Review of the results from the International C. elegans first experiment (ICE-FIRST)

Adenle, Ademola A.; Johnsen, Bob; Szewczyk, Nathaniel J.

doi:10.1016/j.asr.2009.04.008

Cited by 41 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Daily observation of animals (figure 2 a ) confirmed the past inference that C. elegans develop normally in space [9,20,21]. Identical timings for egg to egg-laying adult were observed for the ground control and in-flight populations (figure 2 a , 6.5 days at 22 ± 1°C which is consistent with past growth rates in CeMM on the Earth [18,22]).…”

Section: Methods and Resultssupporting

confidence: 84%

Remote automated multi-generational growth and observation of an animal in low Earth orbit

Oczypok

Etheridge

Freeman

et al. 2011

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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The ultimate survival of humanity is dependent upon colonization of other planetary bodies. Key challenges to such habitation are (patho)physiologic changes induced by known, and unknown, factors associated with long-duration and distance space exploration. However, we currently lack biological models for detecting and studying these changes. Here, we use a remote automated culture system to successfully grow an animal in low Earth orbit for six months. Our observations, over 12 generations, demonstrate that the multi-cellular soil worm Caenorhabditis elegans develops from egg to adulthood and produces progeny with identical timings in space as on the Earth. Additionally, these animals display normal rates of movement when fully fed, comparable declines in movement when starved, and appropriate growth arrest upon starvation and recovery upon re-feeding. These observations establish C. elegans as a biological model that can be used to detect changes in animal growth, development, reproduction and behaviour in response to environmental conditions during long-duration spaceflight. This experimental system is ready to be incorporated on future, unmanned interplanetary missions and could be used to study cost-effectively the effects of such missions on these biological processes and the efficacy of new life support systems and radiation shielding technologies.

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Section: Methods and Resultssupporting

confidence: 84%

Remote automated multi-generational growth and observation of an animal in low Earth orbit

Oczypok

Etheridge

Freeman

et al. 2011

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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“…While a full review of that literature is beyond the scope of this study, recent studies do demonstrate clear transcriptome differences during spaceflight, including studies of murine muscle ) and thymus tissue (Lebsack et al, 2010). Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans show six differentially expressed genes common to these two diverse species (Leandro et al, 2007;Adenle et al, 2009). And while the divergence of plants and animals largely prevents specific gene comparisons in spaceflight responses, certain classes of genes seem similarly affected by spaceflight.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spaceflight Transcriptomes: Unique Responses to a Novel Environment

Paul

Zupanska²,

Ostrow³

et al. 2012

Astrobiology

133

141

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The spaceflight environment presents unique challenges to terrestrial biology, including but not limited to the direct effects of gravity. As we near the end of the Space Shuttle era, there remain fundamental questions about the response and adaptation of plants to orbital spaceflight conditions. We address a key baseline question of whether gene expression changes are induced by the orbital environment, and then we ask whether undifferentiated cells, cells presumably lacking the typical gravity response mechanisms, perceive spaceflight. Arabidopsis seedlings and undifferentiated cultured Arabidopsis cells were launched in April, 2010, as part of the BRIC-16 flight experiment on STS-131. Biologically replicated DNA microarray and averaged RNA digital transcript profiling revealed several hundred genes in seedlings and cell cultures that were significantly affected by launch and spaceflight. The response was moderate in seedlings; only a few genes were induced by more than 7-fold, and the overall intrinsic expression level for most differentially expressed genes was low. In contrast, cell cultures displayed a more dramatic response, with dozens of genes showing this level of differential expression, a list comprised primarily of heat shock-related and stress-related genes. This baseline transcriptome profiling of seedlings and cultured cells confirms the fundamental hypothesis that survival of the spaceflight environment requires adaptive changes that are both governed and displayed by alterations in gene expression. The comparison of intact plants with cultures of undifferentiated cells confirms a second hypothesis: undifferentiated cells can detect spaceflight in the absence of specialized tissue or organized developmental structures known to detect gravity.

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“…Nowadays, axenic cultures are not often used for keeping C. elegans with the exception of transport into space [70]. In the early days of Caenorhabditis sp.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

The laboratory domestication of Caenorhabditis elegans

Sterken¹,

Snoek²,

Kammenga³

et al. 2015

Trends in Genetics

188

186

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Model organisms are of great importance to understanding basic biology and to making advances in biomedical research. However, the influence of laboratory cultivation on these organisms is underappreciated, especially how that environment can affect research outcomes. Recent experiments led to insights into how the widely used laboratory reference strain of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans compares to natural strains. Here, we describe potential selective pressures that led to fixation of laboratory-derived alleles for the genes npr-1, glb-5, and nath-10. These alleles influence a large number of traits, resulting in behaviors that affect experimental interpretations. Furthermore, strong phenotypic effects caused by these laboratory-derived alleles hinder the discovery of natural alleles. We highlight strategies to reduce the influences of laboratory-derived alleles and to harness the full power of C. elegans.

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Review of the results from the International C. elegans first experiment (ICE-FIRST)

Cited by 41 publications

References 25 publications

Remote automated multi-generational growth and observation of an animal in low Earth orbit

Remote automated multi-generational growth and observation of an animal in low Earth orbit

Spaceflight Transcriptomes: Unique Responses to a Novel Environment

The laboratory domestication of Caenorhabditis elegans

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