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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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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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6
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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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7
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Haveman NJ, Zhou M, Callaham J, Strickland HF, Houze D, Manning-Roach S, Newsham G, Paul AL, Ferl RJ. Utilizing the KSC Fixation Tube to Conduct Human-Tended Plant Biology Experiments on a Suborbital Spaceflight. LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:life12111871. [PMID: 36431005 PMCID: PMC9693084 DOI: 10.3390/life12111871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Suborbital spaceflights now enable human-tended research investigating short-term gravitational effects in biological systems, eliminating the need for complex automation. Here, we discuss a method utilizing KSC Fixation Tubes (KFTs) to both carry biology to suborbital space as well as fix that biology at certain stages of flight. Plants on support media were inserted into the sample side of KFTs preloaded with RNAlater in the fixation chamber. The KFTs were activated at various stages of a simulated flight to fix the plants. RNA-seq analysis conducted on tissue samples housed in KFTs, showed that plants behaved consistently in KFTs when compared to petri-plates. Over the time course, roots adjusted to hypoxia and leaves adjusted to changes in photosynthesis. These responses were due in part to the environment imposed by the encased triple containment of the KFTs, which is a requirement for flight in human spacecraft. While plants exhibited expected reproducible transcriptomic alteration over time in the KFTs, responses to clinorotation during the simulated flight suggest that transcriptomic responses to suborbital spaceflight can be examined using this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha J. Haveman
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Mingqi Zhou
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Jordan Callaham
- 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
| | - Donald Houze
- Aegis Aerospace Inc., Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL 32889, USA
| | | | - Gerard Newsham
- Consolidated Safety Services, Inc., Merritt Island, FL 32953, 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
- Correspondence: (A.-L.P.); (R.J.F.)
| | - Robert J. Ferl
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Office of Research, University of Florida, 1523 Union Rd, Grinter Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Correspondence: (A.-L.P.); (R.J.F.)
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8
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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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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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10
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Schulz H, Strauch SM, Richter P, Wehland M, Krüger M, Sahana J, Corydon TJ, Wise P, Baran R, Lebert M, Grimm D. Latest knowledge about changes in the proteome in microgravity. Expert Rev Proteomics 2022; 19:43-59. [PMID: 35037812 DOI: 10.1080/14789450.2022.2030711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION : A long-term stay of humans in space causes a large number of well-known health problems and changes in protists and plants. Deep space exploration will increase the time humans or rodents will spend in microgravity (µg). Moreover, they are exposed to cosmic radiation, hypodynamia, and isolation. OMICS investigations will increase our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of µg-induced alterations in vivo and in vitro. AREAS COVERED : We summarize the findings over the recent 3 years on µg-induced changes in the proteome of protists, plants, rodent and human cells. Considering the thematic orientation of microgravity-related publications in that time frame, we focus on medicine-associated findings such as the µg-induced antibiotic resistance of bacteria, the myocardial consequences of µg-induced calpain activation and the role of MMP13 in osteoarthritis. All these point to the fact that µg is an extreme stressor that could not be evolutionarily addressed on Earth. EXPERT COMMENTARY : In conclusion, when interpreting µg-experiments, the direct, mostly unspecific stress response, must be distinguished from specific µg-effects. For this reason, recent studies often do not consider single protein findings but place them in the context of protein-protein interactions. This enables an estimation of functional relationships, especially if these are supported by epigenetic and transcriptional data (multi-omics).
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Affiliation(s)
- Herbert Schulz
- Department of Microgravity and Translational Regenerative Medicine, Clinic for Plastic, Aesthetic and Hand Surgery, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Research Group 'Magdeburger Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Forschung unter Raumfahrt- und Schwerelosigkeitsbedingungen' (MARS), Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian M Strauch
- Postgraduate Program in Health and Environment, University of Joinville Region, Rua Paulo Malschitzki, 10 - Zona Industrial Norte, Joinville, SC, CEP 89219-710, Brazil
| | - Peter Richter
- Gravitational Biology Group, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander University, Staudtstraße 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Markus Wehland
- Department of Microgravity and Translational Regenerative Medicine, Clinic for Plastic, Aesthetic and Hand Surgery, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Research Group 'Magdeburger Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Forschung unter Raumfahrt- und Schwerelosigkeitsbedingungen' (MARS), Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Marcus Krüger
- Department of Microgravity and Translational Regenerative Medicine, Clinic for Plastic, Aesthetic and Hand Surgery, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Research Group 'Magdeburger Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Forschung unter Raumfahrt- und Schwerelosigkeitsbedingungen' (MARS), Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | | | - Thomas J Corydon
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.,Department of Ophthalmology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Petra Wise
- Department of Microgravity and Translational Regenerative Medicine, Clinic for Plastic, Aesthetic and Hand Surgery, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Ronni Baran
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Michael Lebert
- Gravitational Biology Group, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander University, Staudtstraße 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.,Space Biology Unlimited SAS, 24 Cours de l'Intendance, 33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Daniela Grimm
- Department of Microgravity and Translational Regenerative Medicine, Clinic for Plastic, Aesthetic and Hand Surgery, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Research Group 'Magdeburger Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Forschung unter Raumfahrt- und Schwerelosigkeitsbedingungen' (MARS), Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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