XXXVI CICLO | Catanzaro Ilaria

PhD student with interests in space biology research, sustainability issues, and environmental awareness.

The aim of this PhD project was to explore the extremotolerance of melanised rock-inhabiting fungi and their potential contribution to space biology. The investigations involved examining the responses of the Antarctic black fungus Cryomyces antarcticus to conditions analogous to those found on current Mars (i.e., soil composition and radiation exposure). In collaboration with the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM, Germany), genetically engineered mutants were created to investigate the impact of pigments on fungal stress tolerance. Melanin-deficient mutants of C. antarcticus and Knufia petricola, along with their melanised wild-type counterparts, were eventually tested for their photoprotective abilities. Finally, an ESA-organized thematic roundtable with international experts culminated in a white paper that outlines the potential of synthetic biology to support future European deep space human exploration missions.

• Cassaro, A., Pacelli, C., Aureli, L., Catanzaro, I., Leo, P., and Onofri, S. (2021) Antarctica as a reservoir of planetary analogue environments.Extremophiles 25: 437-458.

• Cassaro, A., Pacelli, C., Aureli, L., Leo, P., Catanzaro, I., de Vera, J.P., and Onofri, S. (2021) A multi-step astrobiological approach for supporting life-detection. J Ital Astron Soc 92:103.

• Pacelli, C., Cassaro, A., Catanzaro, I., Baqué, M., Maturilli, A., Böttger, U., … & Onofri, S. (2021). The ground-based BIOMEX experiment verification tests for life detection on Mars. Life 11: 1212.