 Ga (Gueneli et al., 2018; Vinnichenko et al., 2020). It is also worth noting that the
martian subsurface, which the ExoMars rover will sample, is
far more likely than the exposed surface to host evidence of
extant life possibly in the form of freeze-dried remains of
cellular life.
2. Method
2.1. Field collection of samples and total lipid
extraction
Samples of phototrophic streamer communities were
collected, under a permit issued to Cady (US National Park
Service Permit #YELL-2009-SCI-1994), from the main
outflow channel of an alkaline silica–depositing hot spring
known as Queen’s Laundry, which is located at the westernmost end of Sentinel Meadows in Yellowstone National
Park, Wyoming, USA (Siljeström et al., 2017). The phototrophic streamers consisted of numerous individual dark
green streamers (<1 mm to a few mm thick) that flowed
freely in the hot spring outflow channel yet could be plucked
off with long-handled tweezers at their attachment points to
the underlying mat or sinter on the channel floor. Optical
and scanning electron microscope images of the streamers
indicate that they consisted primarily of an intertwined
network of Synechococcus rods, and Chloroflexus and/or
Roseiflexus spp. filaments, as well as smaller populations of
chemotrophic microbes (Siljeström et al., 2017). A summary of the protocols used for collecting, handling, transporting, and treating the samples prior to LDI-MS is
provided below.
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The green streamer samples were collected with a sterilized tweezer, placed in precleaned and heat-sterilized
I-Chem vials, immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen vapor
(T £ 150°C) at the field site, and transported in a dry shipper
to the SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden (now
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden), in Borås, Sweden (see
Siljeström et al., 2017, for more details), where they were
stored at -80°C until they were shipped to NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center (GSFC). The unmodified flash-vapor
frozen samples were freeze-dried just before they were
shipped to NASA GSFC.
A portion of the unmodified flash-vapor frozen green
streamer samples was also used to prepare total lipid extracts (TLEs) for conventional GC-MS biomarker analysis
at NASA Ames Research Center. These samples, which
were shipped overnight between frozen water ice packs,
were kept frozen to at least -80°C after receipt at Ames
Research Center until they were freeze-dried and processed
for conventional GC-MS biomarker analysis (see Siljeström
et al., 2017, for more details). In short, the frozen Queen’s
Laundry green streamer samples were lyophilized and
ground to a fine powder with a solvent-cleaned mortar and
pestle, and the lipids were extracted by using a modified
Bligh and Dyer procedure to generate a TLE ( Jahnke et al.,
1992). The TLE sample was then shipped to RISE on dry ice
and stored at -20°C until it was shipped to GSFC. To ensure
that any of the unused TLE prepared for the study by Siljeström et al. (2017) had not degraded during the -20°C
storage, a small amount was also reanalyzed with timeof-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS;
Siljeström et al., 2017). The freeze-dried green streamer
samples and TLE (dried with argon gas to remove solvent)
were shipped to GSFC together on dry ice and stored in a
-20°C freezer until LDI analysis. At GSFC, 100 mL dichloromethane was added to the TLE.
2.2. Single lipid standards, lipid naming convention,
and mass assignments
Pure single standards of the lipids and pigments commonly
found in thermophilic communities, such as the streamers in
this study, were purchased from various manufacturers, as
noted in Table 1. These standards were also analyzed by
LDI-MS to expand that spectral reference database.
Fatty acids are named according to the delta convention
X:Y, where X is the number of carbon atoms in the chain
and Y is the number of unsaturations. In MGDG16:0/16:1, for
example, this naming convention indicates that this lipid
contains two 16-carbon fatty acids and one of them contains
a double bond.
Note that in this paper the lower nominal mass is reported
regardless of whether the exact mass is below or above x.5.
2.3. LDI-MS analysis
Two different types of green streamer samples were analyzed with LDI-MS: several subsamples of freeze-dried
partly mineralized green streamers with no further treatment
and the TLE.
2.3.1. Instrumentation. Analog sample measurements
were conducted on the MOMA Engineering Test Unit (ETU,
Fig. 1), which matches the functionality, environmental
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SILJESTRÖM ET AL.
Table 1. Pure Lipid and Pigment Standards Analyzed under Mars Simulation Conditions by LDI-MS
Name
1,2-Dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)
sodium salt
Digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG)
Monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG)
Chlorophyll a
17b(H),21a(H)-Hopane
Supplier
Formula
Molecular weight
Sigma
C34H66O10PNa
Sigma
Sigma
Sigma
Chiron AS
Mixture of chain lengths Mixture of chain lengths
Mixture of chain lengths Mixture of chain lengths
C55H73MgN4O5
893.54
412.40
C30H52
conditions, and performance of the MOMA flight investigation. The ETU further mimics the flight sample interface but
for ease of use in development includes a multisample carousel that holds numerous user-accessible and interchangeable cups or stubs versus the single ‘‘refillable container’’
sample tray featured on the flight rover, into which crushed
drill samples will be dosed for analysis by the payload’s
analytical laboratory drawer (ALD) instruments, including
MOMA LDI-MS. The flightlike ETU further enables analog sample testing by using flight controls and protocols,
while such analyses were quite limited on the flight model
due to contamination requirements. Operational sequences
of MOMA LDI-MS described previously (Goesmann et al.,
2017) have been wholly duplicated in this study.
2.3.2. Sample preparation. Approximately 10 mL of the
lipid standards and the TLE were drop cast onto a blank
metal sample stub and dried.
Several thin layers were broken off the green streamer
fragments and affixed with sterilized tweezers onto the
surface of a sample stub with double-sided tape (3M 966,
acrylic adhesive tape). The sample stubs were then loaded
onto the sample carousel, which was subsequently evacuated to Mars ambient pressures (0.5–1 kPa *4–8 torr).
2.3.3. LDI-MS measurement protocol. Once loaded, the
sample was moved under the capillary ion inlet of the ion
trap mass spectrometer. A laser beam was then introduced at
an incident angle of *45° relative to the sample surface
from a solid-state, frequency-quadrupled Nd:YAG laser
with 266 nm wavelength, *1.5 ns pulse duration, and adjustable energies up to 130 mJ per pulse. The laser was operated at a time-averaged pulse repetition rate £2 Hz, with
an available burst mode of 50 Hz, and focused to an elliptical spot size with a major axis diameter of 600 mm.
At Mars ambient pressure, laser-desorbed ions were
drawn into the linear ion trap through a combination of gas
flow and applied DC voltage. An inline fast-actuating
aperture valve closed off the inlet shortly following ion
collection, and ions were then maintained in stable orbits
at a low trapping voltage until the chamber was pumped
down to £10-3 mbar, within a few hundred ms, after which
ions were ejected to the electron multiplier detector for
recording of mass spectra. Due to the mission architecture
limitations, only positive ions are detected in the MOMA
design.
Laser desorption/ionization (LDI) at MOMA fluence
levels is predominantly a surface analysis method and does
not remove significant material or ‘‘drill’’ to depths beyond
several to tens of micrometers. The green streamer samples
were thick enough to avoid measurement of the mounting
688.85
tape located between the sample and the stub. Additionally,
the tape has been confirmed to produce negligible LDI
signals at the wavelength and energies employed. Therefore,
no substrate background signal from the tape was detected
in the acquired spectrum.
Structural characterization of complex molecules is enabled on the MOMA instrument with the stored waveform
inverse Fourier transform (SWIFT) method to isolate a
specific mass-to-charge range (from ‘‘coarse’’ *100 Da
down to ‘‘fine’’ isolation window *10 Da or below) and
with tandem mass spectrometry for the fragmentation of
isolated molecules.
Mass spectra were collected in two different surface
modes for this study: single-point mode and step mode
(Fig. 2). In single-point mode, the laser was focused on a
fixed location on the sample surface, and 10 or more individual mass spectra (at *5 laser shots per spectrum) were
collected, after which the data were nominally summed together to obtain a single representative spectrum for that
point on the sample. Raw value sums of stable signals in this
step were found not to degrade mass resolution. While such
online summing would reduce net data volume on the flight
instrument, the baseline for MOMA during the mission will
be to record and transmit each individual ‘‘few’’-shot
spectrum. The same measurements will then be repeated on
a different nearby surface location to check for sample homogeneity. All the mass spectra of the lipids and pigment
standards analyzed in this study were acquired in singlepoint mode.
Alternatively, in step mode, the sample carousel was
moved 100 mm (adjustable in the flight protocol) to a new
position after each individual 2 laser shot spectrum, so that
several data sets comprising a surface scan were acquired
(Fig. 2). Sensitivity to the organic material in these samples
was found to be higher in step mode than in single-point
mode; less average laser energy was required (20 mJ in step
mode compared to >35 mJ in single point mode) to produce
comparable spectral peak signal-to-noise ratios. Empirically, it has been observed that surficial organic material is
more readily desorbed, with signal levels dropping with
each successive laser shot fired at a fixed energy. Because
each position (nominally each spectrum) probes a partially
pristine sample surface, the step mode is preferred for surveying an area for organics. Although the sample can move
to a fully pristine surface after each measurement, moving in
smaller step is better for reducing operation time and power
consumption on flight. Given the lower sensitivity of the
single-point mode for these samples, all the data shown in
this paper for the TLE and the freeze-dried green streamer
samples were obtained in step mode. The lipid standards
were analyzed with LDI separately from the TLE and green
MOMA ANALYSIS OF PHOTOTROPHS FROM HOT SPRING
FIG. 2.
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The single-point mode versus the step mode during MOMA ETU data collections.
streamer samples, and the cleanliness of the instrument was
frequently checked between experiments to ensure no cross
contamination between samples.
3. Results
3.1. LDI-MS results of the lipid and pigment standards
and the TLE of green streamers
The LDI-MS spectrum of the chlorophyll a standard
(Fig. 3a) contains the expected parent molecular ion at m/z
893 and a strong peak at m/z 614, which can be assigned to
the fragment ion formed from loss of the phytyl side chain
from the parent. This result is in agreement with earlier
studies by LDI-MS using a 337 nm laser (Suzuki et al.,
2009). Additionally, a set of fragment ions at m/z 439, 453,
467, 481, 497, and 555 are observed in the spectrum of the
chlorophyll a. These peaks can be assigned to fragment ions
that originate from the sequential loss of various CO2H and
CH2 groups from the porphyrin structure of chlorophyll a.
These peaks have not been reported previously (Suzuki
FIG. 3. The mass spectra of each lipid standard including (a) chlorophyll a, (b) MGDG, (c) DGDG, and the spectrum of
(d) the TLE of green streamer sample. Monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG); digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG).
1520
et al., 2009) but have been observed in mass spectra of other
techniques such as ToF-SIMS (Leefmann et al., 2013a,
2013b; Siljeström et al., 2017).
The mass spectrum of the monogalactosyldiacylglycerol
(MGDG) standard (Fig. 3b) contains strong sodiated
[M+Na]+ ions at m/z 781 (C43H82O10Na) and 809
(C45H86O10Na). These peaks are consistent with earlier
studies of MGDG with LDI-MS that showed that MGDG is
most often detected as a sodiated molecular ion (Al-Saad
et al., 2003; Vieler et al., 2007). There are also fragment
ions present, not observed previously (Al-Saad et al., 2003),
which most likely formed by the loss of a sodiated sugar
head group (m/z 202.04, C6O6H11Na) from the parent ion at
m/z 579 (C37H71O4) and at m/z 607 (C39H75O4) (Kim et al.,
1997; Siljeström et al., 2017).
The mass spectrum of the digalactosyldiacylglycerol
(DGDG) standard (Fig. 3c) contains [M+Na]+ ions at
m/z 939 (C49H88O15Na) and 963 (C51H88O15Na). No
strong fragments are found in the positive spectrum
(not shown). This is consistent with what has been
found in earlier LDI-MS studies of DGDG (Al-Saad et al.,
2003; Vieler et al., 2007). The spectrum of the DGDG
also contains peaks at m/z 788, 814, and 930 of unclear
origin.
Additional standards were tested, but they produced either weak or unstable signals, or both (e.g., b-carotene exhibited low-intensity molecular ions at m/z 536, and hopane
was not observable under the limiting standard analysis
conditions). Standards reported here included those compounds readily detected with the same analytical protocols
as the those used for the streamer samples.
In the LDI mass spectrum of the TLE (Fig. 3d), an intense peak at m/z 614 is consistent with the major fragment
ion peak of chlorophyll a. Other, weaker peaks can be
assigned to fragment ions from chlorophyll at m/z 481. In
addition, a peak at m/z 871 can be assigned to the chlorophyll molecule that lacks the central Mg+. This peak is
typically observed in MALDI spectra when using an acid
matrix as acidity promotes loss of the Mg+ and might explain the lack of the molecular ion of chlorophyll a at m/z
893 (Fuchs et al., 2010).
Peaks at m/z 751, 779, and 793 in TLE spectrum
(Fig. 3d) can be assigned to the [M+Na]+ ions of MGDG.
The peak at m/z 751 is most likely a MGDG16:0/16:1 (see
Section 2.2 for the naming convention), while the peak at
m/z 779 is a MGDG16:0/18:1. The peak at m/z 793 can be
assigned to MGDG16:0/19:1. Similarly, the peaks at m/z 941
and 955 can be assigned to the [M+Na]+ ions of DGDG
(Fig. 3d). The mass of m/z 941 originates from an intact
DGDG16:0/18:0, while the mass of m/z 955 is produced by
an intact DGDG16:0/19:0. It should be noted that the observed peaks of MGDG and DGDG in the TLE spectrum
are different from their corresponding standard spectra
because MGDG and DGDG in the streamer sample have
different fatty acid compositions compared with the lipid
standards analyzed in this study (Siljeström et al., 2017). In
addition to the main compounds, there is a peak at m/z 551
(C32:0) in the TLE spectrum that might represent a
fragment ion from diacylglycerols (DG) (Passarelli and
Winograd, 2011). Additionally, the molecular ion of
b-carotene possibly occurs at m/z 536 (C40H56) (Leefmann
et al., 2013b).
SILJESTRÖM ET AL.
3.2. LDI-MS results of freeze-dried partly mineralized
green streamers
The LDI-MS spectra of the freeze-dried green streamers
(Fig. 4) are dominated by a peak at m/z 795 of unknown
origin. There is also a weak peak at m/z 614, which can be
assigned to the fragment ion of chlorophyll a. This peak
becomes an intense peak at the same mass when SWIFT is
applied to the mass region m/z 480–720 (Fig. 4). When
SWIFT was applied to other mass ranges such as m/z 720–
1000, where the peaks of MGDG and DGDG should be
observed, there are many peaks in the range generating
relatively noisy spectra. For example, in the mass isolation
of the m/z 700–900 range, a small peak at m/z 779 that can
be tentatively assigned to MGDG was detected (Supplementary Fig. S1).
4. Discussion
The Yellowstone sample chosen here represents a complex real-world example of samples that contain pristine and
partly mineralized and degraded organics, and the measurements and data analysis performed were among the first
attempts for us to systematically study a challenging sample
with MOMA. The LDI mass spectra of the standards, the
TLE sample, and the freeze-dried partly mineralized
streamers indeed showed that MOMA LDI-MS detects a
variety of lipids and pigments that include chlorophyll a,
DG, MGDG, DGDG, and b-carotene (Table 2).
FIG. 4. The mass spectra of (top) the freeze-dried partly
mineralized green streamers and (bottom) the enhancement
of the chlorophyll a detection while using narrower mass
range isolation (m/z 500–700 window).
MOMA ANALYSIS OF PHOTOTROPHS FROM HOT SPRING
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Table 2. Organic Compounds Detected with ETU, Commercial LDI, and ToF-SIMS (Siljeström et al., 2017)
Most abundant lipids
and pigments present
in sample according
MOMA ETU
to Siljeström et al.
(positive mode only)
(2017)
Chlorophyll a
MGDG
SQDG
DGDG
b-carotene
DG
Fatty acids
Waxy esters
PG
TLE sample
Thermo LTQ
m/z 481, 614 (D), 871 Pos: m/z 439, 453, 467,
481, 614 (D), 871, 892
m/z 751, 779 (D), 793 Pos: m/z 751, 779, 793
(low intensity)
Neg: m/z 793, 821 (D),
849
m/z 941 (D) and 955
m/z 536
Pos: m/z 536 (?)
m/z 551
Pos: m/z 551
Neg: m/z 255 (D), 281,
283
-
-
-
Unextracted sample
ToF-SIMS (Siljeström
et al., 2017)
MOMA ETU
(positive mode only)
Pos: m/z 439, 453, 467,
m/z 614
481 (D), 614, 893, 915
Pos: m/z 751, 779 (D), 793 Tentative m/z 779
Neg: m/z 793, 821 (D), 849
-
Pos: m/z 941 (D), 955
Pos: m/z 536
Pos: m/z 551 (D), 580, 608
Neg: m/z 255 (D), 269,
281, 283
Pos: m/z 451, 465, 493,
507 (D), 521, and 535
Neg: m/z 451, 465, 493,
507 (D), 521, 535
(Note: only detected
when sample is cooled)
Neg: m/z 679, 693, 707,
723, 735, etc. (Note: low
intensities)
-
-
Abbreviations: phosphatidylglycerol (PG), diacylglycerols (DG), monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG), sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol
(SQDG), and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG). (D) indicates most intense peak. Please note the lower nominal mass is reported
regardless whether the exact mass is below or above x.5.
Other compounds known a priori to be present in the
green photosynthetic streamer consortia, such as sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG) and phospholipids,
were not detected by the ETU version of MOMA. These
compounds typically produce their most diagnostic ions in
negative mode, as indicated by analyses performed previously with ToF-SIMS (Siljeström et al., 2017) and with
commercial LDI-MS instruments in our laboratory (Supplementary Fig. S2, Table 2). Additionally, MGDG was by
far the most abundant lipid (11, 804 mg/g dry weight) in
the TLE of the streamers when compared to the combined
concentration of DGDG and SQDG (367.9 mg/g dry
weight) and the phospholipids (1230 mg/g dry weight)
(Siljeström et al., 2017).
The LDI-MS mainly detects high-mass, nonvolatile
species, since many of the volatile species are removed
during the vacuum setup required for sample analysis. For
example, the LDI-MS did not detect any signals from waxy
esters (m/z 450–550) in the TLE. These compounds are
known from our previous conventional GC-MS biomarker
analyses to be abundant in the green streamer samples due
to the presence of the non-oxygenic phototroph Chloroflexus spp. Yet these compounds were typically only detected in ToF-SIMS spectra of the TLE when analyzed at
lower temperature (< -20°C), indicating their loss under
low analytical pressures (10-9 mbar inside the ToF-SIMS
instrument) (Siljeström et al., 2017). This suggests that it
may be possible to detect more volatile compounds on
Mars as the sample temperature in the rover is expected to
be lower than in our laboratory.
A comparison of the results from the TLE (Fig. 3d) and
the freeze-dried green streamer samples (Fig 4) revealed
that it was more challenging to detect the lipids and pigments in the streamer samples than in the TLE (Table 2).
A notable exception was the ability to detect chlorophyll a
in the streamer samples, though the LDI-MS spectra of
these samples were noisier than that of the TLE. This
finding is interpreted as resulting from the lower concentration of the lipids in the partly mineralized freezedried green streamers versus that in the TLE, combined
with the high ionization potential of chlorophyll a, the
latter of which interferes with the detection of other
compounds in non-extracted samples (Vieler et al., 2007).
In addition, the combined mixture of cells and mineral
precipitates in fine spatial association often generates a
strong mineral signal baseline, above or within which
possible organic biosignatures may be partially masked
until isolated and examined by using adjustable instrument parameters.
As a test of one such parameterization and tuning approach, we performed a mass isolation measurement that
has been observed to significantly enhance the resolution
and signal-to-noise ratios of observed but weak signals
(like that of the chlorophyll a). The consequent reduction
of total charge in the ion trap at a given partial pressure and
trapping voltage for such a measurement tends to reduce
space charge and trap capacity-induced effects as remaining ions are limited to a smaller number of potential m/z
values. This type of signal isolation is expected to enable a
broad ‘‘window scan’’ that divides the full m/z range into a
sequence of SWIFT spectra if required during initial examination of martian samples (Li et al., 2017). Mass isolation can also be used in an iterative analysis of broader
m/z ranges, which can reveal correlations in molecular
1522
fragments with their parent molecule, and narrower m/z
ranges to focus on individual molecular detection and
structural characterization.
In either standard or isolation window operation, the total
and relative spectral signals attributable to organic species
were found to be higher in step mode than in single-point
mode. The depletion of the signal from desorbed surficial
organic material with increasing laser pulse number, over a
relatively constant signal level from inorganics, was particularly observed in single-point mode. In contrast, the step
mode was predominantly performed on partially ‘‘fresh’’
surfaces and resulted in steadier and, thus, more intercomparable signals over the nominal multiscan data set.
Step mode can be implemented on the flight rover, in
principle with an arbitrary number of positions on the
sample surface addressed over multiple cycles (subject to
the several-centimeter spatial extent of the rover’s refillable
container). In practice, however, this is not likely to be the
baseline for most samples given the extra operation time and
energy involved in micro-stepping the sample, which is
controlled by the rover and requires uninterrupted communication with MOMA. Energy and thermal considerations
also lower the throughput of a true step mode when run in
conjunction with other required phases of analysis within
the operation constraints. However, by recording and
transmitting spectra that contain as few as one laser shot,
step mode data can effectively be extracted during postprocessing. That is because the LDI-MS spectra of the first
few laser shots from each sample area where data are acquired during nominal multiple ‘‘single-point mode’’ locations can be selected from the data set and analyzed as an
isolated summed spectrum (Fig. 5). The main concern for
collecting and/or extracting data from multiple points on the
same sample during rover operations is the a priori uncertainty of the spatial chemical heterogeneity of the crushed
particulate sample (Vago et al., 2017), especially when data
analysis is constrained to a narrow m/z window. This concern can be addressed prior to rover operations in part
through testing with a variety of types and preparations of
known mineralogical/mineraloid matrices. Additional in-
SILJESTRÖM ET AL.
formation about the spatial chemical heterogeneity of the
samples will also be obtained from the other rover instruments through planned rover team collaboration. For example, a combination of the results of various instruments,
such as those from MOMA and the IR imaging spectrometer
MicrOmega (Bibring et al., 2017), will provide fine-scale
mineral maps of the delivered sample.
This study showed that chlorophyll a for the partly mineralized microbial streamer samples was the organic molecule most easily detected by LDI-MS on the MOMA ETU.
Chlorophylls and bacteriochlorophylls are the dominant
photosynthetic pigments used by phototrophic bacteria to
absorb energy from light. Other types of porphyrins, such as
heme, are also abundant in non-phototrophic organisms,
including anaerobic bacteria, as part of the electron transport
chain in the cell membrane. Due to the ubiquity of porphyrins across the three domains of life, it is hypothesized
that they developed early in life’s evolutionary history
(Bosak et al., 2013; Fox and Strasdeit 2013). The peaks we
detected from chlorophyll do not represent the intact molecule but are mainly produced by the porphyrin ring of the
chlorophyll. Porphyrins other than chlorophyll should,
therefore, be readily detected through similar porphyrin ring
substructures. The ring structure of the chlorophyll molecule
is known to survive in the geological record for extended
periods of time. Porphyrins have been detected in 1.1 Ga
sediments on Earth (Gueneli et al., 2018) and have also
shown resistance to degradation by the harsh conditions on
Mars, including photolysis caused by radiation, especially if
protected in rocks (Stromberg et al., 2014; Baqué et al.,
2016). They have been proposed as potential biomarkers in
the search for extraterrestrial life (Suo et al., 2007) as there
is no known way of producing them abiotically, although
this hypothesis has of late been challenged (Fox and
Strasdeit, 2013).
Analyses of complex analog samples such as those
presented here enable the preparation of effective MOMA
LDI-MS measurements on Mars, an important consideration
given the limited time and energy resources of any rover
instrument. By utilizing single-point and scanning (or
FIG. 5. LDI spectra of the freeze-dried green streamers taken by 25 laser shots compared to the spectra of the first 5 shots
from the same data set. The chlorophyll a is much clearer in the 5-shot spectra.
MOMA ANALYSIS OF PHOTOTROPHS FROM HOT SPRING
effectively scanning by using multi-point) modes along with
more advanced operations that involve mass isolation and
tandem mass spectrometry, the LDI of MOMA provides a
means to obtain representative and diagnostic data from
multiphase samples that contain a range of variable concentrations of organics and minerals. Collaborative operations
and data processing among MOMA LDI-MS, the Raman
Laser Spectrometer (Rull et al., 2017), and MicrOmega
(Bibring et al., 2017) on the same sample in the Rosalind
Franklin rover’s refillable container will provide a more comprehensive assessment of both nonvolatile organic and inorganic compositions. It will also advise the potential
follow-on analysis with MOMA’s GCMS mode that utilizes
sample pyrolysis and chemical derivatization in the instrument’s single-use ovens.
5. Conclusions
In the current study, the LDI mode of the MOMA instrument on Mars was conducted at Mars ambient conditions and utilized to detect organic compounds preserved in
partly mineralized microbial streamer samples collected
from a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park, USA.
These samples were some of the first complex real-word
materials analyzed by MOMA LDI-MS. The results from
our analysis of the lipid extract of the streamer demonstrates
the detection of high-molecular-weight molecular compounds, such as chlorophyll a, b-carotene, DG, MGDG, and
DGDG, which are diagnostic of the cellular material in the
samples. In the untreated partly mineralized streamer samples only chlorophyll a was detected, likely because of the
high background and the relative high ionization potential of
chlorophyll a. This work underscored the value of utilizing
selected ion accumulation and step mode to improve the
quality of the spectra and the fidelity of the data interpretation, especially in the presence of high background peaks.
This information will provide guidance for future MOMA
in situ surface operations and mass spectral data interpretation. Additional study and analysis of Mars analog samples will continue in preparation for the 2023 landing of the
ExoMars rover on Mars.
Acknowledgments
Mary N. Parenteau at NASA Ames Research Center is
acknowledged for the extraction of the TLE of the microbial
streamer. The authors also thank Dr. Chris McKay, an
anonymous reviewer, and the associate editor Jorge Vago
for their constructive comments that helped improve the
initial manuscript. Funding was provided from the Swedish
National Space Agency (contracts 198/15 and 137/19) and
Swedish Research Agency (contract 2015-04129) to S.S.
S.L.C. acknowledges funding for sample collection from the
NASA Exobiology Program (#NNG04GJ84G), for sample
analysis from a NASA Interagency NNA16BB06I award to
the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s EMSL, a DOE
Office of Science sponsored User Facility (project #49675);
and for manuscript writing from the NASA Astrobiology
Institute NAI-CAN7 (#NNX15BB01A award to PI N.
Cabrol at the SETI Institute). The MOMA instrument development at Goddard Space Flight Center was supported
by NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. Additional support
for development of novel laser desorption and tandem mass
1523
spectrometry analytical protocols was provided by the
Goddard Center for Astrobiology team of the NASA Astrobiology Institute. The material is based upon work supported by NASA under award number 80GSFC17M0002.
Supplementary Material
Supplementary Fig. S1
Supplementary Fig. S2
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Address correspondence to:
Sandra Siljeström
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB
Chemistry, Biomaterials and Textiles
Box 5604
Stockholm 11486
Sweden
E-mail: sandra.siljestrom@ri.se
Xiang Li
University of Maryland, Baltimore County & NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center
Mail Code 699
8800 Greenbelt Rd
Greenbelt, MD 20771
USA
E-mail: xiang.li@nasa.gov
1525
Submitted 28 August 2020
Accepted 23 December 2020
Associate Editor: Jorge Vago
Abbreviations Used
DG ¼ diacylglycerols
DGDG ¼ digalactosyldiacylglycerol
ETU ¼ Engineering Test Unit
GC-MS ¼ gas chromatography–mass spectrometry
GSFC ¼ Goddard Space Flight Center
LDI ¼ laser desorption/ionization
LDI-MS ¼ laser desorption/ionization mass
spectrometry
MGDG ¼ monogalactosyldiacylglycerol
MOMA ¼ Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer
SQDG ¼ sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol
SWIFT ¼ stored waveform inverse Fourier
transform
TLE ¼ total lipid extract
ToF-SIMS ¼ time-of-flight secondary ion mass
spectrometry