Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.
Electrophoresis. 2019 Dec;40(23-24):3117-3122. doi: 10.1002/elps.201900268. Epub 2019 Oct 21.
Future spaceflight missions focused on life detection will carry with them new, state-of-the-art instrumentation capable of highly selective and sensitive organic analysis. CE-LIF is an ideal candidate for such a mission due to its high separation efficiency and low LODs. One perceived risk of utilizing this technique on a future mission is the stability of the chemical reagents in the spaceflight environment. Here, we present an investigation of the thermal stability of the fluorescent dye (5-carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester) used for amino acid analysis. The dye was stored at 4, 25, and 60°C for 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years. When stored at 4°C for 2 years, 25°C for 6 months, or 60°C for 1 month there was no effect on CE-LIF assay performance due to dye degradation. Beyond these time points, while the dye degradation begins to interfere with the analysis, it is still possible to perform the analysis and achieve the majority of amino acid biosignature science goals described in the science definition team report for the potential Europa Lander mission. This work indicates that thermal control of the dye at ≤4°C will be needed during transit on future spaceflight missions to maintain dye stability.
未来以生命探测为重点的太空飞行任务将携带最新的、最先进的仪器，能够进行高度选择性和灵敏的有机分析。CE-LIF 是此类任务的理想候选者，因为它具有高效率的分离能力和低的检测限。在未来的任务中使用这种技术的一个被认为的风险是化学试剂在太空环境中的稳定性。在这里，我们研究了用于氨基酸分析的荧光染料（5-羧基荧光素琥珀酰亚胺酯）的热稳定性。将染料储存在 4°C、25°C 和 60°C 下 1 个月、6 个月、1 年和 2 年。当在 4°C 下储存 2 年、在 25°C 下储存 6 个月或在 60°C 下储存 1 个月时，由于染料降解，对 CE-LIF 分析性能没有影响。超过这些时间点后，虽然染料降解开始干扰分析，但仍有可能进行分析并实现潜在的 Europa 着陆器任务科学定义小组报告中描述的大多数氨基酸生物特征科学目标。这项工作表明，在未来的太空飞行任务中，需要对染料进行温度控制，使其温度保持在 ≤4°C，以保持染料的稳定性。
