Living organisms in space are constantly exposed to radiation, toxic chemicals or reactive oxygen species generated due to increased levels of environmental and psychological stresses. Understanding the impact of spaceflight factors, microgravity in particular, on cellular responses to DNA damage is essential for assessing the radiation risk for astronauts and the mutation rate in microorganism...

BACKGROUND Ionizing radiation (IR) can be extremely harmful for human cells since an improper DNA-damage response (DDR) to IR can contribute to carcinogenesis initiation. Perturbations in DDR pathway can originate from alteration in the functionality of the microRNA-mediated gene regulation, being microRNAs (miRNAs) small noncoding RNA that act as post-transcriptional regulators of gene express...

The "GENARA A" experiment was designed to monitor global changes in the proteome of membranes of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings subjected to microgravity on board the International Space Station (ISS). For this purpose, 12-day-old seedlings were grown either in space, in the European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) under microgravity or on a 1 g centrifuge, or on the ground. Proteins associat...

BACKGROUND Decline immune function is well documented after spaceflights. Microgravity is one of the key factors directly suppressing the function of immune system. Though T cell immune response was inhibited by microgravity, it is not clearly whether activation would be inhibited after a pre-exposure of microgravity on T lymphocytes at the resting state. METHODS We herein investigated the re...

Growth and development, and auxin polar transport in Arabidopsis thaliana transformed with iaaH gene were studied under simulated microgravity conditions on a three-dimensional (3-D) clinostat. Simulated microgravity conditions on a 3-D clinostat did not affect the number of rosette leaves but promoted the growth and development (fresh weight of plant and the elongation of flower stalk) of tran...

BACKGROUND Revealing data on the role of vitamin D and calcium supplementation in bone health has led some to suggest that vitamin D and calcium treatment could also play a role in protecting bone against microgravity-induced mineral loss. OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of vitamin D and calcium administration on microscopic and densitometric changes of ...

Experiments have been carried out with extremely lean, quiescent propane-air mixtures to examine the behavior of irregular flame propagation and to examine the lean limits of flame propagation in a tube under microgravity. The microgravity technique achieved in a freely falling chamber is employed because the realizations of symmetrical flame propagations in a tube are possible. Experimental co...

Space travel is a major challenge for human beings. Especially, the mechanisms through which space conditions might alter animal development have been questioned for a long time. The two major physical stress factors that are of relevance in this context are space radiation and weightlessness. While it has been extensively shown that high doses of ionizing radiation induce deleterious effects o...

This study evaluated in vitro the differences in morphological behaviour between fibroblast cultured on smooth and microgrooved substrata (groove depth: 0.5 microm, width: 1, 2, 5, and 10 microm), which were subjected to simulated microgravity. The aim of the study was to clarify which of these parameters was more dominant to determine cell behaviour. Morphological characteristics were investig...

Biomimetically modified bioactive materials with bone-like surface properties are attractive candidates for use as microcarriers for 3-D bone-like tissue engineering under simulated microgravity conditions of NASAdesigned rotating wall vessel (RWV) bioreactors. The simulated microgravity environment is attainable under suitable parametric conditions of the RWV bioreactors. Ca-P containing bioac...