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Zhou M, Ferl RJ, Paul AL. Light has a principal role in the Arabidopsis transcriptomic response to the spaceflight environment. NPJ Microgravity 2024; 10:82. [PMID: 39107298 PMCID: PMC11303767 DOI: 10.1038/s41526-024-00417-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The Characterizing Arabidopsis Root Attractions (CARA) spaceflight experiment provides comparative transcriptome analyses of plants grown in both light and dark conditions within the same spaceflight. CARA compared three genotypes of Arabidopsis grown in ambient light and in the dark on board the International Space Station (ISS); Col-0, Ws, and phyD, a phytochrome D mutant in the Col-0 background. In all genotypes, leaves responded to spaceflight with a higher number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) than root tips, and each genotype displayed distinct light / dark transcriptomic patterns that were unique to the spaceflight environment. The Col-0 leaves exhibited a substantial dichotomy, with ten-times as many spaceflight DEGs exhibited in light-grown plants versus dark-grown plants. Although the total number of DEGs in phyD leaves is not very different from Col-0, phyD altered the manner in which light-grown leaves respond to spaceflight, and many genes associated with the physiological adaptation of Col-0 to spaceflight were not represented. This result is in contrast to root tips, where a previous CARA study showed that phyD substantially reduced the number of DEGs. There were few DEGs, but a series of space-altered gene categories, common to genotypes and lighting conditions. This commonality indicates that key spaceflight genes are associated with signal transduction for light, defense, and oxidative stress responses. However, these key signaling pathways enriched from DEGs showed opposite regulatory direction in response to spaceflight under light and dark conditions, suggesting a complex interaction between light as a signal, and light-signaling genes in acclimation to spaceflight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingqi Zhou
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Robert J Ferl
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
- UF Research, University of Florida, 1523 Union Rd, Grinter Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
| | - Anna-Lisa Paul
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
- Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, 2033 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
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Diao X, Haveman N, Califar B, Dong X, Prentice B, Paul AL, Ferl RJ. Spaceflight impacts xyloglucan oligosaccharide abundance in Arabidopsis thaliana root cell walls. LIFE SCIENCES IN SPACE RESEARCH 2024; 41:110-118. [PMID: 38670637 DOI: 10.1016/j.lssr.2024.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Over the course of more than a decade, space biology investigations have consistently indicated that cell wall remodeling occurs in a variety of spaceflight-grown plants. Here, we describe a mass spectrometric method to study the fundamental composition of xyloglucan, the most abundant hemicellulose in dicot cell walls, in space-grown plants. Four representative Arabidopsis root samples, from a previously conducted spaceflight experiment - Advanced Plant EXperiment - 04 (APEX-04), were used to investigate changes in xyloglucan oligosaccharides abundances in spaceflight-grown plants compared to ground controls. In situ localized enzymatic digestions and surface sampling mass spectrometry analysis provided spatial resolution of the changes in xyloglucan oligosaccharides abundances. Overall, the results showed that oligosaccharide XXLG/XLXG and XXFG branching patterns were more abundant in the lateral roots of spaceflight-grown plants, while XXXG, XLFG, and XLFG/XLFG were more abundant in the lateral roots of ground control plants. In the primary roots, XXFG had a higher abundance in ground controls than in spaceflight plants. This methodology of analyzing the basic components of the cell wall in this paper highlights two important findings. First, that are differences in the composition of xyloglucan oligosaccharides in spaceflight root cell walls compared to ground controls and, second, most of these differences are observed in the lateral roots. Thus, the methodology described in this paper provides insights into spaceflight cell wall modifications for future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xizheng Diao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, 214 Leigh Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Natasha Haveman
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Brandon Califar
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Xiaoru Dong
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Florida, 2004 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL, 32603, USA
| | - Boone Prentice
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, 214 Leigh Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Anna-Lisa Paul
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Gainesville, FL, USA; Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, 2033 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL, USA.
| | - Robert J Ferl
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Gainesville, FL, USA; University of Florida Office of Research, University of Florida, 207 Grinter Hall, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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Zhou M, Riva A, Gauthier MPL, Kladde MP, Ferl RJ, Paul AL. Single-molecule long-read methylation profiling reveals regional DNA methylation regulated by Elongator Complex Subunit 2 in Arabidopsis roots experiencing spaceflight. Biol Direct 2024; 19:33. [PMID: 38689301 PMCID: PMC11059628 DOI: 10.1186/s13062-024-00476-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Advanced Plant Experiment-04 - Epigenetic Expression (APEX-04-EpEx) experiment onboard the International Space Station examined the spaceflight-altered cytosine methylation in two genetic lines of Arabidopsis thaliana, wild-type Col-0 and the mutant elp2-5, which is deficient in an epigenetic regulator Elongator Complex Subunit 2 (ELP2). Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) revealed distinct spaceflight associated methylation differences, presenting the need to explore specific space-altered methylation at single-molecule resolution to associate specific changes over large regions of spaceflight related genes. To date, tools of multiplexed targeted DNA methylation sequencing remain limited for plant genomes. RESULTS To provide methylation data at single-molecule resolution, Flap-enabled next-generation capture (FENGC), a novel targeted multiplexed DNA capture and enrichment technique allowing cleavage at any specified sites, was applied to survey spaceflight-altered DNA methylation in genic regions of interest. The FENGC capture panel contained 108 targets ranging from 509 to 704 nt within the promoter or gene body regions of gene targets derived from spaceflight whole-genome data sets. In addition to genes with significant changes in expression and average methylation levels between spaceflight and ground control, targets with space-altered distributions of the proportion of methylated cytosines per molecule were identified. Moreover, trends of co-methylation of different cytosine contexts were exhibited in the same DNA molecules. We further identified significant DNA methylation changes in three previously biological process-unknown genes, and loss-of-function mutants of two of these genes (named as EMO1 and EMO2 for ELP2-regulated Methylation in Orbit 1 and 2) showed enhanced root growth rate. CONCLUSIONS FENGC simplifies and reduces the cost of multiplexed, targeted, single-molecule profiling of methylation in plants, providing additional resolution along each DNA molecule that is not seen in population-based short-read data such as WGBS. This case study has revealed spaceflight-altered regional modification of cytosine methylation occurring within single DNA molecules of cell subpopulations, which were not identified by WGBS. The single-molecule survey by FENGC can lead to identification of novel functional genes. The newly identified EMO1 and EMO2 are root growth regulators which may be epigenetically involved in plant adaptation to spaceflight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingqi Zhou
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, 32611, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Alberto Riva
- Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, 2033 Mowry Road, 32610, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Marie-Pierre L Gauthier
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, 2033 Mowry Rd, 32610, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Michael P Kladde
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, 2033 Mowry Rd, 32610, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Robert J Ferl
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, 32611, Gainesville, FL, USA.
- UF Research, University of Florida, 1523 Union Rd, Grinter Hall, 32611, Gainesville, FL, USA.
| | - Anna-Lisa Paul
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, 32611, Gainesville, FL, USA.
- Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, 2033 Mowry Road, 32610, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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Land ES, Sheppard J, Doherty CJ, Perera IY. Conserved plant transcriptional responses to microgravity from two consecutive spaceflight experiments. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 14:1308713. [PMID: 38259952 PMCID: PMC10800490 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1308713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Introduction Understanding how plants adapt to the space environment is essential, as plants will be a valuable component of long duration space missions. Several spaceflight experiments have focused on transcriptional profiling as a means of understanding plant adaptation to microgravity. However, there is limited overlap between results from different experiments. Differences in experimental conditions and hardware make it difficult to find a consistent response across experiments and to distinguish the primary effects of microgravity from other spaceflight effects. Methods Plant Signaling (PS) and Plant RNA Regulation (PRR) were two separate spaceflight experiments conducted on the International Space Station utilizing the European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS). The EMCS provided a lighted environment for plant growth with centrifugal capabilities providing an onboard 1 g control. Results and discussion An RNA-Seq analysis of shoot samples from PS and PRR revealed a significant overlap of genes differentially expressed in microgravity between the two experiments. Relative to onboard 1 g controls, genes involved in transcriptional regulation, shoot development, and response to auxin and light were upregulated in microgravity in both experiments. Conversely, genes involved in defense response, abiotic stress, Ca++ signaling, and cell wall modification were commonly downregulated in both datasets. The downregulation of stress responses in microgravity in these two experiments is interesting as these pathways have been previously observed as upregulated in spaceflight compared to ground controls. Similarly, we have observed many stress response genes to be upregulated in the 1 g onboard control compared to ground reference controls; however these genes were specifically downregulated in microgravity. In addition, we analyzed the sRNA landscape of the 1 g and microgravity (μ g) shoot samples from PRR. We identified three miRNAs (miR319c, miR398b, and miR8683) which were upregulated in microgravity, while several of their corresponding target genes were found to be downregulated in microgravity. Interestingly, the downregulated target genes are enriched in those encoding chloroplast-localized enzymes and proteins. These results uncover microgravity unique transcriptional changes and highlight the validity and importance of an onboard 1 g control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric S. Land
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - James Sheppard
- Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Colleen J. Doherty
- Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Imara Y. Perera
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
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Ferl RJ, Zhou M, Strickland HF, Haveman NJ, Callaham JB, Bandla S, Ambriz D, Paul AL. Transcriptomic dynamics in the transition from ground to space are revealed by Virgin Galactic human-tended suborbital spaceflight. NPJ Microgravity 2023; 9:95. [PMID: 38123588 PMCID: PMC10733374 DOI: 10.1038/s41526-023-00340-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The Virgin Galactic Unity 22 mission conducted the first astronaut-manipulated suborbital spaceflight experiment. The experiment examined the operationalization of Kennedy Space Center Fixation Tubes (KFTs) as a generalizable approach to preserving biology at various phases of suborbital flight. The biology chosen for this experiment was Arabidopsis thaliana, ecotype Col-0, because of the plant history of spaceflight experimentation within KFTs and wealth of comparative data from orbital experiments. KFTs were deployed as a wearable device, a leg pouch attached to the astronaut, which proved to be operationally effective during the course of the flight. Data from the inflight samples indicated that the microgravity period of the flight elicited the strongest transcriptomic responses as measured by the number of genes showing differential expression. Genes related to reactive oxygen species and stress, as well as genes associated with orbital spaceflight, were highly represented among the suborbital gene expression profile. In addition, gene families largely unaffected in orbital spaceflight were diversely regulated in suborbital flight, including stress-responsive transcription factors. The human-tended suborbital experiment demonstrated the operational effectiveness of the KFTs in suborbital flight and suggests that rapid transcriptomic responses are a part of the temporal dynamics at the beginning of physiological adaptation to spaceflight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Ferl
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
- UF Research, University of Florida, 1523 Union Rd, Grinter Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
| | - Mingqi Zhou
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Hunter F Strickland
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
- Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Natasha J Haveman
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Jordan B Callaham
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Sirisha Bandla
- Virgin Galactic, 1700 Flight Way, 3rd Floor, Tustin, CA, 92782, USA
| | - Daniel Ambriz
- Virgin Galactic, 1700 Flight Way, 3rd Floor, Tustin, CA, 92782, USA
| | - Anna-Lisa Paul
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
- Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, 2033 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
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Barcenilla BB, Meyers AD, Castillo-González C, Young P, Min JH, Song J, Phadke C, Land E, Canaday E, Perera IY, Bailey SM, Aquilano R, Wyatt SE, Shippen DE. Arabidopsis telomerase takes off by uncoupling enzyme activity from telomere length maintenance in space. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7854. [PMID: 38030615 PMCID: PMC10686995 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41510-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Spaceflight-induced changes in astronaut telomeres have garnered significant attention in recent years. While plants represent an essential component of future long-duration space travel, the impacts of spaceflight on plant telomeres and telomerase have not been examined. Here we report on the telomere dynamics of Arabidopsis thaliana grown aboard the International Space Station. We observe no changes in telomere length in space-flown Arabidopsis seedlings, despite a dramatic increase in telomerase activity (up to 150-fold in roots), as well as elevated genome oxidation. Ground-based follow up studies provide further evidence that telomerase is induced by different environmental stressors, but its activity is uncoupled from telomere length. Supporting this conclusion, genetically engineered super-telomerase lines with enhanced telomerase activity maintain wildtype telomere length. Finally, genome oxidation is inversely correlated with telomerase activity levels. We propose a redox protective capacity for Arabidopsis telomerase that may promote survivability in harsh environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Borja Barbero Barcenilla
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, 2128 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Alexander D Meyers
- Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA
- NASA Postdoctoral Program, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Kennedy Space Center FL, Merritt Island, FL, 32899, USA
| | - Claudia Castillo-González
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, 2128 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Pierce Young
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, 2128 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Ji-Hee Min
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, 2128 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Jiarui Song
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, 2128 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Chinmay Phadke
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, 2128 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Eric Land
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Emma Canaday
- Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA
| | - Imara Y Perera
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Susan M Bailey
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Roberto Aquilano
- National Technological University, Rosario Regional Faculty, Zeballos 1341, S2000, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Sarah E Wyatt
- Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA.
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA.
| | - Dorothy E Shippen
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, 2128 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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Olanrewaju GO, Haveman NJ, Naldrett MJ, Paul AL, Ferl RJ, Wyatt SE. Integrative transcriptomics and proteomics profiling of Arabidopsis thaliana elucidates novel mechanisms underlying spaceflight adaptation. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1260429. [PMID: 38089794 PMCID: PMC10712242 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1260429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2024]
Abstract
Spaceflight presents a unique environment with complex stressors, including microgravity and radiation, that can influence plant physiology at molecular levels. Combining transcriptomics and proteomics approaches, this research gives insights into the coordination of transcriptome and proteome in Arabidopsis' molecular and physiological responses to Spaceflight environmental stress. Arabidopsis seedlings were germinated and grown in microgravity (µg) aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in NASA Biological Research in Canisters - Light Emitting Diode (BRIC LED) hardware, with the ground control established on Earth. At 10 days old, seedlings were frozen in RNA-later and returned to Earth. RNA-seq transcriptomics and TMT-labeled LC-MS/MS proteomic analysis of cellular fractionates from the plant tissues suggest the alteration of the photosynthetic machinery (PSII and PSI) in spaceflight, with the plant shifting photosystem core-regulatory proteins in an organ-specific manner to adapt to the microgravity environment. An overview of the ribosome, spliceosome, and proteasome activities in spaceflight revealed a significant abundance of transcripts and proteins involved in protease binding, nuclease activities, and mRNA binding in spaceflight, while those involved in tRNA binding, exoribonuclease activity, and RNA helicase activity were less abundant in spaceflight. CELLULOSE SYNTHASES (CESA1, CESA3, CESA5, CESA7) and CELLULOSE-LIKE PROTEINS (CSLE1, CSLG3), involved in cellulose deposition and TUBULIN COFACTOR B (TFCB) had reduced abundance in spaceflight. This contrasts with the increased expression of UDP-ARABINOPYRANOSE MUTASEs, involved in the biosynthesis of cell wall non-cellulosic polysaccharides, in spaceflight. Both transcripts and proteome suggested an altered polar auxin redistribution, lipid, and ionic intracellular transportation in spaceflight. Analyses also suggest an increased metabolic energy requirement for plants in Space than on Earth, hence, the activation of several shunt metabolic pathways. This study provides novel insights, based on integrated RNA and protein data, on how plants adapt to the spaceflight environment and it is a step further at achieving sustainable crop production in Space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gbolaga O. Olanrewaju
- Interdisciplinary Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Ohio University, Athens, OH, United States
- Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University Athens, OH, United States
| | - Natasha J. Haveman
- NASA Utilization & Life Sciences Office (UB-A), Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL, United States
| | - Michael J. Naldrett
- Proteomics & Metabolomics Facility, Nebraska Center for Biotechnology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
| | - Anna-Lisa Paul
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Robert J. Ferl
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Office of Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Sarah E. Wyatt
- Interdisciplinary Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Ohio University, Athens, OH, United States
- Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University Athens, OH, United States
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8
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Olanrewaju GO, Kruse CPS, Wyatt SE. Functional Meta-Analysis of the Proteomic Responses of Arabidopsis Seedlings to the Spaceflight Environment Reveals Multi-Dimensional Sources of Variability across Spaceflight Experiments. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14425. [PMID: 37833871 PMCID: PMC10573023 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The human quest for sustainable habitation of extraterrestrial environments necessitates a robust understanding of life's adaptability to the unique conditions of spaceflight. This study provides a comprehensive proteomic dissection of the Arabidopsis plant's responses to the spaceflight environment through a meta-analysis of proteomics data from four separate spaceflight experiments conducted on the International Space Station (ISS) in different hardware configurations. Raw proteomics LC/MS spectra were analyzed for differential expression in MaxQuant and Perseus software. The analysis of dissimilarities among the datasets reveals the multidimensional nature of plant proteomic responses to spaceflight, impacted by variables such as spaceflight hardware, seedling age, lighting conditions, and proteomic quantification techniques. By contrasting datasets that varied in light exposure, we elucidated proteins involved in photomorphogenesis and skotomorphogenesis in plant spaceflight responses. Additionally, with data from an onboard 1 g control experiment, we isolated proteins that specifically respond to the microgravity environment and those that respond to other spaceflight conditions. This study identified proteins and associated metabolic pathways that are consistently impacted across the datasets. Notably, these shared proteins were associated with critical metabolic functions, including carbon metabolism, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and amino acid biosynthesis, underscoring their potential significance in Arabidopsis' spaceflight adaptation mechanisms and informing strategies for successful space farming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gbolaga O. Olanrewaju
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA;
- Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
| | - Colin P. S. Kruse
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Bioscience Division, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA;
| | - Sarah E. Wyatt
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA;
- Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
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9
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Nakashima J, Pattathil S, Avci U, Chin S, Alan Sparks J, Hahn MG, Gilroy S, Blancaflor EB. Glycome profiling and immunohistochemistry uncover changes in cell walls of Arabidopsis thaliana roots during spaceflight. NPJ Microgravity 2023; 9:68. [PMID: 37608048 PMCID: PMC10444889 DOI: 10.1038/s41526-023-00312-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
A large and diverse library of glycan-directed monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) was used to determine if plant cell walls are modified by low-gravity conditions encountered during spaceflight. This method called glycome profiling (glycomics) revealed global differences in non-cellulosic cell wall epitopes in Arabidopsis thaliana root extracts recovered from RNA purification columns between seedlings grown on the International Space Station-based Vegetable Production System and paired ground (1-g) controls. Immunohistochemistry on 11-day-old seedling primary root sections showed that ten of twenty-two mAbs that exhibited spaceflight-induced increases in binding through glycomics, labeled space-grown roots more intensely than those from the ground. The ten mAbs recognized xyloglucan, xylan, and arabinogalactan epitopes. Notably, three xylem-enriched unsubstituted xylan backbone epitopes were more intensely labeled in space-grown roots than in ground-grown roots, suggesting that the spaceflight environment accelerated root secondary cell wall formation. This study highlights the feasibility of glycomics for high-throughput evaluation of cell wall glycans using only root high alkaline extracts from RNA purification columns, and subsequent validation of these results by immunohistochemistry. This approach will benefit plant space biological studies because it extends the analyses possible from the limited amounts of samples returned from spaceflight and help uncover microgravity-induced tissue-specific changes in plant cell walls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Nakashima
- Analytical Instrumentation Facility, North Carolina State University, 2410 Campus Shore Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| | - Sivakumar Pattathil
- Mascoma LLC (Lallemand Inc.), 67 Etna Road, Lebanon, NH, 03766, USA
- The University of Georgia, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, 315 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Utku Avci
- The University of Georgia, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, 315 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, 26160, Eskisehir, Turkey
| | - Sabrina Chin
- Department of Botany, 430 Lincoln Drive, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - J Alan Sparks
- Noble Research Institute LLC, 2510 Sam Noble Parkway, Ardmore, OK, 73401, USA
| | - Michael G Hahn
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, 26160, Eskisehir, Turkey
| | - Simon Gilroy
- Department of Botany, 430 Lincoln Drive, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Elison B Blancaflor
- Utilization & Life Sciences Office, Exploration Research and Technology Programs, NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL, 32899, USA.
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10
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Su SH, Levine HG, Masson PH. Brachypodium distachyon Seedlings Display Accession-Specific Morphological and Transcriptomic Responses to the Microgravity Environment of the International Space Station. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13030626. [PMID: 36983782 PMCID: PMC10058394 DOI: 10.3390/life13030626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants have been recognized as key components of bioregenerative life support systems for space exploration, and many experiments have been carried out to evaluate their adaptability to spaceflight. Unfortunately, few of these experiments have involved monocot plants, which constitute most of the crops used on Earth as sources of food, feed, and fiber. To better understand the ability of monocot plants to adapt to spaceflight, we germinated and grew Brachypodium distachyon seedlings of the Bd21, Bd21-3, and Gaz8 accessions in a customized growth unit on the International Space Station, along with 1-g ground controls. At the end of a 4-day growth period, seedling organ’s growth and morphologies were quantified, and root and shoot transcriptomic profiles were investigated using RNA-seq. The roots of all three accessions grew more slowly and displayed longer root hairs under microgravity conditions relative to ground control. On the other hand, the shoots of Bd21-3 and Gaz-8 grew at similar rates between conditions, whereas those of Bd21 grew more slowly under microgravity. The three Brachypodium accessions displayed dramatically different transcriptomic responses to microgravity relative to ground controls, with the largest numbers of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) found in Gaz8 (4527), followed by Bd21 (1353) and Bd21-3 (570). Only 47 and six DEGs were shared between accessions for shoots and roots, respectively, including DEGs encoding wall-associated proteins and photosynthesis-related DEGs. Furthermore, DEGs associated with the “Oxidative Stress Response” GO group were up-regulated in the shoots and down-regulated in the roots of Bd21 and Gaz8, indicating that Brachypodium roots and shoots deploy distinct biological strategies to adapt to the microgravity environment. A comparative analysis of the Brachypodium oxidative-stress response DEGs with the Arabidopsis ROS wheel suggests a connection between retrograde signaling, light response, and decreased expression of photosynthesis-related genes in microgravity-exposed shoots. In Gaz8, DEGs were also found to preferentially associate with the “Plant Hormonal Signaling” and “MAP Kinase Signaling” KEGG pathways. Overall, these data indicate that Brachypodium distachyon seedlings exposed to the microgravity environment of ISS display accession- and organ-specific responses that involve oxidative stress response, wall remodeling, photosynthesis inhibition, expression regulation, ribosome biogenesis, and post-translational modifications. The general characteristics of these responses are similar to those displayed by microgravity-exposed Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. However, organ- and accession-specific components of the response dramatically differ both within and between species. These results suggest a need to directly evaluate candidate-crop responses to microgravity to better understand their specific adaptability to this novel environment and develop cultivation strategies allowing them to strive during spaceflight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Heng Su
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 425 G Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Correspondence: (S.-H.S.); (P.H.M.)
| | - Howard G. Levine
- NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL 32899, USA
| | - Patrick H. Masson
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 425 G Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Correspondence: (S.-H.S.); (P.H.M.)
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11
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Red Light Enhances Plant Adaptation to Spaceflight and Mars g-Levels. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12101484. [PMID: 36294919 PMCID: PMC9605285 DOI: 10.3390/life12101484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how plants respond and adapt to extraterrestrial conditions is essential for space exploration initiatives. Deleterious effects of the space environment on plant development have been reported, such as the unbalance of cell growth and proliferation in the root meristem, or gene expression reprogramming. However, plants are capable of surviving and completing the seed-to-seed life cycle under microgravity. A key research challenge is to identify environmental cues, such as light, which could compensate the negative effects of microgravity. Understanding the crosstalk between light and gravity sensing in space was the major objective of the NASA-ESA Seedling Growth series of spaceflight experiments (2013–2018). Different g-levels were used, with special attention to micro-g, Mars-g, and Earth-g. In spaceflight seedlings illuminated for 4 days with a white light photoperiod and then photostimulated with red light for 2 days, transcriptomic studies showed, first, that red light partially reverted the gene reprogramming induced by microgravity, and that the combination of microgravity and photoactivation was not recognized by seedlings as stressful. Two mutant lines of the nucleolar protein nucleolin exhibited differential requirements in response to red light photoactivation. This observation opens the way to directed-mutagenesis strategies in crop design to be used in space colonization. Further transcriptomic studies at different g-levels showed elevated plastid and mitochondrial genome expression in microgravity, associated with disturbed nucleus–organelle communication, and the upregulation of genes encoding auxin and cytokinin hormonal pathways. At the Mars g-level, genes of hormone pathways related to stress response were activated, together with some transcription factors specifically related to acclimation, suggesting that seedlings grown in partial-g are able to acclimate by modulating genome expression in routes related to space-environment-associated stress.
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12
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Baba AI, Mir MY, Riyazuddin R, Cséplő Á, Rigó G, Fehér A. Plants in Microgravity: Molecular and Technological Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:10548. [PMID: 36142459 PMCID: PMC9505700 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants are vital components of our ecosystem for a balanced life here on Earth, as a source of both food and oxygen for survival. Recent space exploration has extended the field of plant biology, allowing for future studies on life support farming on distant planets. This exploration will utilize life support technologies for long-term human space flights and settlements. Such longer space missions will depend on the supply of clean air, food, and proper waste management. The ubiquitous force of gravity is known to impact plant growth and development. Despite this, we still have limited knowledge about how plants can sense and adapt to microgravity in space. Thus, the ability of plants to survive in microgravity in space settings becomes an intriguing topic to be investigated in detail. The new knowledge could be applied to provide food for astronaut missions to space and could also teach us more about how plants can adapt to unique environments. Here, we briefly review and discuss the current knowledge about plant gravity-sensing mechanisms and the experimental possibilities to research microgravity-effects on plants either on the Earth or in orbit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abu Imran Baba
- Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Mohd Yaqub Mir
- Doctoral School of Neuroscience, Semmelweis University, H-1083 Budapest, Hungary
- Theoretical Neuroscience and Complex Systems Group, Department of Computational Sciences, Wigner Research Centre for Physics, H-1121 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Riyazuddin Riyazuddin
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Biological Research Centre (BRC), Institute of Plant Biology, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Ágnes Cséplő
- Biological Research Centre (BRC), Institute of Plant Biology, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Gábor Rigó
- Biological Research Centre (BRC), Institute of Plant Biology, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Attila Fehér
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Biological Research Centre (BRC), Institute of Plant Biology, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
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13
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Heldmann JL, Marinova MM, Lim DS, Wilson D, Carrato P, Kennedy K, Esbeck A, Colaprete TA, Elphic RC, Captain J, Zacny K, Stolov L, Mellerowicz B, Palmowski J, Bramson AM, Putzig N, Morgan G, Sizemore H, Coyan J. Mission Architecture Using the SpaceX Starship Vehicle to Enable a Sustained Human Presence on Mars. NEW SPACE 2022; 10:259-273. [PMID: 36199953 PMCID: PMC9527650 DOI: 10.1089/space.2020.0058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A main goal of human space exploration is to develop humanity into a multi-planet species where civilization extends beyond planet Earth. Establishing a self-sustaining human presence on Mars is key to achieving this goal. In situ resource utilization (ISRU) on Mars is a critical component to enabling humans on Mars to both establish long-term outposts and become self-reliant. This article focuses on a mission architecture using the SpaceX Starship as cargo and crew vehicles for the journey to Mars. The first Starships flown to Mars will be uncrewed and will provide unprecedented opportunities to deliver ∼100 metric tons of cargo to the martian surface per mission and conduct robotic precursor work to enable a sustained and self-reliant human presence on Mars. We propose that the highest priority activities for early uncrewed Starships include pre-placement of supplies, developing infrastructure, testing of key technologies, and conducting resource prospecting to map and characterize water ice for future ISRU purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L. Heldmann
- Division of Space Sciences and Astrobiology, Planetary Systems Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | | | - Darlene S.S. Lim
- Division of Space Sciences and Astrobiology, Planetary Systems Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | | | | | | | - Ann Esbeck
- Bechtel Corporation, Reston, Virginia, USA
| | - Tony Anthony Colaprete
- Division of Space Sciences and Astrobiology, Planetary Systems Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Richard C. Elphic
- Division of Space Sciences and Astrobiology, Planetary Systems Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Janine Captain
- NASA Kennedy Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA
| | - Kris Zacny
- Honeybee Robotics, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Leo Stolov
- Honeybee Robotics, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | | | - Ali M. Bramson
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | | | | | | | - Josh Coyan
- United States Geological Survey (USGS), Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Spokane, Washington, USA
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14
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Manzano A, Carnero-Diaz E, Herranz R, Medina FJ. Recent transcriptomic studies to elucidate the plant adaptive response to spaceflight and to simulated space environments. iScience 2022; 25:104687. [PMID: 35856037 PMCID: PMC9287483 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Discovering the adaptation mechanisms of plants to the space environment is essential for supporting human space exploration. Transcriptomic analyses allow the identification of adaptation response pathways by detecting changes in gene expression at the global genome level caused by the main factors of the space environment, namely altered gravity and cosmic radiation. This article reviews transcriptomic studies carried out from plants grown in spaceflights and in different ground-based microgravity simulators. Despite differences in plant growth conditions, these studies have shown that cell wall remodeling, oxidative stress, defense response, and photosynthesis are common altered processes in plants grown under spaceflight conditions. European scientists have significantly contributed to the acquisition of this knowledge, e.g., by showing the role of red light in the adaptation response of plants (EMCS experiments) and the mechanisms of cellular response and adaptation mostly affecting cell cycle regulation, using cell cultures in microgravity simulators. Cell wall, photosynthesis, and stress response are key in plant adaptation to space DNA methylation and alternative splicing are among the involved molecular mechanisms Light is an essential factor for plant development, even more in the space environment EMCS and simulation cell culture experiments are the main European contributions
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Affiliation(s)
- Aránzazu Manzano
- PCNPμG Lab (Plant Cell Nucleolus, Proliferation and Microgravity), Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas - CSIC, Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Eugénie Carnero-Diaz
- Institut Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, EPHE, UA, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Raúl Herranz
- PCNPμG Lab (Plant Cell Nucleolus, Proliferation and Microgravity), Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas - CSIC, Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - F Javier Medina
- PCNPμG Lab (Plant Cell Nucleolus, Proliferation and Microgravity), Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas - CSIC, Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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15
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Plokhovska SH, Shadrina RY, Kravets OA, Yemets AI, Blume YB. The Role of Nitric Oxide in the Arabidopsis thaliana Response to Simulated Microgravity and the Involvement of Autophagy in This Process. CYTOL GENET+ 2022. [DOI: 10.3103/s0095452722030100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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16
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Paul AL, Elardo SM, Ferl R. Plants grown in Apollo lunar regolith present stress-associated transcriptomes that inform prospects for lunar exploration. Commun Biol 2022; 5:382. [PMID: 35552509 PMCID: PMC9098553 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03334-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The extent to which plants can enhance human life support on other worlds depends on the ability of plants to thrive in extraterrestrial environments using in-situ resources. Using samples from Apollo 11, 12, and 17, we show that the terrestrial plant Arabidopsis thaliana germinates and grows in diverse lunar regoliths. However, our results show that growth is challenging; the lunar regolith plants were slow to develop and many showed severe stress morphologies. Moreover, all plants grown in lunar soils differentially expressed genes indicating ionic stresses, similar to plant reactions to salt, metal and reactive oxygen species. Therefore, although in situ lunar regoliths can be useful for plant production in lunar habitats, they are not benign substrates. The interaction between plants and lunar regolith will need to be further elucidated, and likely mitigated, to best enable efficient use of lunar regolith for life support within lunar stations. Arabidopsis plants were seeded onto lunar soil samples taken directly from the Apollo 11, 12, and 17 missions. Transcriptomic analyses reveal that plants grown in lunar soil differentially express genes associated with salt, metal, and ROS stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Lisa Paul
- Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research and Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
| | - Stephen M Elardo
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Robert Ferl
- UF Research and Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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17
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Du J, Zeng L, Yu Z, Chen S, Chen X, Zhang Y, Yang H. A magnetically enabled simulation of microgravity represses the auxin response during early seed germination on a microfluidic platform. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2022; 8:11. [PMID: 35087683 PMCID: PMC8760315 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-021-00331-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
For plants on Earth, the phytohormone auxin is essential for gravitropism-regulated seedling establishment and plant growth. However, little is known about auxin responses under microgravity conditions due to the lack of a tool that can provide an alteration of gravity. In this paper, a microfluidic negative magnetophoretic platform is developed to levitate Arabidopsis seeds in an equilibrium plane where the applied magnetic force compensates for gravitational acceleration. With the benefit of the microfluidic platform to simulate a microgravity environment on-chip, it is found that the auxin response is significantly repressed in levitated seeds. Simulated microgravity statistically interrupts auxin responses in embryos, even after chemical-mediated auxin alterations, illustrating that auxin is a critical factor that mediates the plant response to gravity alteration. Furthermore, pretreatment with an auxin transportation inhibitor (N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid) enables a decrease in the auxin response, which is no longer affected by simulated microgravity, demonstrating that polar auxin transportation plays a vital role in gravity-regulated auxin responses. The presented microfluidic platform provides simulated microgravity conditions in an easy-to-implement manner, helping to study and elucidate how plants correspond to diverse gravity conditions; in the future, this may be developed into a versatile tool for biological study on a variety of samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Du
- Laboratory of Biomedical Microsystems and Nano Devices, Center for Bionic Sensing and Intelligence, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055 China
| | - Lin Zeng
- Laboratory of Biomedical Microsystems and Nano Devices, Center for Bionic Sensing and Intelligence, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055 China
| | - Zitong Yu
- Laboratory of Biomedical Microsystems and Nano Devices, Center for Bionic Sensing and Intelligence, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055 China
| | - Sihui Chen
- Laboratory of Biomedical Microsystems and Nano Devices, Center for Bionic Sensing and Intelligence, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055 China
| | - Xi Chen
- Laboratory of Biomedical Microsystems and Nano Devices, Center for Bionic Sensing and Intelligence, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055 China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Center for Medical AI, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055 China
| | - Hui Yang
- Laboratory of Biomedical Microsystems and Nano Devices, Center for Bionic Sensing and Intelligence, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055 China
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18
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Abstract
The growth and development of plants during spaceflight have important implications for both basic and applied research supported by NASA and other international space agencies. While there have been many reviews of plant space biology, this chapter attempts to fill a gap in the literature on the actual process and methods of performing plant research in the spaceflight environment. One of the authors (JZK) has been a principal investigator on eight spaceflight projects. These experiences include using the U.S. Space Shuttle, the former Russian Space Station Mir, and the International Space Station, utilizing the Space Shuttle and Space X as launch vehicles. While there are several ways to fly an experiment into space and to obtain a spaceflight opportunity, this review focuses on using the NASA peer-reviewed sciences approach to get an experiment manifested for flight. Three narratives for the implementation of plant space biology experiments are considered from rapid turn around of a few months to a project with new hardware development that lasted 6 years. The many challenges of spaceflight research include logistical and resource constraints such as crew time, power, cold stowage, data downlinks, among others. Additional issues considered are working at NASA centers, hardware development, safety concerns, and the engineering versus science culture in space agencies. The difficulties of publishing the results from spaceflight research based on such factors as the lack of controls, limited sample size, and the indirect effects of the spaceflight environment also are summarized. Lessons learned from these spaceflight experiences are discussed in the context of improvements for future space-based research projects with plants. We also will consider new opportunities for Moon-based research via NASA's Artemis lunar exploration program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsiana Shymanovich
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - John Z Kiss
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA.
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19
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Chin S, Blancaflor EB. Plant Gravitropism: From Mechanistic Insights into Plant Function on Earth to Plants Colonizing Other Worlds. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2368:1-41. [PMID: 34647245 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1677-2_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Gravitropism, the growth of roots and shoots toward or away from the direction of gravity, has been studied for centuries. Such studies have not only led to a better understanding of the gravitropic process itself, but also paved new paths leading to deeper mechanistic insights into a wide range of research areas. These include hormone biology, cell signal transduction, regulation of gene expression, plant evolution, and plant interactions with a variety of environmental stimuli. In addition to contributions to basic knowledge about how plants function, there is accumulating evidence that gravitropism confers adaptive advantages to crops, particularly under marginal agricultural soils. Therefore, gravitropism is emerging as a breeding target for enhancing agricultural productivity. Moreover, research on gravitropism has spawned several studies on plant growth in microgravity that have enabled researchers to uncouple the effects of gravity from other tropisms. Although rapid progress on understanding gravitropism witnessed during the past decade continues to be driven by traditional molecular, physiological, and cell biological tools, these tools have been enriched by technological innovations in next-generation omics platforms and microgravity analog facilities. In this chapter, we review the field of gravitropism by highlighting recent landmark studies that have provided unique insights into this classic research topic while also discussing potential contributions to agriculture on Earth and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Chin
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
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20
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Ling Y, Mahfouz MM, Zhou S. Pre-mRNA alternative splicing as a modulator for heat stress response in plants. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 26:1153-1170. [PMID: 34334317 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2021.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The molecular responses of plants to the important abiotic stress, heat stress (HS), have been extensively studied at the transcriptional level. Alternative splicing (AS) is a post-transcriptional regulatory process in which an intron-containing gene can generate more than one mRNA variant. The impact of HS on the pre-mRNA splicing process has been reported in various eukaryotes but seldom discussed in-depth, especially in plants. Here, we review AS regulation in response to HS in different plant species. We discuss potential molecular mechanisms controlling heat-inducible AS regulation in plants and hypothesize that AS regulation participates in heat-priming establishment and HS memory maintenance. We propose that the pre-mRNA splicing variation is an important regulator of plant HS responses (HSRs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Ling
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, PR China; Laboratory for Genome Engineering, Division of Biological Sciences, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; South China Branch of National Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, Zhanjiang, 524088, PR China.
| | - Magdy M Mahfouz
- Laboratory for Genome Engineering, Division of Biological Sciences, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Shuangxi Zhou
- New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Hawke's Bay 4130, New Zealand
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21
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Paul AL, Haveman N, Califar B, Ferl RJ. Epigenomic Regulators Elongator Complex Subunit 2 and Methyltransferase 1 Differentially Condition the Spaceflight Response in Arabidopsis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:691790. [PMID: 34589093 PMCID: PMC8475764 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.691790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Background: Plants subjected to the novel environment of spaceflight show transcriptomic changes that resemble aspects of several terrestrial abiotic stress responses. Under investigation here is whether epigenetic modulations, similar to those that occur in terrestrial stress responses, have a functional role in spaceflight physiological adaptation. The Advanced Plant Experiment-04 - Epigenetic Expression experiment examined the role of cytosine methylation in spaceflight adaptation. The experiment was conducted onboard the International Space Station, and evaluated the spaceflight-altered, genome-wide methylation profiles of two methylation-regulating gene mutants [methyltransferase 1 (met1-7) and elongator complex subunit 2 (elp2-5)] along with a wild-type Col-0 control. Results: The elp2-5 plants suffered in their physiological adaptation to spaceflight in that their roots failed to extend away from the seed and the overall development of the plants was greatly impaired in space. The met1-7 plants suffered less, with their morphology affected by spaceflight in a manner similar to that of the Col-0 controls. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in spaceflight were dramatically different in the elp2-5 and met1-7 plants compared to Col-0, indicating that the disruptions in these mutants resulted in a reprogramming of their spaceflight responses, especially in elp2-5. Many of the genes comprising the spaceflight transcriptome of each genotype were differentially methylated in spaceflight. In Col-0 the majority of the DEGs were representative of the now familiar spaceflight response, which includes genes associated with cell wall remodeling, pathogen responses and ROS signaling. However, the spaceflight transcriptomes of met1-7 and elp2-5 each presented patterns of DEGs that are almost completely different than Col-0, and to each other. Further, the DEGs of the mutant genotypes suggest a more severe spaceflight stress response in the mutants, particularly in elp2-5. Conclusion: Arabidopsis physiological adaptation to spaceflight results in differential DNA methylation in an organ-specific manner. Disruption of Met1 methyltransferase function does not dramatically affect spaceflight growth or morphology, yet met1-7 reprograms the spaceflight transcriptomic response in a unique manner. Disruption of elp2-5 results in poor development in spaceflight grown plants, together with a diminished, dramatically reprogrammed transcriptomic response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Lisa Paul
- Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Natasha Haveman
- Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Brandon Califar
- Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Robert J. Ferl
- Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Office of Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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22
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Manian V, Orozco-Sandoval J, Diaz-Martinez V. Detection of Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana L. Responding to DNA Damage from Radiation and Other Stressors in Spaceflight. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:938. [PMID: 34205326 PMCID: PMC8234954 DOI: 10.3390/genes12060938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ionizing radiation present in extraterrestrial environment is an important factor that affects plants grown in spaceflight. Pearson correlation-based gene regulatory network inferencing from transcriptional responses of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana L. grown in real and simulated spaceflight conditions acquired by GeneLab, followed by topological and spectral analysis of the networks is performed. Gene regulatory subnetworks are extracted for DNA damage response processes. Analysis of radiation-induced ATR/ATM protein-protein interactions in Arabidopsis reveals interaction profile similarities under low radiation doses suggesting novel mechanisms of DNA damage response involving non-radiation-induced genes regulating other stress responses in spaceflight. The Jaccard similarity index shows that the genes AT2G31320, AT4G21070, AT2G46610, and AT3G27060 perform similar functions under low doses of radiation. The incremental association Markov blanket method reveals non-radiation-induced genes linking DNA damage response to root growth and plant development. Eighteen radiation-induced genes and sixteen non-radiation-induced gene players have been identified from the ATR/ATM protein interaction complexes involved in heat, salt, water, osmotic stress responses, and plant organogenesis. Network analysis and logistic regression ranking detected AT3G27060, AT1G07500, AT5G66140, and AT3G21280 as key gene players involved in DNA repair processes. High atomic weight, high energy, and gamma photon radiation result in higher intensity of DNA damage response in the plant resulting in elevated values for several network measures such as spectral gap and girth. Nineteen flavonoid and carotenoid pigment activations involved in pigment biosynthesis processes are identified in low radiation dose total light spaceflight environment but are not found to have significant regulations under very high radiation dose environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vidya Manian
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR 00681-9000, USA; (J.O.-S.); (V.D.-M.)
- Bioengineering, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR 00681-9000, USA
| | - Jairo Orozco-Sandoval
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR 00681-9000, USA; (J.O.-S.); (V.D.-M.)
| | - Victor Diaz-Martinez
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR 00681-9000, USA; (J.O.-S.); (V.D.-M.)
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Kordyum E, Hasenstein KH. Plant biology for space exploration - Building on the past, preparing for the future. LIFE SCIENCES IN SPACE RESEARCH 2021; 29:1-7. [PMID: 33888282 DOI: 10.1016/j.lssr.2021.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
A review of past insights of space experiments with plants outlines basic space and gravity effects as well as gene expression. Efforts to grow plants in space gradually incorporated basic question on plant productivity, stress response and cultivation. The prospect of extended space missions as well as colonization of the Moon and Mars require better understanding and therefore research efforts on biomass productivity, substrate and water relations, atmospheric composition, pressure and temperature and substrate and volume (growth space) requirements. The essential combination of using plants not only for food production but also for regeneration of waste, and recycling of carbon and oxygen production requires integration of complex biological and engineering aspects. We combine a historical account of plant space research with considerations for future research on plant cultivation, selection, and productivity based on space-related environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Kordyum
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Institute of Botany NASU, Tereschenkivska Str. 2, 01601 Kiev, Ukraine, United States
| | - Karl H Hasenstein
- Biology Department, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, 70504-3602, United States.
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De Pascale S, Arena C, Aronne G, De Micco V, Pannico A, Paradiso R, Rouphael Y. Biology and crop production in Space environments: Challenges and opportunities. LIFE SCIENCES IN SPACE RESEARCH 2021; 29:30-37. [PMID: 33888285 DOI: 10.1016/j.lssr.2021.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Long-term manned space-exploration missions and the permanence of human colonies on orbital stations or planetary habitats will require the regeneration of resources onboard or in-situ. Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSSs) are artificial environments where different compartments, involving both living organisms and physical-chemical processes, are integrated to achieve a safe, self-regulating, and chemically balanced Earth-like environment to support human life. Higher plants are key elements of such systems and Space greenhouses represent the producers' compartment. Growing plants in Space requires the knowledge of their growth responses not only to all environmental factors acting on Earth, but also to specific Space constraints such as altered gravity, ionizing radiations and confined volume. Moreover, cultivation techniques need to be adjusted considering such limitations. The type and intensity of environmental factors to be taken into account depend on the mission scenarios. Here, we summarize constraints and opportunities of cultivating higher plants in Space to regenerate resources and produce fresh food onboard. Both biological and agro-technological issues are considered briefly going through experiments both ground-based on Earth and in Space.
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Affiliation(s)
- S De Pascale
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Naples, Italy
| | - C Arena
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - G Aronne
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Naples, Italy
| | - V De Micco
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Naples, Italy.
| | - A Pannico
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Naples, Italy
| | - R Paradiso
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Naples, Italy
| | - Y Rouphael
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Naples, Italy
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25
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DeVree BT, Steiner LM, Głazowska S, Ruhnow F, Herburger K, Persson S, Mravec J. Current and future advances in fluorescence-based visualization of plant cell wall components and cell wall biosynthetic machineries. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2021; 14:78. [PMID: 33781321 PMCID: PMC8008654 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-021-01922-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Plant cell wall-derived biomass serves as a renewable source of energy and materials with increasing importance. The cell walls are biomacromolecular assemblies defined by a fine arrangement of different classes of polysaccharides, proteoglycans, and aromatic polymers and are one of the most complex structures in Nature. One of the most challenging tasks of cell biology and biomass biotechnology research is to image the structure and organization of this complex matrix, as well as to visualize the compartmentalized, multiplayer biosynthetic machineries that build the elaborate cell wall architecture. Better knowledge of the plant cells, cell walls, and whole tissue is essential for bioengineering efforts and for designing efficient strategies of industrial deconstruction of the cell wall-derived biomass and its saccharification. Cell wall-directed molecular probes and analysis by light microscopy, which is capable of imaging with a high level of specificity, little sample processing, and often in real time, are important tools to understand cell wall assemblies. This review provides a comprehensive overview about the possibilities for fluorescence label-based imaging techniques and a variety of probing methods, discussing both well-established and emerging tools. Examples of applications of these tools are provided. We also list and discuss the advantages and limitations of the methods. Specifically, we elaborate on what are the most important considerations when applying a particular technique for plants, the potential for future development, and how the plant cell wall field might be inspired by advances in the biomedical and general cell biology fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian T DeVree
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Lisa M Steiner
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Sylwia Głazowska
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Felix Ruhnow
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Klaus Herburger
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Staffan Persson
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jozef Mravec
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
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26
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Network Analysis of Gene Transcriptions of Arabidopsis thaliana in Spaceflight Microgravity. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12030337. [PMID: 33668919 PMCID: PMC7996555 DOI: 10.3390/genes12030337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The transcriptomic datasets of the plant model organism Arabidopsis thaliana grown in the International Space Station provided by GeneLab have been mined to isolate the impact of spaceflight microgravity on gene expressions related to root growth. A set of computational tools is used to identify the hub genes that respond differently in spaceflight with controlled lighting compared to on the ground. These computational tools based on graph-theoretic approaches are used to infer gene regulatory networks from the transcriptomic datasets. The three main algorithms used for network analyses are Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO), Pearson correlation, and the Hyperlink-Induced Topic Search (HITS) algorithm. Graph-based spectral analyses reveal distinct properties of the spaceflight microgravity networks for the Wassilewskija (WS), Columbia (Col)-0, and mutant phytochromeD (phyD) ecotypes. The set of hub genes that are significantly altered in spaceflight microgravity are mainly involved in cell wall synthesis, protein transport, response to auxin, stress responses, and catabolic processes. Network analysis highlights five important root growth-regulating hub genes that have the highest outdegree distribution in spaceflight microgravity networks. These concerned genes coding for proteins are identified from the Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs) corresponding to spaceflight total light environment. Furthermore, network analysis uncovers genes that encode nucleotide-diphospho-sugar interconversion enzymes that have higher transcriptional regulation in spaceflight microgravity and are involved in cell wall biosynthesis.
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27
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Kitto RZ, Dhillon Y, Bevington J, Horne M, Giegé P, Drouard L, Heintz D, Villette C, Corre N, Arrivé M, Manefield MJ, Bowman R, Favier JJ, Osborne B, Welch C, McKay CP, Hammond MC. Synthetic biological circuit tested in spaceflight. LIFE SCIENCES IN SPACE RESEARCH 2021; 28:57-65. [PMID: 33612180 DOI: 10.1016/j.lssr.2020.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic biology has potential spaceflight applications yet few if any studies have attempted to translate Earth-based synthetic biology tools into spaceflight. An exogenously inducible biological circuit for protein production in Arabidopsis thaliana, pX7-AtPDSi (Guo et al. 2003), was flown to ISS and functionally investigated. Seedlings were grown in a custom built 1.25 U plant greenhouse. Images recorded during the experiment show that leaves of pX7-AtPDSi seedlings photobleached as designed while wild type Col-0 leaves did not, which reveals that the synthetic circuit led to protein production during spaceflight. Polymerase chain reaction analysis post-flight also confirms that the Cre/LoxP (recombination system) portions of the circuit were functional in spaceflight. The subcomponents of the biological circuit, estrogen-responsive transcription factor XVE, Cre/LoxP DNA recombination system, and RNAi post-transcriptional gene silencing system now have flight heritage and can be incorporated in future designs for space applications. To facilitate future plant studies in space, the full payload design and manufacturing files are made available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekah Z Kitto
- Department of Chemistry, and Henry Eyring Center for Cell and Genome Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Department of Chemistry, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - James Bevington
- International Space University, Strasbourg, France; School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mera Horne
- Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
| | - Philippe Giegé
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes-CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Laurence Drouard
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes-CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Dimitri Heintz
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes-CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Claire Villette
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes-CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Nicolas Corre
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes-CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Mathilde Arrivé
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes-CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Michael J Manefield
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Robert Bowman
- Space Biosciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Chris Welch
- International Space University, Strasbourg, France.
| | | | - Ming C Hammond
- Department of Chemistry, and Henry Eyring Center for Cell and Genome Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Department of Chemistry, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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28
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Villacampa A, Ciska M, Manzano A, Vandenbrink JP, Kiss JZ, Herranz R, Medina FJ. From Spaceflight to Mars g-Levels: Adaptive Response of A. Thaliana Seedlings in a Reduced Gravity Environment Is Enhanced by Red-Light Photostimulation. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:E899. [PMID: 33477454 PMCID: PMC7830483 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The response of plants to the spaceflight environment and microgravity is still not well understood, although research has increased in this area. Even less is known about plants' response to partial or reduced gravity levels. In the absence of the directional cues provided by the gravity vector, the plant is especially perceptive to other cues such as light. Here, we investigate the response of Arabidopsis thaliana 6-day-old seedlings to microgravity and the Mars partial gravity level during spaceflight, as well as the effects of red-light photostimulation by determining meristematic cell growth and proliferation. These experiments involve microscopic techniques together with transcriptomic studies. We demonstrate that microgravity and partial gravity trigger differential responses. The microgravity environment activates hormonal routes responsible for proliferation/growth and upregulates plastid/mitochondrial-encoded transcripts, even in the dark. In contrast, the Mars gravity level inhibits these routes and activates responses to stress factors to restore cell growth parameters only when red photostimulation is provided. This response is accompanied by upregulation of numerous transcription factors such as the environmental acclimation-related WRKY-domain family. In the long term, these discoveries can be applied in the design of bioregenerative life support systems and space farming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Villacampa
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (A.V.); (M.C.); (A.M.)
| | - Malgorzata Ciska
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (A.V.); (M.C.); (A.M.)
| | - Aránzazu Manzano
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (A.V.); (M.C.); (A.M.)
| | | | - John Z. Kiss
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402, USA;
| | - Raúl Herranz
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (A.V.); (M.C.); (A.M.)
| | - F. Javier Medina
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (A.V.); (M.C.); (A.M.)
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29
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Fajardo-Cavazos P, Nicholson WL. Mechanotransduction in Prokaryotes: A Possible Mechanism of Spaceflight Adaptation. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:33. [PMID: 33430182 PMCID: PMC7825584 DOI: 10.3390/life11010033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of the mechanisms of microgravity perception and response in prokaryotes (Bacteria and Archaea) lag behind those which have been elucidated in eukaryotic organisms. In this hypothesis paper, we: (i) review how eukaryotic cells sense and respond to microgravity using various pathways responsive to unloading of mechanical stress; (ii) we observe that prokaryotic cells possess many structures analogous to mechanosensitive structures in eukaryotes; (iii) we review current evidence indicating that prokaryotes also possess active mechanosensing and mechanotransduction mechanisms; and (iv) we propose a complete mechanotransduction model including mechanisms by which mechanical signals may be transduced to the gene expression apparatus through alterations in bacterial nucleoid architecture, DNA supercoiling, and epigenetic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wayne L. Nicholson
- Space Life Sciences Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, 505 Odyssey Way, Merritt Island, FL 32953, USA;
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30
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Manzano A, Villacampa A, Sáez-Vásquez J, Kiss JZ, Medina FJ, Herranz R. The Importance of Earth Reference Controls in Spaceflight -Omics Research: Characterization of Nucleolin Mutants from the Seedling Growth Experiments. iScience 2020; 23:101686. [PMID: 33163940 PMCID: PMC7607443 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding plant adaptive responses to the space environment is a requisite for enabling space farming. Spaceflight produces deleterious effects on plant cells, particularly affecting ribosome biogenesis, a complex stress-sensitive process coordinated with cell division and differentiation, known to be activated by red light. Here, in a series of ground studies, we have used mutants from the two Arabidopsis nucleolin genes (NUC1 and NUC2, nucleolar regulators of ribosome biogenesis) to better understand their role in adaptive response mechanisms to stress on Earth. Thus, we show that nucleolin stress-related gene NUC2 can compensate for the environmental stress provided by darkness in nuc1 plants, whereas nuc2 plants are not able to provide a complete response to red light. These ground control findings, as part of the ESA/NASA Seedling Growth spaceflight experiments, will determine the basis for the identification of genetic backgrounds enabling an adaptive advantage for plants in future space experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aránzazu Manzano
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alicia Villacampa
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Julio Sáez-Vásquez
- CNRS, Laboratoire Génome et Développement des Plantes (LGDP), UMR 5096, 66860 Perpignan, France
- Univ. Perpignan Via Domitia, LGDP, UMR 5096, 66860 Perpignan, France
| | - John Z. Kiss
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402, USA
| | - F. Javier Medina
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raúl Herranz
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040, Madrid, Spain
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31
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Exploration of space to achieve scientific breakthroughs. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 43:107572. [PMID: 32540473 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Living organisms adapt to changing environments using their amazing flexibility to remodel themselves by a process called evolution. Environmental stress causes selective pressure and is associated with genetic and phenotypic shifts for better modifications, maintenance, and functioning of organismal systems. The natural evolution process can be used in complement to rational strain engineering for the development of desired traits or phenotypes as well as for the production of novel biomaterials through the imposition of one or more selective pressures. Space provides a unique environment of stressors (e.g., weightlessness and high radiation) that organisms have never experienced on Earth. Cells in the outer space reorganize and develop or activate a range of molecular responses that lead to changes in cellular properties. Exposure of cells to the outer space will lead to the development of novel variants more efficiently than on Earth. For instance, natural crop varieties can be generated with higher nutrition value, yield, and improved features, such as resistance against high and low temperatures, salt stress, and microbial and pest attacks. The review summarizes the literature on the parameters of outer space that affect the growth and behavior of cells and organisms as well as complex colloidal systems. We illustrate an understanding of gravity-related basic biological mechanisms and enlighten the possibility to explore the outer space environment for application-oriented aspects. This will stimulate biological research in the pursuit of innovative approaches for the future of agriculture and health on Earth.
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Kruse CPS, Meyers AD, Basu P, Hutchinson S, Luesse DR, Wyatt SE. Spaceflight induces novel regulatory responses in Arabidopsis seedling as revealed by combined proteomic and transcriptomic analyses. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2020; 20:237. [PMID: 32460700 PMCID: PMC7251690 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-020-02392-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding of gravity sensing and response is critical to long-term human habitation in space and can provide new advantages for terrestrial agriculture. To this end, the altered gene expression profile induced by microgravity has been repeatedly queried by microarray and RNA-seq experiments to understand gravitropism. However, the quantification of altered protein abundance in space has been minimally investigated. RESULTS Proteomic (iTRAQ-labelled LC-MS/MS) and transcriptomic (RNA-seq) analyses simultaneously quantified protein and transcript differential expression of three-day old, etiolated Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings grown aboard the International Space Station along with their ground control counterparts. Protein extracts were fractionated to isolate soluble and membrane proteins and analyzed to detect differentially phosphorylated peptides. In total, 968 RNAs, 107 soluble proteins, and 103 membrane proteins were identified as differentially expressed. In addition, the proteomic analyses identified 16 differential phosphorylation events. Proteomic data delivered novel insights and simultaneously provided new context to previously made observations of gene expression in microgravity. There is a sweeping shift in post-transcriptional mechanisms of gene regulation including RNA-decapping protein DCP5, the splicing factors GRP7 and GRP8, and AGO4,. These data also indicate AHA2 and FERONIA as well as CESA1 and SHOU4 as central to the cell wall adaptations seen in spaceflight. Patterns of tubulin-α 1, 3,4 and 6 phosphorylation further reveal an interaction of microtubule and redox homeostasis that mirrors osmotic response signaling elements. The absence of gravity also results in a seemingly wasteful dysregulation of plastid gene transcription. CONCLUSIONS The datasets gathered from Arabidopsis seedlings exposed to microgravity revealed marked impacts on post-transcriptional regulation, cell wall synthesis, redox/microtubule dynamics, and plastid gene transcription. The impact of post-transcriptional regulatory alterations represents an unstudied element of the plant microgravity response with the potential to significantly impact plant growth efficiency and beyond. What's more, addressing the effects of microgravity on AHA2, CESA1, and alpha tubulins has the potential to enhance cytoskeletal organization and cell wall composition, thereby enhancing biomass production and growth in microgravity. Finally, understanding and manipulating the dysregulation of plastid gene transcription has further potential to address the goal of enhancing plant growth in the stressful conditions of microgravity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin P S Kruse
- Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
- Interdisciplinary Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Alexander D Meyers
- Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
- Interdisciplinary Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Proma Basu
- Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
- Interdisciplinary Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Sarahann Hutchinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL, USA
| | - Darron R Luesse
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL, USA
| | - Sarah E Wyatt
- Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA.
- Interdisciplinary Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA.
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Xiong H, Guo H, Xie Y, Gu J, Zhao L, Zhao S, Ding Y, Kong F, Sui L, Liu L. Comparative transcriptome analysis of two common wheat varieties induced by 7Li-ion beam irradiation reveals mutation hotspot regions and associated pathways. Radiat Phys Chem Oxf Engl 1993 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2019.108650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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34
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Barker R, Lombardino J, Rasmussen K, Gilroy S. Test of Arabidopsis Space Transcriptome: A Discovery Environment to Explore Multiple Plant Biology Spaceflight Experiments. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:147. [PMID: 32265943 PMCID: PMC7076552 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in the routine access to space along with increasing opportunities to perform plant growth experiments on board the International Space Station have led to an ever-increasing body of transcriptomic, proteomic, and epigenomic data from plants experiencing spaceflight. These datasets hold great promise to help understand how plant biology reacts to this unique environment. However, analyses that mine across such expanses of data are often complex to implement, being impeded by the sheer number of potential comparisons that are possible. Complexities in how the output of these multiple parallel analyses can be presented to the researcher in an accessible and intuitive form provides further barriers to such research. Recent developments in computational systems biology have led to rapid advances in interactive data visualization environments designed to perform just such tasks. However, to date none of these tools have been tailored to the analysis of the broad-ranging plant biology spaceflight data. We have therefore developed the Test Of Arabidopsis Space Transcriptome (TOAST) database (https://astrobiology.botany.wisc.edu/astrobotany-toast) to address this gap in our capabilities. TOAST is a relational database that uses the Qlik database management software to link plant biology, spaceflight-related omics datasets, and their associated metadata. This environment helps visualize relationships across multiple levels of experiments in an easy to use gene-centric platform. TOAST draws on data from The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) GeneLab and other data repositories and also connects results to a suite of web-based analytical tools to facilitate further investigation of responses to spaceflight and related stresses. The TOAST graphical user interface allows for quick comparisons between plant spaceflight experiments using real-time, gene-specific queries, or by using functional gene ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway, or other filtering systems to explore genetic networks of interest. Testing of the database shows that TOAST confirms patterns of gene expression already highlighted in the literature, such as revealing the modulation of oxidative stress-related responses across multiple plant spaceflight experiments. However, this data exploration environment can also drive new insights into patterns of spaceflight responsive gene expression. For example, TOAST analyses highlight changes to mitochondrial function as likely shared responses in many plant spaceflight experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Barker
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Jonathan Lombardino
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
- Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Kai Rasmussen
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Simon Gilroy
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
- *Correspondence: Simon Gilroy,
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Califar B, Sng NJ, Zupanska A, Paul AL, Ferl RJ. Root Skewing-Associated Genes Impact the Spaceflight Response of Arabidopsis thaliana. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:239. [PMID: 32194611 PMCID: PMC7064724 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The observation that plant roots skew in microgravity recently refuted the long-held conviction that skewing was a gravity-dependent phenomenon. Further, spaceflight root skewing suggests that specific root morphologies and cell wall remodeling systems may be important aspects of spaceflight physiological adaptation. However, connections between skewing, cell wall modification and spaceflight physiology are currently based on inferences rather than direct tests. Therefore, the Advanced Plant Experiments-03-2 (APEX-03-2) spaceflight study was designed to elucidate the contribution of two skewing- and cell wall-associated genes in Arabidopsis to root behavior and gene expression patterns in spaceflight, to assess whether interruptions of different skewing pathways affect the overall spaceflight-associated process. SPIRAL1 is a skewing-related protein implicated in directional cell expansion, and functions by regulating cortical microtubule dynamics. SKU5 is skewing-related glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein of the plasma membrane and cell wall implicated in stress response signaling. These two genes function in different cellular pathways that affect skewing on the Earth, and enable a test of the relevance of skewing pathways to spaceflight physiological adaptation. In this study, both sku5 and spr1 mutants showed different skewing behavior and markedly different patterns of gene expression in the spaceflight environment. The spr1 mutant showed fewer differentially expressed genes than its Col-0 wild-type, whereas sku5 showed considerably more than its WS wild-type. Developmental age played a substantial role in spaceflight acclimation in all genotypes, but particularly in sku5 plants, where spaceflight 4d seedlings had almost 10-times as many highly differentially expressed genes as the 8d seedlings. These differences demonstrated that the two skewing pathways represented by SKU5 and SPR1 have unique and opposite contributions to physiological adaptation to spaceflight. The spr1 response is less intense than wild type, suggesting that the loss of SPR1 positively impacts spaceflight adaptation. Conversely, the intensity of the sku5 responses suggests that the loss of SKU5 initiates a much more complex, deeper and more stress related response to spaceflight. This suggests that proper SKU5 function is important to spaceflight adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Califar
- Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- The Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Program in Genetics and Genomics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Natasha J. Sng
- Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Agata Zupanska
- Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Anna-Lisa Paul
- Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- The Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Program in Genetics and Genomics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology and Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- *Correspondence: Anna-Lisa Paul,
| | - Robert J. Ferl
- Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- The Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Program in Genetics and Genomics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Robert J. Ferl,
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Beisel NS, Noble J, Barbazuk WB, Paul AL, Ferl RJ. Spaceflight-induced alternative splicing during seedling development in Arabidopsis thaliana. NPJ Microgravity 2019; 5:9. [PMID: 30963109 PMCID: PMC6447593 DOI: 10.1038/s41526-019-0070-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants grown in spaceflight experience novel environmental signals, including those associated with microgravity and ionizing radiation. Spaceflight triggers a response involving transcriptional re-programming and altered cell morphology, though many aspects of this response remain uncharacterized. We analyzed the spaceflight-induced transcriptome with a focus on genes that undergo alternative splicing to examine differential splicing associated with spaceflight—an unstudied characteristic of the molecular response to spaceflight exposure. RNA sequence data obtained during the APEX03 spaceflight experiment that was collected from two Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes at two seedling stages grown onboard the International Space Station, or as ground controls at Kennedy Space Center, were re-examined to detect alternative splicing differences induced by spaceflight. Presence/absence variation analysis was used to identify putative expression-level differences in alternatively spliced isoforms between spaceflight and ground controls and was followed by analysis of significant differential alternative splicing. This study provides the first evidence of a role for alternative splicing in the molecular processes of physiological adaptation to the spaceflight environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole S Beisel
- 1Plant Molecular & Cellular Biology Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Jerald Noble
- 1Plant Molecular & Cellular Biology Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - W Brad Barbazuk
- 1Plant Molecular & Cellular Biology Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA.,2Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA.,3Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA.,4Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Anna-Lisa Paul
- 1Plant Molecular & Cellular Biology Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA.,5Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Robert J Ferl
- 1Plant Molecular & Cellular Biology Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA.,2Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA.,5Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
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Zhou M, Sng NJ, LeFrois CE, Paul AL, Ferl RJ. Epigenomics in an extraterrestrial environment: organ-specific alteration of DNA methylation and gene expression elicited by spaceflight in Arabidopsis thaliana. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:205. [PMID: 30866818 PMCID: PMC6416986 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5554-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plants adapted to diverse environments on Earth throughout their evolutionary history, and developed mechanisms to thrive in a variety of terrestrial habitats. When plants are grown in the novel environment of spaceflight aboard the International Space Station (ISS), an environment completely outside their evolutionary history, they respond with unique alterations to their gene expression profile. Identifying the genes important for physiological adaptation to spaceflight and dissecting the biological processes and pathways engaged by plants during spaceflight has helped reveal spaceflight adaptation, and has furthered understanding of terrestrial growth processes. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms responsible for these changes in gene expression patterns are just beginning to be explored. Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation at position five in cytosine, has been shown to play a role in the physiological adaptation to adverse terrestrial environments, and may play a role in spaceflight as well. RESULTS Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing of DNA of Arabidopsis grown on the ISS from seed revealed organ-specific patterns of differential methylation compared to ground controls. The overall levels of methylation in CG, CHG, and CHH contexts were similar between flight and ground DNA, however, thousands of specifically differentially methylated cytosines were discovered, and there were clear organ-specific differences in methylation patterns. Spaceflight leaves had higher methylation levels in CHG and CHH contexts within protein-coding genes in spaceflight; about a fifth of the leaf genes were also differentially regulated in spaceflight, almost half of which were associated with reactive oxygen signaling. CONCLUSIONS The physiological adaptation of plants to spaceflight is likely nuanced by epigenomic modification. This is the first examination of differential genomic methylation from plants grown completely in the spaceflight environment of the ISS in plant growth hardware developed for informing exploration life support strategies. Yet even in this optimized plant habitat, plants respond as if stressed. These data suggest that gene expression associated with physiological adaptation to spaceflight is regulated in part by methylation strategies similar to those engaged with familiar terrestrial stress responses. The differential methylation maps generated here provide a useful reference for elucidating the layers of regulation of spaceflight responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingqi Zhou
- 0000 0004 1936 8091grid.15276.37Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA ,0000 0004 1936 8091grid.15276.37Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Natasha J. Sng
- 0000 0004 1936 8091grid.15276.37Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA ,0000 0004 1936 8091grid.15276.37Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Collin E. LeFrois
- 0000 0004 1936 8091grid.15276.37Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Anna-Lisa Paul
- 0000 0004 1936 8091grid.15276.37Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA ,0000 0004 1936 8091grid.15276.37Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Robert J. Ferl
- 0000 0004 1936 8091grid.15276.37Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA ,0000 0004 1936 8091grid.15276.37Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA ,0000 0004 1936 8091grid.15276.37Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
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Sng NJ, Kolaczkowski B, Ferl RJ, Paul AL. A member of the CONSTANS-Like protein family is a putative regulator of reactive oxygen species homeostasis and spaceflight physiological adaptation. AOB PLANTS 2019; 11:ply075. [PMID: 30705745 PMCID: PMC6348315 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/ply075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
A feature of the physiological adaptation to spaceflight in Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) is the induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-associated gene expression. The patterns of ROS-associated gene expression vary among Arabidopsis ecotypes, and the role of ROS signalling in spaceflight acclimation is unknown. What could differences in ROS gene regulation between ecotypes on orbit reveal about physiological adaptation to novel environments? Analyses of ecotype-dependent responses to spaceflight resulted in the elucidation of a previously uncharacterized gene (OMG1) as being ROS-associated. The OMG1 5' flanking region is an active promoter in cells where ROS activity is commonly observed, such as in pollen tubes, root hairs, and in other tissues upon wounding. qRT-PCR analyses revealed that upon wounding on Earth, OMG1 is an apparent transcriptional regulator of MYB77 and GRX480, which are associated with the ROS pathway. Fluorescence-based ROS assays show that OMG1 affects ROS production. Phylogenetic analysis of OMG1 and closely related homologs suggests that OMG1 is a distant, unrecognized member of the CONSTANS-Like protein family, a member that arose via gene duplication early in the angiosperm lineage and subsequently lost its first DNA-binding B-box1 domain. These data illustrate that members of the rapidly evolving COL protein family play a role in regulating ROS pathway functions, and their differential regulation on orbit suggests a role for ROS signalling in spaceflight physiological adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha J Sng
- Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Bryan Kolaczkowski
- Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Robert J Ferl
- Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Horticultural Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research (ICBR), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Anna-Lisa Paul
- Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Horticultural Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Corresponding author’s e-mail address:
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HSFA2 Functions in the Physiological Adaptation of Undifferentiated Plant Cells to Spaceflight. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20020390. [PMID: 30658467 PMCID: PMC6359015 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20020390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Revised: 12/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Heat Shock Factor A2 (HsfA2) is part of the Heat Shock Factor (HSF) network, and plays an essential role beyond heat shock in environmental stress responses and cellular homeostatic control. Arabidopsis thaliana cell cultures derived from wild type (WT) ecotype Col-0 and a knockout line deficient in the gene encoding HSFA2 (HSFA2 KO) were grown aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to ascertain whether the HSF network functions in the adaptation to the novel environment of spaceflight. Microarray gene expression data were analyzed using a two-part comparative approach. First, genes differentially expressed between the two environments (spaceflight to ground) were identified within the same genotype, which represented physiological adaptation to spaceflight. Second, gene expression profiles were compared between the two genotypes (HSFA2 KO to WT) within the same environment, which defined genes uniquely required by each genotype on the ground and in spaceflight-adapted states. Results showed that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and unfolded protein response (UPR) define the HSFA2 KO cells' physiological state irrespective of the environment, and likely resulted from a deficiency in the chaperone-mediated protein folding machinery in the mutant. Results further suggested that additional to its universal stress response role, HsfA2 also has specific roles in the physiological adaptation to spaceflight through cell wall remodeling, signal perception and transduction, and starch biosynthesis. Disabling HsfA2 altered the physiological state of the cells, and impacted the mechanisms induced to adapt to spaceflight, and identified HsfA2-dependent genes that are important to the adaption of wild type cells to spaceflight. Collectively these data indicate a non-thermal role for the HSF network in spaceflight adaptation.
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Choi WG, Barker RJ, Kim SH, Swanson SJ, Gilroy S. Variation in the transcriptome of different ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana reveals signatures of oxidative stress in plant responses to spaceflight. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2019; 106:123-136. [PMID: 30644539 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Spaceflight provides a unique environment in which to dissect plant stress response behaviors and to reveal potentially novel pathways triggered in space. We therefore analyzed the transcriptomes of Arabidopsis thaliana plants grown on board the International Space Station to find the molecular fingerprints of these space-related response networks. METHODS Four ecotypes (Col-0, Ws-2, Ler-0 and Cvi-0) were grown on orbit and then their patterns of transcript abundance compared to ground-based controls using RNA sequencing. KEY RESULTS Transcripts from heat-shock proteins were upregulated in all ecotypes in spaceflight, whereas peroxidase transcripts were downregulated. Among the shared and ecotype-specific changes, gene classes related to oxidative stress and hypoxia were detected. These spaceflight transcriptional response signatures could be partly mimicked on Earth by a low oxygen environment and more fully by oxidative stress (H2 O2 ) treatments. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the spaceflight environment is associated with oxidative stress potentially triggered, in part, by hypoxic response. Further, a shared spaceflight response may be through the induction of molecular chaperones (such as heat shock proteins) that help protect cellular machinery from the effects of oxidative damage. In addition, this research emphasizes the importance of considering the effects of natural variation when designing and interpreting changes associated with spaceflight experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Won-Gyu Choi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada-Reno, 1664 N. Virginia Street, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Richard J Barker
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Su-Hwa Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada-Reno, 1664 N. Virginia Street, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Sarah J Swanson
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Simon Gilroy
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
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Herranz R, Vandenbrink JP, Villacampa A, Manzano A, Poehlman WL, Feltus FA, Kiss JZ, Medina FJ. RNAseq Analysis of the Response of Arabidopsis thaliana to Fractional Gravity Under Blue-Light Stimulation During Spaceflight. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:1529. [PMID: 31850027 PMCID: PMC6889863 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Traveling to nearby extraterrestrial objects having a reduced gravity level (partial gravity) compared to Earth's gravity is becoming a realistic objective for space agencies. The use of plants as part of life support systems will require a better understanding of the interactions among plant growth responses including tropisms, under partial gravity conditions. Materials and Methods: Here, we present results from our latest space experiments on the ISS, in which seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana were germinated, and seedlings grew for six days under different gravity levels, namely micro-g, several intermediate partial-g levels, and 1g, and were subjected to irradiation with blue light for the last 48 h. RNA was extracted from 20 samples for subsequent RNAseq analysis. Transcriptomic analysis was performed using the HISAT2-Stringtie-DESeq pipeline. Differentially expressed genes were further characterized for global responses using the GEDI tool, gene networks and for Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment. Results: Differential gene expression analysis revealed only one differentially expressed gene (AT4G21560, VPS28-1 a vacuolar protein) across all gravity conditions using FDR correction (q < 0.05). However, the same 14 genes appeared differentially expressed when comparing either micro-g, low-g level (< 0.1g) or the Moon g-level with 1g control conditions. Apart from these 14-shared genes, the number of differentially expressed genes was similar in microgravity and the Moon g-level and increased in the intermediate g-level (< 0.1g), but it was then progressively reduced as the difference with the Earth gravity became smaller. The GO groups were differentially affected at each g-level: light and photosynthesis GO under microgravity, genes belonged to general stress, chemical and hormone responses under low-g, and a response related to cell wall and membrane structure and function under the Moon g-level. Discussion: Transcriptional analyses of plants under blue light stimulation suggests that root blue-light phototropism may be enough to reduce the gravitational stress response caused by the lack of gravitropism in microgravity. Competition among tropisms induces an intense perturbation at the micro-g level, which shows an extensive stress response that is progressively attenuated. Our results show a major effect on cell wall/membrane remodeling (detected at the interval from the Moon to Mars gravity), which can be potentially related to graviresistance mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raúl Herranz
- Plant Microgravity Lab, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- *Correspondence: Raúl Herranz,
| | - Joshua P. Vandenbrink
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, United States
- School of Biological Sciences, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA, United States
| | - Alicia Villacampa
- Plant Microgravity Lab, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Aránzazu Manzano
- Plant Microgravity Lab, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - William L. Poehlman
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States
| | - Frank Alex Feltus
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States
| | - John Z. Kiss
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, United States
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Krishnamurthy A, Ferl RJ, Paul A. Comparing RNA-Seq and microarray gene expression data in two zones of the Arabidopsis root apex relevant to spaceflight. APPLICATIONS IN PLANT SCIENCES 2018; 6:e01197. [PMID: 30473943 PMCID: PMC6240453 DOI: 10.1002/aps3.1197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/07/2018] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY The root apex is an important region involved in environmental sensing, but comprises a very small part of the root. Obtaining root apex transcriptomes is therefore challenging when the samples are limited. The feasibility of using tiny root sections for transcriptome analysis was examined, comparing RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to microarrays in characterizing genes that are relevant to spaceflight. METHODS Arabidopsis thaliana Columbia ecotype (Col-0) roots were sectioned into Zone 1 (0.5 mm; root cap and meristematic zone) and Zone 2 (1.5 mm; transition, elongation, and growth-terminating zone). Differential gene expression in each was compared. RESULTS Both microarrays and RNA-Seq proved applicable to the small samples. A total of 4180 genes were differentially expressed (with fold changes of 2 or greater) between Zone 1 and Zone 2. In addition, 771 unique genes and 19 novel transcriptionally active regions were identified by RNA-Seq that were not detected in microarrays. However, microarrays detected spaceflight-relevant genes that were missed in RNA-Seq. DISCUSSION Single root tip subsections can be used for transcriptome analysis using either RNA-Seq or microarrays. Both RNA-Seq and microarrays provided novel information. These data suggest that techniques for dealing with small, rare samples from spaceflight can be further enhanced, and that RNA-Seq may miss some spaceflight-relevant changes in gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aparna Krishnamurthy
- Department of Horticultural SciencesProgram in Plant Molecular and Cellular BiologyUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFlorida32611USA
| | - Robert J. Ferl
- Department of Horticultural SciencesProgram in Plant Molecular and Cellular BiologyUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFlorida32611USA
- Interdisciplinary Center for BiotechnologyUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFlorida32611USA
| | - Anna‐Lisa Paul
- Department of Horticultural SciencesProgram in Plant Molecular and Cellular BiologyUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFlorida32611USA
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Resistance from agar medium impacts the helical growth of Arabidopsis primary roots. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2018; 85:43-50. [PMID: 29852351 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2018.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Revised: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Agar is widely used in studies of root growth since it can be mixed at different concentrations to impact mechanical impedance. At high concentrations (1.2-1.5%), growth of Arabidopsis roots has been found to be wavy, but little research has explored this behavior based on a quantitative understanding of mechanical behavior. To this end, agar media with concentration ranging from 0.5% to 1.2% were prepared to produce gradient resistance during root penetration, and Young's moduli and penetrometer resistance were tested. Arabidopsis roots were then cultivated in these agar media with gradient stiffness. The result showed that Young's modulus increased linearly with the increase of concentration of agar media. For Arabidopsis primary roots, it was preferred to develop a helical pattern in agar media with concentration from 0.5% to 1.0%. As stiffness of agar increased, the percentage of helical roots and helix diameters in each agar medium declined; root lengths and auxin distributions showed variety. We demonstrate that the size of helical deformation decreases with agar stiffness as expected by theoretical analysis based on a combination of growth-induced mechanical buckling. In conclusion, the resistance from agar media impacts the properties of root helix, and helical roots growth is driven by growth force. Growth force and external mechanical forces contribute to root phenotypes in Arabidopsis.
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Frolov A, Didio A, Ihling C, Chantzeva V, Grishina T, Hoehenwarter W, Sinz A, Smolikova G, Bilova T, Medvedev S. The effect of simulated microgravity on the Brassica napus seedling proteome. FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2018; 45:440-452. [PMID: 32290983 DOI: 10.1071/fp16378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The magnitude and the direction of the gravitational field represent an important environmental factor affecting plant development. In this context, the absence or frequent alterations of the gravity field (i.e. microgravity conditions) might compromise extraterrestrial agriculture and hence space inhabitation by humans. To overcome the deleterious effects of microgravity, a complete understanding of the underlying changes on the macromolecular level is necessary. However, although microgravity-related changes in gene expression are well characterised on the transcriptome level, proteomic data are limited. Moreover, information about the microgravity-induced changes in the seedling proteome during seed germination and the first steps of seedling development is completely missing. One of the valuable tools to assess gravity-related issues is 3D clinorotation (i.e. rotation in two axes). Therefore, here we address the effects of microgravity, simulated by a two-axial clinostat, on the proteome of 24- and 48-h-old seedlings of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). The liquid chromatography-MS-based proteomic analysis and database search revealed 95 up- and 38 downregulated proteins in the tryptic digests obtained from the seedlings subjected to simulated microgravity, with 42 and 52 annotations detected as being unique for 24- and 48-h treatment times, respectively. The polypeptides involved in protein metabolism, transport and signalling were annotated as the functional groups most strongly affected by 3-D clinorotation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrej Frolov
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, DE 06120, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Anna Didio
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, DE 06120, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Christian Ihling
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Bioanalytics, Institute of Pharmacy, Martin-Luther Universität Halle-Wittenberg, DE 06120, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Veronika Chantzeva
- Department of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, St. Petersburg State University, RU 199034, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
| | - Tatyana Grishina
- Department of Biochemistry, St. Petersburg State University, RU 199034, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
| | - Wolfgang Hoehenwarter
- Proteome Analytics Research Group, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, DE 06120, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Andrea Sinz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Bioanalytics, Institute of Pharmacy, Martin-Luther Universität Halle-Wittenberg, DE 06120, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Galina Smolikova
- Department of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, St. Petersburg State University, RU 199034, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
| | - Tatiana Bilova
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, DE 06120, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Sergei Medvedev
- Department of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, St. Petersburg State University, RU 199034, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
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Zupanska AK, Schultz ER, Yao J, Sng NJ, Zhou M, Callaham JB, Ferl RJ, Paul AL. ARG1 Functions in the Physiological Adaptation of Undifferentiated Plant Cells to Spaceflight. ASTROBIOLOGY 2017; 17:1077-1111. [PMID: 29088549 PMCID: PMC8024390 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Scientific access to spaceflight and especially the International Space Station has revealed that physiological adaptation to spaceflight is accompanied or enabled by changes in gene expression that significantly alter the transcriptome of cells in spaceflight. A wide range of experiments have shown that plant physiological adaptation to spaceflight involves gene expression changes that alter cell wall and other metabolisms. However, while transcriptome profiling aptly illuminates changes in gene expression that accompany spaceflight adaptation, mutation analysis is required to illuminate key elements required for that adaptation. Here we report how transcriptome profiling was used to gain insight into the spaceflight adaptation role of Altered response to gravity 1 (Arg1), a gene known to affect gravity responses in plants on Earth. The study compared expression profiles of cultured lines of Arabidopsis thaliana derived from wild-type (WT) cultivar Col-0 to profiles from a knock-out line deficient in the gene encoding ARG1 (ARG1 KO), both on the ground and in space. The cell lines were launched on SpaceX CRS-2 as part of the Cellular Expression Logic (CEL) experiment of the BRIC-17 spaceflight mission. The cultured cell lines were grown within 60 mm Petri plates in Petri Dish Fixation Units (PDFUs) that were housed within the Biological Research In Canisters (BRIC) hardware. Spaceflight samples were fixed on orbit. Differentially expressed genes were identified between the two environments (spaceflight and comparable ground controls) and the two genotypes (WT and ARG1 KO). Each genotype engaged unique genes during physiological adaptation to the spaceflight environment, with little overlap. Most of the genes altered in expression in spaceflight in WT cells were found to be Arg1-dependent, suggesting a major role for that gene in the physiological adaptation of undifferentiated cells to spaceflight. Key Words: ARG1-Spaceflight-Gene expression-Physiological adaptation-BRIC. Astrobiology 17, 1077-1111.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agata K. Zupanska
- Horticultural Science Department, Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Eric R. Schultz
- Horticultural Science Department, Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - JiQiang Yao
- Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- Present address: Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
| | - Natasha J. Sng
- Horticultural Science Department, Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Mingqi Zhou
- Horticultural Science Department, Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Jordan B. Callaham
- Horticultural Science Department, Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Robert J. Ferl
- Horticultural Science Department, Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Anna-Lisa Paul
- Horticultural Science Department, Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
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Johnson CM, Subramanian A, Pattathil S, Correll MJ, Kiss JZ. Comparative transcriptomics indicate changes in cell wall organization and stress response in seedlings during spaceflight. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2017; 104:1219-1231. [PMID: 28827451 PMCID: PMC5821596 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1700079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Plants will play an important role in the future of space exploration as part of bioregenerative life support. Thus, it is important to understand the effects of microgravity and spaceflight on gene expression in plant development. METHODS We analyzed the transcriptome of Arabidopsis thaliana using the Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC) hardware during Space Shuttle mission STS-131. The bioinformatics methods used included RMA (robust multi-array average), MAS5 (Microarray Suite 5.0), and PLIER (probe logarithmic intensity error estimation). Glycome profiling was used to analyze cell wall composition in the samples. In addition, our results were compared to those of two other groups using the same hardware on the same mission (BRIC-16). KEY RESULTS In our BRIC-16 experiments, we noted expression changes in genes involved in hypoxia and heat shock responses, DNA repair, and cell wall structure between spaceflight samples compared to the ground controls. In addition, glycome profiling supported our expression analyses in that there was a difference in cell wall components between ground control and spaceflight-grown plants. Comparing our studies to those of the other BRIC-16 experiments demonstrated that, even with the same hardware and similar biological materials, differences in results in gene expression were found among these spaceflight experiments. CONCLUSIONS A common theme from our BRIC-16 space experiments and those of the other two groups was the downregulation of water stress response genes in spaceflight. In addition, all three studies found differential regulation of genes associated with cell wall remodeling and stress responses between spaceflight-grown and ground control plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M. Johnson
- Miami University, Department of Biology 212 Pearson Hall, Oxford, Ohio 45056 USA
| | - Aswati Subramanian
- Miami University, Department of Biology 212 Pearson Hall, Oxford, Ohio 45056 USA
| | - Sivakumar Pattathil
- University of Georgia Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, 315 Riverbend Road, Athens, Georgia 30602 USA
- Mascoma, LLC (Lallemand Inc.) 67 Etna Road Lebanon, New Hampshire 03766 USA
| | - Melanie J. Correll
- University of Florida, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering 209 Frazier Rogers Hall, Gainesville, Florida 32611 USA
| | - John Z. Kiss
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Department of Biology, Greensboro, North Carolina 27412 USA
- Author for correspondence ()
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Paul AL, Sng NJ, Zupanska AK, Krishnamurthy A, Schultz ER, Ferl RJ. Genetic dissection of the Arabidopsis spaceflight transcriptome: Are some responses dispensable for the physiological adaptation of plants to spaceflight? PLoS One 2017; 12:e0180186. [PMID: 28662188 PMCID: PMC5491145 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimentation on the International Space Station has reached the stage where repeated and nuanced transcriptome studies are beginning to illuminate the structural and metabolic differences between plants grown in space compared to plants on the Earth. Genes that are important in establishing the spaceflight responses are being identified, their roles in spaceflight physiological adaptation are increasingly understood, and the fact that different genotypes adapt differently is recognized. However, the basic question of whether these spaceflight responses are actually required for survival has yet to be posed, and the fundamental notion that spaceflight responses may be non-adaptive has yet to be explored. Therefore the experiments presented here were designed to ask if portions of the plant spaceflight response can be genetically removed without causing loss of spaceflight survival and without causing increased stress responses. The CARA experiment compared the spaceflight transcriptome responses in the root tips of two Arabidopsis ecotypes, Col-0 and WS, as well as that of a PhyD mutant of Col-0. When grown with the ambient light of the ISS, phyD plants displayed a significantly reduced spaceflight transcriptome response compared to Col-0, suggesting that altering the activity of a single gene can actually improve spaceflight adaptation by reducing the transcriptome cost of physiological adaptation. The WS genotype showed an even simpler spaceflight transcriptome response in the ambient light of the ISS, more broadly indicating that the plant genotype can be manipulated to reduce the cost of spaceflight adaptation, as measured by transcriptional response. These differential genotypic responses suggest that genetic manipulation could further reduce, or perhaps eliminate the metabolic cost of spaceflight adaptation. When plants were germinated and then left in the dark on the ISS, the WS genotype actually mounted a larger transcriptome response than Col-0, suggesting that the in-space light environment affects physiological adaptation, which implies that manipulating the local habitat can also substantially impact the metabolic cost of spaceflight adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Lisa Paul
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Natasha J. Sng
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Agata K. Zupanska
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Aparna Krishnamurthy
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Eric R. Schultz
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Robert J. Ferl
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology and Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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48
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Xiong H, Guo H, Xie Y, Zhao L, Gu J, Zhao S, Li J, Liu L. RNAseq analysis reveals pathways and candidate genes associated with salinity tolerance in a spaceflight-induced wheat mutant. Sci Rep 2017. [PMID: 28578401 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-41017-03024-41590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Salinity stress has become an increasing threat to food security worldwide and elucidation of the mechanism for salinity tolerance is of great significance. Induced mutation, especially spaceflight mutagenesis, is one important method for crop breeding. In this study, we show that a spaceflight-induced wheat mutant, named salinity tolerance 1 (st1), is a salinity-tolerant line. We report the characteristics of transcriptomic sequence variation induced by spaceflight, and show that mutations in genes associated with sodium ion transport may directly contribute to salinity tolerance in st1. Furthermore, GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between salinity-treated st1 and wild type suggested that the homeostasis of oxidation-reduction process is important for salt tolerance in st1. Through KEGG pathway analysis, "Butanoate metabolism" was identified as a new pathway for salinity responses. Additionally, key genes for salinity tolerance, such as genes encoding arginine decarboxylase, polyamine oxidase, hormones-related, were not only salt-induced in st1 but also showed higher expression in salt-treated st1 compared with salt-treated WT, indicating that these genes may play important roles in salinity tolerance in st1. This study presents valuable genetic resources for studies on transcriptome variation caused by induced mutation and the identification of salt tolerance genes in crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongchun Xiong
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, National Center of Space Mutagenesis for Crop Improvement, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Huijun Guo
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, National Center of Space Mutagenesis for Crop Improvement, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Yongdun Xie
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, National Center of Space Mutagenesis for Crop Improvement, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Linshu Zhao
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, National Center of Space Mutagenesis for Crop Improvement, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Jiayu Gu
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, National Center of Space Mutagenesis for Crop Improvement, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Shirong Zhao
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, National Center of Space Mutagenesis for Crop Improvement, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Junhui Li
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, National Center of Space Mutagenesis for Crop Improvement, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Luxiang Liu
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, National Center of Space Mutagenesis for Crop Improvement, Beijing, 100081, China.
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RNAseq analysis reveals pathways and candidate genes associated with salinity tolerance in a spaceflight-induced wheat mutant. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2731. [PMID: 28578401 PMCID: PMC5457441 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03024-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Salinity stress has become an increasing threat to food security worldwide and elucidation of the mechanism for salinity tolerance is of great significance. Induced mutation, especially spaceflight mutagenesis, is one important method for crop breeding. In this study, we show that a spaceflight-induced wheat mutant, named salinity tolerance 1 (st1), is a salinity-tolerant line. We report the characteristics of transcriptomic sequence variation induced by spaceflight, and show that mutations in genes associated with sodium ion transport may directly contribute to salinity tolerance in st1. Furthermore, GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between salinity-treated st1 and wild type suggested that the homeostasis of oxidation-reduction process is important for salt tolerance in st1. Through KEGG pathway analysis, "Butanoate metabolism" was identified as a new pathway for salinity responses. Additionally, key genes for salinity tolerance, such as genes encoding arginine decarboxylase, polyamine oxidase, hormones-related, were not only salt-induced in st1 but also showed higher expression in salt-treated st1 compared with salt-treated WT, indicating that these genes may play important roles in salinity tolerance in st1. This study presents valuable genetic resources for studies on transcriptome variation caused by induced mutation and the identification of salt tolerance genes in crops.
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50
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Kordyum EL, Chapman DK. Plants and microgravity: Patterns of microgravity effects at the cellular and molecular levels. CYTOL GENET+ 2017. [DOI: 10.3103/s0095452717020049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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