Transcriptomic dynamics in the transition from ground to space are revealed by Virgin Galactic human-tended suborbital spaceflight
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 fl...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-12-01
|
| Series: | npj Microgravity |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-023-00340-w |
| _version_ | 1797376879178547200 |
|---|---|
| author | Robert J. Ferl Mingqi Zhou Hunter F. Strickland Natasha J. Haveman Jordan B. Callaham Sirisha Bandla Daniel Ambriz Anna-Lisa Paul |
| author_facet | Robert J. Ferl Mingqi Zhou Hunter F. Strickland Natasha J. Haveman Jordan B. Callaham Sirisha Bandla Daniel Ambriz Anna-Lisa Paul |
| author_sort | Robert J. Ferl |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:44:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f17655cd016f43979867e4b601d7dc86 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2373-8065 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:44:58Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Microgravity |
| spelling | doaj.art-f17655cd016f43979867e4b601d7dc862023-12-24T12:25:25ZengNature Portfolionpj Microgravity2373-80652023-12-019111110.1038/s41526-023-00340-wTranscriptomic dynamics in the transition from ground to space are revealed by Virgin Galactic human-tended suborbital spaceflightRobert J. Ferl0Mingqi Zhou1Hunter F. Strickland2Natasha J. Haveman3Jordan B. Callaham4Sirisha Bandla5Daniel Ambriz6Anna-Lisa Paul7Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of FloridaDepartment of Horticultural Sciences, University of FloridaDepartment of Horticultural Sciences, University of FloridaDepartment of Horticultural Sciences, University of FloridaDepartment of Horticultural Sciences, University of FloridaVirgin GalacticVirgin GalacticDepartment of Horticultural Sciences, University of FloridaAbstract 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.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-023-00340-w |
| spellingShingle | Robert J. Ferl Mingqi Zhou Hunter F. Strickland Natasha J. Haveman Jordan B. Callaham Sirisha Bandla Daniel Ambriz Anna-Lisa Paul Transcriptomic dynamics in the transition from ground to space are revealed by Virgin Galactic human-tended suborbital spaceflight npj Microgravity |
| title | Transcriptomic dynamics in the transition from ground to space are revealed by Virgin Galactic human-tended suborbital spaceflight |
| title_full | Transcriptomic dynamics in the transition from ground to space are revealed by Virgin Galactic human-tended suborbital spaceflight |
| title_fullStr | Transcriptomic dynamics in the transition from ground to space are revealed by Virgin Galactic human-tended suborbital spaceflight |
| title_full_unstemmed | Transcriptomic dynamics in the transition from ground to space are revealed by Virgin Galactic human-tended suborbital spaceflight |
| title_short | Transcriptomic dynamics in the transition from ground to space are revealed by Virgin Galactic human-tended suborbital spaceflight |
| title_sort | transcriptomic dynamics in the transition from ground to space are revealed by virgin galactic human tended suborbital spaceflight |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-023-00340-w |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT robertjferl transcriptomicdynamicsinthetransitionfromgroundtospacearerevealedbyvirgingalactichumantendedsuborbitalspaceflight AT mingqizhou transcriptomicdynamicsinthetransitionfromgroundtospacearerevealedbyvirgingalactichumantendedsuborbitalspaceflight AT hunterfstrickland transcriptomicdynamicsinthetransitionfromgroundtospacearerevealedbyvirgingalactichumantendedsuborbitalspaceflight AT natashajhaveman transcriptomicdynamicsinthetransitionfromgroundtospacearerevealedbyvirgingalactichumantendedsuborbitalspaceflight AT jordanbcallaham transcriptomicdynamicsinthetransitionfromgroundtospacearerevealedbyvirgingalactichumantendedsuborbitalspaceflight AT sirishabandla transcriptomicdynamicsinthetransitionfromgroundtospacearerevealedbyvirgingalactichumantendedsuborbitalspaceflight AT danielambriz transcriptomicdynamicsinthetransitionfromgroundtospacearerevealedbyvirgingalactichumantendedsuborbitalspaceflight AT annalisapaul transcriptomicdynamicsinthetransitionfromgroundtospacearerevealedbyvirgingalactichumantendedsuborbitalspaceflight |