The effects of microgravity on induced mutation in Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Takahashi, Akihisa; Ohnishi, Ken; Takahashi, Sayaka; Masukawa, Masatoshi; Sekikawa, K.; Amano, Takanori; Nakano, Tamotsu; Nagaoka, Shunji; Ohnishi, Takeo

doi:10.1016/s0273-1177(01)00391-x

Cited by 31 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Much current research is focused on differential gene expression in an attempt to correlate responses to weightlessness (or simulated weightlessness) to specific genes being up-or downregulated. Although this still maturing field has yet to positively identify which genes are responsible for the various gravity-dependent responses observed, a growing database of relationships is being documented (2,242,243). Wilson et al (264) conducted a microarray analysis on Salmonella cells cultured under conditions of simulated microgravity and found that overexpression of 100 genes was significantly altered, including genes encoding transcriptional regulators, virulence factors, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) synthetic enzymes, and iron utilization enzymes.…”

Section: Role Of Gravity In Basic Biological Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Space Microbiology

Horneck

Klaus

Mancinelli

2010

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

559

489

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SUMMARY The responses of microorganisms (viruses, bacterial cells, bacterial and fungal spores, and lichens) to selected factors of space (microgravity, galactic cosmic radiation, solar UV radiation, and space vacuum) were determined in space and laboratory simulation experiments. In general, microorganisms tend to thrive in the space flight environment in terms of enhanced growth parameters and a demonstrated ability to proliferate in the presence of normally inhibitory levels of antibiotics. The mechanisms responsible for the observed biological responses, however, are not yet fully understood. A hypothesized interaction of microgravity with radiation-induced DNA repair processes was experimentally refuted. The survival of microorganisms in outer space was investigated to tackle questions on the upper boundary of the biosphere and on the likelihood of interplanetary transport of microorganisms. It was found that extraterrestrial solar UV radiation was the most deleterious factor of space. Among all organisms tested, only lichens (Rhizocarpon geographicum and Xanthoria elegans) maintained full viability after 2 weeks in outer space, whereas all other test systems were inactivated by orders of magnitude. Using optical filters and spores of Bacillus subtilis as a biological UV dosimeter, it was found that the current ozone layer reduces the biological effectiveness of solar UV by 3 orders of magnitude. If shielded against solar UV, spores of B. subtilis were capable of surviving in space for up to 6 years, especially if embedded in clay or meteorite powder (artificial meteorites). The data support the likelihood of interplanetary transfer of microorganisms within meteorites, the so-called lithopanspermia hypothesis.

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Section: Role Of Gravity In Basic Biological Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Space Microbiology

Horneck

Klaus

Mancinelli

2010

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

559

489

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“…To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that yeast cells have shown such low sensitivity to ionizing radiation, compared to previous space experiments limited mostly to cell survival and mutagenesis tests after exposure to high radiation levels (Kiefer and Pross, 1999;Pross and Kiefer, 1999;Pross et al, 2000;Takahashi et al, 2001). These short duration studies were performed in LEO, behind Earth's protective magnetosphere, and thus required treatment of yeast cells with very large radiation doses (20 Gy or more) before flight (Kiefer and Pross, 1999;Pross and Kiefer, 1999;Takahashi et al, 2001) or during flight (Pross et al, 2000) using external sources. They also required sample return back to Earth to process the samples, which could have negative effects on the experiment if not handled properly.…”

Section: Deep Space Biosensor Yeast Preservationmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…To characterize the deep space radiation environment, BioSentinel contains two strains of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a wild type strain that serves as a control for yeast health, and a rad51 deletion mutant (rad51D) that is defective for recombinational repair of double stranded breaks (DSBs) in DNA, and is therefore sensitive to ionizing radiation (Bärtsch et al, 2000;Bennett et al, 2001). Previous space experiments in LEO used similar yeast strains to investigate the effects of microgravity and ionizing radiation on DNA repair processes and mutagenesis (Kiefer and Pross, 1999;Pross and Kiefer, 1999;Pross et al, 2000;Takahashi et al, 2001). In these short-term experiments, yeast cells were exposed to high doses of ionizing radiation before flight or during flight using external sources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

BioSentinel: Long-TermSaccharomyces cerevisiaePreservation for a Deep Space Biosensor Mission

et al. 2023

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The biological risks of the deep space environment must be elucidated to enable a new era of human exploration and scientific discovery beyond low earth orbit (LEO). There is a paucity of deep space biological missions that will inform us of the deleterious biological effects of prolonged exposure to the deep space environment. To safely undertake long-term missions to Mars and space habitation beyond LEO, we must first prove and optimize autonomous biosensors to query the deep space radiation environment. Such biosensors must contain organisms that can survive for extended periods with minimal life support technology and must function reliably with intermittent communication with Earth. NASA's BioSentinel mission, a nanosatellite containing the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is such a biosensor and one of the first biological missions beyond LEO in nearly half a century. It will help fill critical gaps in knowledge about the effects of uniquely composed, chronic, low-flux deep space radiation on biological systems and in particular will provide valuable insight into the DNA damage response to highly ionizing particles. Due to yeast's robustness and desiccation tolerance, it can survive for periods analogous to that of a human Mars mission. In this study, we discuss our optimization of conditions for long-term reagent storage and yeast survival under desiccation in preparation for the BioSentinel mission. We show that long-term yeast cell viability is maximized when cells are air-dried in trehalose solution and stored in a low-relative humidity and low-temperature environment and that dried yeast is sensitive to low doses of deep space-relevant ionizing radiation under these conditions. Our findings will inform the design and development of improved future long-term biological missions into deep space.

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“…In a previous short mission, there was no appreciable difference in results between space and ground samples because exposure to space radiation occurred at a low dose. Therefore, various living systems have been irradiated before spaceflight to clarify the effect of μG on the radiation-induced DNA damage response, but there was no appreciable difference in results [167][168][169][170][171]. However, synergistic effects between radiation and μG have been reported [172][173][174][175][176][177], and they can sup-press each other's effects [172,178].…”

Section: Biomed Research Internationalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Space Radiation Biology for “Living in Space”

Furukawa

Nagamatsu

Nenoi

et al. 2020

BioMed Research International

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Space travel has advanced significantly over the last six decades with astronauts spending up to 6 months at the International Space Station. Nonetheless, the living environment while in outer space is extremely challenging to astronauts. In particular, exposure to space radiation represents a serious potential long-term threat to the health of astronauts because the amount of radiation exposure accumulates during their time in space. Therefore, health risks associated with exposure to space radiation are an important topic in space travel, and characterizing space radiation in detail is essential for improving the safety of space missions. In the first part of this review, we provide an overview of the space radiation environment and briefly present current and future endeavors that monitor different space radiation environments. We then present research evaluating adverse biological effects caused by exposure to various space radiation environments and how these can be reduced. We especially consider the deleterious effects on cellular DNA and how cells activate DNA repair mechanisms. The latest technologies being developed, e.g., a fluorescent ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicator, to measure real-time cell cycle progression and DNA damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation are presented. Progress in examining the combined effects of microgravity and radiation to animals and plants are summarized, and our current understanding of the relationship between psychological stress and radiation is presented. Finally, we provide details about protective agents and the study of organisms that are highly resistant to radiation and how their biological mechanisms may aid developing novel technologies that alleviate biological damage caused by radiation. Future research that furthers our understanding of the effects of space radiation on human health will facilitate risk-mitigating strategies to enable long-term space and planetary exploration.

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The effects of microgravity on induced mutation in Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Cited by 31 publications

References 21 publications

Space Microbiology

Space Microbiology

BioSentinel: Long-TermSaccharomyces cerevisiaePreservation for a Deep Space Biosensor Mission

Space Radiation Biology for “Living in Space”

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