DENMARK · DNA, Environment, Mineral Association: Reaction Kinetics
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2020-04-01 → 2022-03-31
- EU contribution
- €219,312
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
DNA, Environment, Mineral Association: Reaction Kinetics
Traces of DNA can be released into the environment through faeces, urine or decomposition of dead organisms. Such environmental DNA can provide valuable information on past and present organisms. Recovering eDNA can be extremely difficult as biotic (e.g. microbial attack) and/or abiotic (e.g. pH, temperature, hydrolysis) factors can lead to its partial or complete destruction. However, adsorption of DNA molecules onto the surfaces of minerals may significantly decrease the DNA decay rate. Understanding the DNA-mineral interaction is key both for accessing the mechanisms controlling the DNA-mineral association and understanding the longevity of sediment preserved eDNA. Therefore, the aim of DENMARK is to: 1. assess different DNA-mineral associations and eDNA preservation state (concentration and damage patterns) in sediments to explore the longevity of each DNA-mineral system. 2. investigate the in vitro DNA-mineral interactions at the single bond level (bond rupture forces) in different environmentally relevant solution compositions to quantify the energy and kinetic parameters associated with the interacting bonds. 3. examine the in vitro DNA-mineral interactions at the bulk level (nature, fraction and stability of interacting bonds), and link those to the single bond level energetics to quantify the longevity of the DNA-mineral bonds in different environmentally relevant solution compositions. 4. link the sediment data to the in vitro data to make a conceptual model for addressing the characteristics and longevity of each DNA-mineral system, and improve eDNA sampling, extraction and analysis protocols. Overall, our data suggest that the DNA mineral association (adsorption and desorption) is strongly influenced by the interfacial geochemistry, and it is sensitive to the mineral surface charge, mineral charge density, solution composition, salinity, and pH.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is trace amounts of DNA released by organisms into water and sediments. It has recently attracted a lot of attention as it can be a valuable tool for detecting present and past organisms without the need to directly sample them. However, biotic and abiotic decay has severe effects on DNA survival. The adsorption of DNA to mineral surfaces in sediments as well as saline conditions have been shown to protect DNA molecules and decrease the DNA decay rate. Understanding which minerals and environmental conditions provide the best preservation of adsorbed DNA can thus allow us to: a) target such environments for paleoecological and palaeogenetic studies; b) serve as a quantitative tool for assessing DNA migration, i.e. is the recovered eDNA autochthonous?; and c) significantly advance eDNA extraction and analysis protocols by targeting and extracting eDNA from specific minerals.Currently, we only have a qualitative understanding of the DNA-mineral adsorption/desorption at the bulk level and we have no quantitative insight into the DNA-mineral interactions and solution conditions that enhance DNA survival, nor the combined impact on DNA longevity in natural environments. With DENMARK I will (1) assess DNA-mineral associations and correlate with eDNA preservation state in sediments from terrestrial, freshwater and marine settings. Additionally, for a range of sedimentary minerals and a range of environmentally relevant solution compositions I will: (2) quantify the Gibbs free energy (ΔGbu) and kinetic bond parameters of in vitro DNA-mineral interactions; and (3) examine the nature, fraction and stability of interacting bonds of in vitro DNA-mineral associations at the bulk level. (4) Finally, I will link the sediment data to the in vitro single bond and bulk data to make a conceptual model for addressing the characteristics and longevity of different DNA-mineral systems, and improve eDNA extraction protocols.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET · KOBENHAVNCoordinatorDenmark
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union