Gene cloning of the 18S rRNA of an ancient viable moss from the permafrost of northeastern Siberia

Damien Marsic; Richard B. Hoover; David A. Gilichinsky; Joseph D. Ng

doi:10.1117/12.375074

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30 December 1999 Gene cloning of the 18S rRNA of an ancient viable moss from the permafrost of northeastern Siberia

Damien Marsic, Richard B. Hoover, David A. Gilichinsky, Joseph D. Ng

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Proceedings Volume 3755, Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology II; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.375074
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1999, Denver, CO, United States

Abstract

A moss plant dating as much as 40,000 years old was collected from the permafrost of the Kolyma Lowlands of Northeastern Siberia. The plant tissue was revived and cultured for the extraction of its genomic DNA. Using the polymerase chain reaction technique, the 18S ribosomal RNA gene was cloned and its sequence studied. Comparative sequence analysis of the cloned ribosomal DNA to other known 18S RNA showed very high sequence identity and was revealed to be closest to the moss specie, Aulacomnium turgidum. The results of this study also show the ability of biological organisms to rest dormant in deep frozen environments where they can be revived and cultured under favorable conditions. This is significant in the notion that celestial icy bodies can be media to preserve biological function and genetic material during long term storage or transport.

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Damien Marsic, Richard B. Hoover, David A. Gilichinsky, and Joseph D. Ng "Gene cloning of the 18S rRNA of an ancient viable moss from the permafrost of northeastern Siberia", Proc. SPIE 3755, Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology II, (30 December 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.375074

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