Imperial College London
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ProfessorMarkSephton

Faculty of Engineering, Department of Earth Science & Engineering

Professor of Organic Geochemistry
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 6542m.a.sephton Website

 
 
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Location

 

2.34Royal School of MinesSouth Kensington Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Moreno-Paz:2018:10.1089/ast.2017.1747,
author = {Moreno-Paz, M and Gómez-Cifuentes, A and Ruiz-Bermejo, M and Hosftetter, O and Maqueira, Á and Morais, S and Sephton, MA and Knopp, D and Parro, V},
doi = {10.1089/ast.2017.1747},
journal = {Astrobiology},
pages = {1041--1056},
title = {Detecting non-volatile life- and non-life-derived organics in a carbonaceous chondrite analogue with a new multiplex immunoassay and its relevance for planetary exploration},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/ast.2017.1747},
volume = {18},
year = {2018}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Among the potential martian molecular targets are those supplied by meteoritic carbonaceous chondrites such as amino acids and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), or true biomarkers by any hypothetical Martian biota (aromatic amino acids, steroid and triterpene molecules, peptides). Heat extraction and pyrolysis based methods currently used in planetary exploration are highly aggressive and very often modify the target molecules making a cumbersome task their identification. We have developed and validated a mild, non-destructive, multiplex competitive/inhibitory microarray immunoassay and its implementation in the SOLID (Signs of Life Detector) instrument for simultaneous detection of several organic molecules relevant for Mars exploration and environmental monitoring. A multiplex inhibitory immunoassay with a set of highly specific and sensitive antibodies capable to distinguish between D and L aromatic amino acids (Phe, Tyr, Trp), benzo[a]pyrene (BAP), pentachlorophenol or sulfone-containing aromatics, was validated in SOLID instrument for the analysis of kerogen samples as analogues of refractory organic material in carbonaceous chondrites or even Mars organics. Most of the antibodies exhibited sensitivities at 1-10 ppb level and some of them even at ppt. The multiplex immunoassay allowed the detection of BAP as well as aromatic sulfones in a water/methanol extract of an early cretaceous sample (c.a. 100 My) enriched in type IV kerogen. No L/D aromatic amino acids were detected, reflecting the high maturity and the absence of chemical groups. The results demonstrated once more the feasibility of multiplex inhibitory immunoassays and its potential use for in situ analytical instruments in planetary exploration and environmental monitoring.
AU  - Moreno-Paz,M
AU  - Gómez-Cifuentes,A
AU  - Ruiz-Bermejo,M
AU  - Hosftetter,O
AU  - Maqueira,Á
AU  - Morais,S
AU  - Sephton,MA
AU  - Knopp,D
AU  - Parro,V
DO  - 10.1089/ast.2017.1747
EP  - 1056
PY  - 2018///
SN  - 1531-1074
SP  - 1041
TI  - Detecting non-volatile life- and non-life-derived organics in a carbonaceous chondrite analogue with a new multiplex immunoassay and its relevance for planetary exploration
T2  - Astrobiology
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/ast.2017.1747
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/56393
VL  - 18
ER  -
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