Determinants of bacteriophage Qβ survival under ionizing radiation: roles of hydration, mineral matrices, and viral features
- 1Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Torrejón de Ardoz
- 2Escuela de Doctorado, Centro Estudios Postgrado, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
- 3Applied Aerospace Biology Department, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Abstract
Introduction: Understanding how viruses persist under extreme physicochemical conditions is essential for both extreme microbiology and astrobiology. While the effects of a great variety of individual stressors have been explored, comparative analyses across different environmental and viral determinants remain limited. In particular, the respective contributions of radiation, hydration state, mineral matrices, and intrinsic viral properties to viral persistence remain largely unexplored.
Methods: We investigated the response of bacteriophage Qβ to increasing doses of ionizing radiation under different physicochemical conditions. Viral survival was quantified in liquid and desiccated systems, in the presence of Martian (MGS-1) and Lunar (LMS-1) regolith simulants, and at different initial viral concentrations. In addition, the susceptibility to ionizing radiation of a thermotolerant mutant was also evaluated. Dose-response relationships were analyzed using log-logistic or log-linear models depending on data structure.
Results: Analyses of the effect of initial viral concentration produced model-dependent results, indicating that any concentration-dependent effect on the radiation response should be interpreted with caution. In liquid medium, MGS-1 (12.5% w/v) modified the response of Qβ to ionizing radiation under the experimental conditions tested, producing a shift in the dose–response relationship and altering inactivation kinetics. However, at a fixed radiation dose of 750 Gy, increased survival was observed only at the highest MGS-1 concentration tested (100% w/v), whereas LMS-1 did not show evidence of a comparable effect under the same experimental conditions. Desiccation dramatically enhanced viral radiotolerance, increasing survival by several orders of magnitude. Finally, the thermotolerant mutant exhibited substantially higher survival under ionizing radiation, indicating that properties of the virion contribute to stress tolerance.
Discussion: Our results demonstrate that viral resistance to ionizing radiation depends on both intrinsic viral features and environmental factors. Among these, hydration state appears as the dominant determinant of survival, while the presence of mineral matrices may exert different effects. This integrative framework highlights the need to consider multiple variables when evaluating viral persistence in extreme environments.
Related
- Molecular profile of micronutrient-producing microorganisms following Martian mission-relevant ionizing radiation dose rate exposure
- BRN2 preserves the melanocyte lineage following ionizing radiation
- STUART: Sequence Triage and qUAntification of Read Transcripts for Rapid Ionizing Radiation Exposure Assessment
- Bacteriophage Sf14 survival under simulated gastrointestinal conditions
- Thirteen quick tips for bacteriophage genome annotation
BibTeX
@article{rodriguezmoreno2026determinants,
title = {{Determinants of bacteriophage Qβ survival under ionizing radiation: roles of hydration, mineral matrices, and viral features}},
author = {Alicia Rodríguez-Moreno and Kristina Beblo-Vranesevic and Ester Lázaro},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1958185},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1958185/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Determinants of bacteriophage Qβ survival under ionizing radiation: roles of hydration, mineral matrices, and viral features
AU - Alicia Rodríguez-Moreno
AU - Kristina Beblo-Vranesevic
AU - Ester Lázaro
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - Frontiers in Microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1958185
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1958185/full
AB - Introduction: Understanding how viruses persist under extreme physicochemical conditions is essential for both extreme microbiology and astrobiology. While the effects of a great variety of individual stressors have been explored, comparative analyses across different environmental and viral determinants remain limited. In particular, the respective contributions of radiation, hydration state, mineral matrices, and intrinsic viral properties to viral persistence remain largely unexplored. Methods: We investigated the response of bacteriophage Qβ to increasing doses of ionizing radiation under different physicochemical conditions. Viral survival was quantified in liquid and desiccated systems, in the presence of Martian (MGS-1) and Lunar (LMS-1) regolith simulants, and at different initial viral concentrations. In addition, the susceptibility to ionizing radiation of a thermotolerant mutant was also evaluated. Dose-response relationships were analyzed using log-logistic or log-linear models depending on data structure. Results: Analyses of the effect of initial viral concentration produced model-dependent results, indicating that any concentration-dependent effect on the radiation response should be interpreted with caution. In liquid medium, MGS-1 (12.5% w/v) modified the response of Qβ to ionizing radiation under the experimental conditions tested, producing a shift in the dose–response relationship and altering inactivation kinetics. However, at a fixed radiation dose of 750 Gy, increased survival was observed only at the highest MGS-1 concentration tested (100% w/v), whereas LMS-1 did not show evidence of a comparable effect under the same experimental conditions. Desiccation dramatically enhanced viral radiotolerance, increasing survival by several orders of magnitude. Finally, the thermotolerant mutant exhibited substantially higher survival under ionizing radiation, indicating that properties of the virion contribute to stress tolerance. Discussion: Our results demonstrate that viral resistance to ionizing radiation depends on both intrinsic viral features and environmental factors. Among these, hydration state appears as the dominant determinant of survival, while the presence of mineral matrices may exert different effects. This integrative framework highlights the need to consider multiple variables when evaluating viral persistence in extreme environments.
SN - 1664-302X
ER -