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Pagliarello R, Bennici E, Di Sarcina I, Villani ME, Desiderio A, Nardi L, Benvenuto E, Cemmi A, Massa S. Effects of gamma radiation on engineered tomato biofortified for space agriculture by morphometry and fluorescence-based indices. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1266199. [PMID: 37877080 PMCID: PMC10591191 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1266199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Future long-term space missions will focus to the solar system exploration, with the Moon and Mars as leading goals. Plant cultivation will provide fresh food as a healthy supplement to astronauts' diet in confined and unhealthy outposts. Ionizing radiation (IR) are a main hazard in outer space for their capacity to generate oxidative stress and DNA damage. IR is a crucial issue not only for human survival, but also for plant development and related value-added fresh food harvest. To this end, efforts to figure out how biofortification of plants with antioxidant metabolites (such as anthocyanins) may contribute to improve their performances in space outposts are needed. Methods MicroTom plants genetically engineered to express the Petunia hybrida PhAN4 gene, restoring the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in tomato, were used. Seeds and plants from wild type and engineered lines AN4-M and AN4-P2 were exposed to IR doses that they may experience during a long-term space mission, simulated through the administration of gamma radiation. Plant response was continuously evaluated along life cycle by a non-disturbing/non-destructive monitoring of biometric and multiparametric fluorescence-based indices at both phenotypic and phenological levels, and indirectly measuring changes occurring at the primary and secondary metabolism level. Results Responses to gamma radiation were influenced by the phenological stage, dose and genotype. Wild type and engineered plants did not complete a seed-to-seed cycle under the exceptional condition of 30 Gy absorbed dose, but were able to cope with 0.5 and 5 Gy producing fruits and vital seeds. In particular, the AN4-M seeds and plants showed advantages over wild type: negligible variation of fluorimetric parameters related to primary metabolism, no alteration or improvement of yield traits at maturity while maintaining smaller habitus than wild type, biosynthesis of anthocyanins and maintained levels of these compounds compared to non-irradiated controls of the same age. Discussion These findings may be useful in understanding phenotypic effects of IR on plant growth in space, and lead to the exploitation of new breeding efforts to optimize plant performances to develop appropriate ideotypes for future long-term space exploration extending the potential of plants to serve as high-value product source.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Pagliarello
- Biotechnology Laboratory, Biotechnology and Agro-Industry Division, Department for Sustainability, Casaccia Research Center, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Bennici
- Biotechnology Laboratory, Biotechnology and Agro-Industry Division, Department for Sustainability, Casaccia Research Center, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Ilaria Di Sarcina
- Fusion and Nuclear Safety Technologies Department, Casaccia Research Center, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Elena Villani
- Biotechnology Laboratory, Biotechnology and Agro-Industry Division, Department for Sustainability, Casaccia Research Center, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Angiola Desiderio
- Biotechnology Laboratory, Biotechnology and Agro-Industry Division, Department for Sustainability, Casaccia Research Center, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Nardi
- Biotechnology Laboratory, Biotechnology and Agro-Industry Division, Department for Sustainability, Casaccia Research Center, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Eugenio Benvenuto
- Biotechnology Laboratory, Biotechnology and Agro-Industry Division, Department for Sustainability, Casaccia Research Center, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Alessia Cemmi
- Fusion and Nuclear Safety Technologies Department, Casaccia Research Center, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Massa
- Biotechnology Laboratory, Biotechnology and Agro-Industry Division, Department for Sustainability, Casaccia Research Center, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
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Berliner AJ, Lipsky I, Ho D, Hilzinger JM, Vengerova G, Makrygiorgos G, McNulty MJ, Yates K, Averesch NJH, Cockell CS, Wallentine T, Seefeldt LC, Criddle CS, Nandi S, McDonald KA, Menezes AA, Mesbah A, Arkin AP. Space bioprocess engineering on the horizon. COMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERING 2022; 1:13. [PMCID: PMC10955938 DOI: 10.1038/s44172-022-00012-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Space bioprocess engineering (SBE) is an emerging multi-disciplinary field to design, realize, and manage biologically-driven technologies specifically with the goal of supporting life on long term space missions. SBE considers synthetic biology and bioprocess engineering under the extreme constraints of the conditions of space. A coherent strategy for the long term development of this field is lacking. In this Perspective, we describe the need for an expanded mandate to explore biotechnological needs of the future missions. We then identify several key parameters—metrics, deployment, and training—which together form a pathway towards the successful development and implementation of SBE technologies of the future. Space bioprocess engineering integrates synthetic biology and bioprocess engineering with the specific goal to support human life in long term space missions. In this Perspective, Berliner and colleagues describe a pathway towards the development and implementation of space bioprocessing technologies of the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron J. Berliner
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Isaac Lipsky
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Davian Ho
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Jacob M. Hilzinger
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Gretchen Vengerova
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Georgios Makrygiorgos
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Matthew J. McNulty
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA USA
| | - Kevin Yates
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA USA
| | - Nils J. H. Averesch
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Charles S. Cockell
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Tyler Wallentine
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Utah State University, Logan, UT USA
| | - Lance C. Seefeldt
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Utah State University, Logan, UT USA
| | - Craig S. Criddle
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Somen Nandi
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA USA
- Global HealthShare Initiative, Davis, CA USA
| | - Karen A. McDonald
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA USA
| | - Amor A. Menezes
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Ali Mesbah
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Adam P. Arkin
- Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES), Berkeley, CA USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
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VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Experimental Positioning for Stratospheric Vehicles. AEROSPACE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/aerospace8090263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The usage of aeronautical radio-frequency navigational aids can support the future stratospheric aviation as back-up positioning systems. Although GNSS has been extensively redundant in the last years of space operations, radio NavAids can still be supportive of navigation and tracking for novel mission profiles. As an example, in 2016, VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) has been proven to work well above its standard service volume limit on a stratospheric balloon flight with the STRATONAV experiment. While VOR provides the “radial” measurement, i.e., the angle between the Magnetic North and the line between the receiver and the transmitting ground station, the intersection of two or more radials at a time allows to perform ground track reconstruction for the vehicle to be tracked. This paper reports the results from the data re-processing from STRATONAV: the acquired radials have been intersected in order to achieve positioning. The radials interfacing method, the position calculation methodology, and the data acquisition strategies from STRATONAV are reported together with the data analysis results.
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