Utilizing the KSC Fixation Tube to Conduct Human-Tended Plant Biology Experiments on a Suborbital Spaceflight
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 biol...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Life |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/11/1871 |
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| author | Natasha J. Haveman Mingqi Zhou Jordan Callaham Hunter F. Strickland Donald Houze Susan Manning-Roach Gerard Newsham Anna-Lisa Paul Robert J. Ferl |
| author_facet | Natasha J. Haveman Mingqi Zhou Jordan Callaham Hunter F. Strickland Donald Houze Susan Manning-Roach Gerard Newsham Anna-Lisa Paul Robert J. Ferl |
| author_sort | Natasha J. Haveman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:13:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ee0abb71e3ba44769d06139fe2f322ae |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:13:18Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-ee0abb71e3ba44769d06139fe2f322ae2023-11-24T08:57:16ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292022-11-011211187110.3390/life12111871Utilizing the KSC Fixation Tube to Conduct Human-Tended Plant Biology Experiments on a Suborbital SpaceflightNatasha J. Haveman0Mingqi Zhou1Jordan Callaham2Hunter F. Strickland3Donald Houze4Susan Manning-Roach5Gerard Newsham6Anna-Lisa Paul7Robert J. Ferl8Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAAegis Aerospace Inc., Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL 32889, USAAegis Aerospace Inc., Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL 32889, USAConsolidated Safety Services, Inc., Merritt Island, FL 32953, USADepartment of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, 2550 Hull Road, Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USASuborbital 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.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/11/1871suborbital spaceKSC fixation tubesRNA-seqarabidopsistranscriptomics |
| spellingShingle | Natasha J. Haveman Mingqi Zhou Jordan Callaham Hunter F. Strickland Donald Houze Susan Manning-Roach Gerard Newsham Anna-Lisa Paul Robert J. Ferl Utilizing the KSC Fixation Tube to Conduct Human-Tended Plant Biology Experiments on a Suborbital Spaceflight Life suborbital space KSC fixation tubes RNA-seq arabidopsis transcriptomics |
| title | Utilizing the KSC Fixation Tube to Conduct Human-Tended Plant Biology Experiments on a Suborbital Spaceflight |
| title_full | Utilizing the KSC Fixation Tube to Conduct Human-Tended Plant Biology Experiments on a Suborbital Spaceflight |
| title_fullStr | Utilizing the KSC Fixation Tube to Conduct Human-Tended Plant Biology Experiments on a Suborbital Spaceflight |
| title_full_unstemmed | Utilizing the KSC Fixation Tube to Conduct Human-Tended Plant Biology Experiments on a Suborbital Spaceflight |
| title_short | Utilizing the KSC Fixation Tube to Conduct Human-Tended Plant Biology Experiments on a Suborbital Spaceflight |
| title_sort | utilizing the ksc fixation tube to conduct human tended plant biology experiments on a suborbital spaceflight |
| topic | suborbital space KSC fixation tubes RNA-seq arabidopsis transcriptomics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/11/1871 |
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