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At least 109 records · Page 6

Biological Data for Deep Space Mission Support

Increased biomedical risks and challenges associated with deep space missions (cis-Lunar, Mars transit, Mars surface) require new knowledge discovery and development of novel ecosystem and biomedical support capabilities. This paradigm shift supporting distant and long-duration missions requires biological data to be findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable (FAIR), and maximally open-access (i.e., there is a data governance continuum from closed to mediated to embargoed to open). The NASA “Open Science Data Repositories” (OSDR) aims to meet scientific, technical, and operational spaceflight needs, and offers the ability to upload, download, search, share, analyze, and visualize data across physiological, behavioral, ‘omics, and environmental monitoring telemetry datasets. OSDR includes NASA GeneLab, NASA Ames Life Sciences Data Archive (ALSDA), and NASA Biological Institutional Scientific Collection (NBISC). In the past year, ALSDA has undergone a transformation in its data collection, curation, and architecture methods. Standardizing non-genomic (phenotypic) datasets was, and will continue to be, a challenge because of their diverse nature (e.g., molecular, cellular, tissue, whole organism behavior; micro-computed tomography, intraocular pressure, fluorescence microscopy, western blot, ultrasonography; tabular, images, video). This year ALSDA, alongside GeneLab, introduced the Biological Data Management Environment (BDME) with the purpose to accept submission of data from space relevant experiments including spaceflight, radiation, simulated gravity, gravitropism, isolation and confinement, hostile closed environments and/or distance from Earth. In addition to bringing together omics, phenotypic, physiological, bioimaging, and behavioral data into one repository. By integrating with GeneLab a multi-project submission portal aims to reduce the burden on PIs submitting data and enabling the discovery of both omics and phenotypic data. The purpose of ALSDA is to collect, curate, and make all non-human space-relevant biological data maximally findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR). These scope of ALSDA data collected and submitted by PIs include study design metadata, subject metadata, assay metadata (parameters), raw and processed assay data, assay imagery/video, and subject-experienced mission data telemetry (radiation, temperature, humidity, acoustics, vibrations, etc.). In 2021, a community of researchers rallied to form the ALSDA Analysis Working Group (AWG) and provided scientific consensus on dataset sample and assay metadata. The community and excitement around the ALSDA/OSDR system has already led to several data reuse studies, demonstrating value using machine learning (ML), knowledge graphs, and meta-analysis approaches.

space biology↗

Biological Data for Deep Space Mission Support

Increased biomedical risks and challenges associated with deep space missions (cis-Lunar, Mars transit, Mars surface) require new knowledge discovery and development of novel ecosystem and biomedical support capabilities. This paradigm shift supporting distant and long-duration missions requires biological data to be findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable (FAIR), and maximally open-access (i.e., there is a data governance continuum from closed to mediated to embargoed to open). The NASA “Open Science Data Repositories” (OSDR) aims to meet scientific, technical, and operational spaceflight needs, and offers the ability to upload, download, search, share, analyze, and visualize data across physiological, behavioral, ‘omics, and environmental monitoring telemetry datasets. OSDR includes NASA GeneLab, NASA Ames Life Sciences Data Archive (ALSDA), and NASA Biological Institutional Scientific Collection (NBISC). In the past year, ALSDA has undergone a transformation in its data collection, curation, and architecture methods. Standardizing non-genomic (phenotypic) datasets was, and will continue to be, a challenge because of their diverse nature (e.g., molecular, cellular, tissue, whole organism, behavior; micro-computed tomography, intraocular pressure, fluorescence microscopy, western blot, ultrasonography; tabular, images, video). This year ALSDA, alongside GeneLab, introduced the Biological Data Management Environment (BDME) with the purpose to accept submission of data from space relevant experiments including spaceflight, radiation, simulated gravity, gravitropism, isolation and confinement, hostile closed environments and/or distance from Earth. In addition to bringing together omics, phenotypic, physiological, bioimaging, and behavioral data into one repository. By integrating with GeneLab a multi-project submission portal aims to reduce the burden on PIs submitting data and enabling the discovery of both omics and phenotypic data. The purpose of ALSDA is to collect, curate, and make all non-human space-relevant biological data maximally findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR). These scope of ALSDA data collected and submitted by PIs include study design metadata, subject metadata, assay metadata (parameters), raw and processed assay data, assay imagery/video, and subject-experienced mission data telemetry (radiation, temperature, humidity, acoustics, vibrations, etc.). In 2021, a community of researchers rallied to form the ALSDA Analysis Working Group (AWG) and provided scientific consensus on dataset sample and assay metadata. The community and excitement around the ALSDA/OSDR system has already led to several data reuse studies, demonstrating value using machine learning (ML), knowledge graphs, and meta-analysis approaches.

space biology↗

VESGEN Software for Mapping and Quantification of Vascular Regulators

VESsel GENeration (VESGEN) Analysis is an automated software that maps and quantifies effects of vascular regulators on vascular morphology by analyzing important vessel parameters. Quantification parameters include vessel diameter, length, branch points, density, and fractal dimension. For vascular trees, measurements are reported as dependent functions of vessel branching generation. VESGEN maps and quantifies vascular morphological events according to fractal-based vascular branching generation. It also relies on careful imaging of branching and networked vascular form. It was developed as a plug-in for ImageJ (National Institutes of Health, USA). VESGEN uses image-processing concepts of 8-neighbor pixel connectivity, skeleton, and distance map to analyze 2D, black-and-white (binary) images of vascular trees, networks, and tree-network composites. VESGEN maps typically 5 to 12 (or more) generations of vascular branching, starting from a single parent vessel. These generations are tracked and measured for critical vascular parameters that include vessel diameter, length, density and number, and tortuosity per branching generation. The effects of vascular therapeutics and regulators on vascular morphology and branching tested in human clinical or laboratory animal experimental studies are quantified by comparing vascular parameters with control groups. VESGEN provides a user interface to both guide and allow control over the users vascular analysis process. An option is provided to select a morphological tissue type of vascular trees, network or tree-network composites, which determines the general collections of algorithms, intermediate images, and output images and measurements that will be produced.

Parsons-Wingerter, Patricia A.↗

Spaceflight Effect on White Matter Structural Integrity

Recent reports of elevated brain white matter hyperintensity (WMH) counts and volume in postflight astronaut MRIs suggest that further examination of spaceflight's impact on the microstructure of brain white matter is warranted. To this end, retrospective longitudinal diffusion-weighted MRI scans obtained from 15 astronauts were evaluated. In light of the recent reports of microgravity-induced cephalad fluid shift and gray matter atrophy seen in astronauts, we applied a technique to estimate diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics corrected for free water contamination. This approach enabled the analysis of white matter tissue-specific alterations that are unrelated to fluid shifts, occurring from before spaceflight to after landing. After spaceflight, decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) values were detected in an area encompassing the superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculi and the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. Increased radial diffusivity (RD) and decreased axial diffusivity (AD) were also detected within overlapping regions. In addition, FA values in the corticospinal tract decreased and RD measures in the precentral gyrus white matter increased from before to after flight. The results show disrupted structural connectivity of white matter in tracts involved in visuospatial processing, vestibular function, and movement control as a result of spaceflight. The findings may help us understand the structural underpinnings of the extensive spaceflight-induced sensorimotor remodeling. Prospective longitudinal assessment of the white matter integrity in astronauts is needed to characterize the evolution of white matter microstructural changes associated with spaceflight, their behavioral consequences, and the time course of recovery. Supported by a grant from the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, NASA NCC 9-58.

Lee, Jessica K.↗

Mineral and organic matrix interaction in normally calcifying tendon visualized in three dimensions by high-voltage electron microscopic tomography and graphic image reconstruction

To define the ultrastructural accommodation of mineral crystals by collagen fibrils and other organic matrix components during vertebrate calcification, electron microscopic 3-D reconstructions were generated from the normally mineralizing leg tendons from the domestic turkey, Meleagris gallopavo. Embedded specimens containing initial collagen mineralizing sites were cut into 0.5-micron-thick sections and viewed and photographed at 1.0 MV in the Albany AEI-EM7 high-voltage electron microscope. Tomographic 3-D reconstructions were computed from a 2 degree tilt series of micrographs taken over a minimum angular range of +/- 60 degrees. Reconstructions of longitudinal tendon profiles confirm the presence of irregularly shaped mineral platelets, whose crystallographic c-axes are oriented generally parallel to one another and directed along the collagen long axes. The reconstructions also corroborate observations of a variable crystal length (up to 170 nm measured along crystallographic c-axes), the presence of crystals initially in either the hole or overlap zones of collagen, and crystal growth in the c-axis direction beyond these zones into adjacent overlap and other hole regions. Tomography shows for the first time that crystal width varies (30-45 nm) but crystal thickness is uniform (approximately 4-6 nm at the resolution limit of tomography); more crystals are located in the collagen hole zones than in the overlap regions at the earliest stages of tendon mineralization; the crystallographic c-axes of the platelets lie within +/- 15-20 degrees of one another rather than being perfectly parallel; adjacent platelets are spatially separated by a minimum of 4.2 +/- 1.0 nm; crystals apparently fuse in coplanar alignment to form larger platelets; development of crystals in width occurs to dimensions beyond single collagen hole zones; and a thin envelope of organic origin may be present along or just beneath the surfaces of individual mineral platelets. Implicit in the results is that the formation of crystals occurs at different sites and times by independent nucleation events in local regions of collagen. These data provide the first direct visual evidence from 3-D imaging describing the size, shape, orientation, and growth of mineral crystals in association with collagen of a normally mineralizing vertebrate tissue. They support concepts that c-axial crystal growth is unhindered by collage hole zone dimensions, that crystals are organized in the tendon in a series of generally parallel platelets, and that crystal growth in width across collagen fibrils may follow channels or grooves formed by adjacent hole zones in register.

Non-NASA Center↗

Measuring the metastatic potential of cancer cells

Cancer cells must secrete proteolytic enzymes to invade adjacent tissues and migrate to a new metastatic site. Urokinase (uPA) is a key enzyme related to metastasis in cancers of the lung, colon, gastric, uterine, breast, brain, and malignant melanoma. A NASA technology utilization project has combined fluorescence microscopy, image analysis, and flow cytometry, using fluorescent dyes, and urokinase-specific antibodies to measure uPA and abnormal DNA levels (related to cancer cell proliferation) inside the cancer cells. The project is focused on developing quantitative measurements to determine if a patient's tumor cells are actively metastasizing. If a significant number of tumor cells contain large amounts of uPA (esp. membrane-bound) then the post-surgical chemotherapy or radiotherapy can be targeted for metastatic cells that have already left the primary tumor. These analytical methods have been applied to a retrospective study of biopsy tissues from 150 node negative, stage 1 breast cancer patients. Cytopathology and image analysis has shown that uPA is present in high levels in many breast cancer cells, but not found in normal breast. Significant amounts of uPA also have been measured in glioma cell lines cultured from brain tumors. Commercial applications include new diagnostic tests for metastatic cells, in different cancers, which are being developed with a company that provides a medical testing service using flow cytometry for DNA analysis and hormone receptors on tumor cells from patient biopsies. This research also may provide the basis for developing a new 'magic bullet' treatment against metastasis using chemotherapeutic drugs or radioisotopes attached to urokinase-specific monoclonal antibodies that will only bind to metastatic cells.

Morrison, Dennis R.↗

Beat-Frequency/Microsphere Medical Ultrasonic Imaging

Medical ultrasonic imaging system designed to provide quantitative data on various flows of blood in chambers, blood vessels, muscles, and tissues of heart. Sensitive enough to yield readings on flows of blood in heart even when microspheres used as ultrasonic contrast agents injected far from heart and diluted by circulation of blood elsewhere in body.

Yost, William T.↗

Effect of spaceflight on rat hepatocytes - A morphometric study

Hepatic tissue from flight, synchronous, vivarium, and tail-suspended rats was examined by light microscopy and computer-assisted image analysis. Glycogen levels in flight rats were found to be significantly elevated over those in controls. Lipid was also higher but not significantly different. Hepatocytes appeared larger in flight animals because of area attributed to increased glycogen. Sinusoids were less prominent in flight animals than in controls. The total Kupffer cell population appeared to be reduced in flight animals and may represent changes in defensive capacity of the liver. Alterations in the storage of glycogen and number of Kupffer cells suggest an important effect of spacefligtht on the function of the liver that may have important implications for long-term spaceflight.

Racine, Richard N.↗

A comparison of neural network and fuzzy clustering techniques in segmenting magnetic resonance images of the brain

Magnetic resonance (MR) brain section images are segmented and then synthetically colored to give visual representations of the original data with three approaches: the literal and approximate fuzzy c-means unsupervised clustering algorithms and a supervised computational neural network, a dynamic multilayered perception trained with the cascade correlation learning algorithm. Initial clinical results are presented on both normal volunteers and selected patients with brain tumors surrounded by edema. Supervised and unsupervised segmentation techniques provide broadly similar results. Unsupervised fuzzy algorithms were visually observed to show better segmentation when compared with raw image data for volunteer studies. However, for a more complex segmentation problem with tumor/edema or cerebrospinal fluid boundary, where the tissues have similar MR relaxation behavior, inconsistency in rating among experts was observed.

Hall, Lawrence O.↗

Latest advances in edema

Basic concepts in the physiopathology of edema are reviewed. The mechanisms of fluid exchange across the capillary endothelium are explained. Interstitial flow and lymph formation are examined. Clinical disorders of tissue and lymphatic transport, microcirculatory derangements in venous disorders, protein disorders, and lymphatic system disorders are explored. Techniques for investigational imaging of the lymphatic system are explained.

Review, Tutorial↗

Development of the otolith organs and semicircular canals in the Japanese red-bellied newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster

The sequence in which the otoliths and semicircular canals and their associated sensory epithelia appear and develop in the newt are described. Three-dimensional reconstruction of serial sections through the otic vesicle of newt embryos from stages 31 through 58 demonstrate the first appearance, relative position and growth of the otoliths. A single otolith is first seen in stage 33 embryos (approximately 9 days old); this splits into separate utricular and saccular otoliths at stage 40 (13 days). The lateral semicircular canal is the first to appear, at stage 41 (14 days). The anterior and posterior canals appear approximately one week later and the vestibular apparatus is essentially fully formed at stage 58 (approximately 5 weeks). The data reported here will serve as ground-based controls for fertilized newt eggs flown on the International Microgravity Laboratory-2 Space Shuttle flight, to investigate the influence of microgravity on the development of the gravity-sensing organs.

NASA Discipline Neuroscience↗

Terabit Wireless Communication Challenges

This presentation briefly discusses a research effort on Terabit Wireless communication systems for possible space applications. Recently, terahertz (THz) technology (300-3000 GHz frequency) has attracted a great deal of interest from academia and industry. This is due to a number of interesting features of THz waves, including the nearly unlimited bandwidths available, and the non-ionizing radiation nature which does not damage human tissues and DNA with minimum health threat. Also, as millimeter-wave communication systems mature, the focus of research is, naturally, moving to the THz range. Many scientists regard THz as the last great frontier of the electromagnetic spectrum, but finding new applications outside the traditional niches of radio astronomy, Earth and planetary remote sensing, and molecular spectroscopy particularly in biomedical imaging and wireless communications has been relatively slow. Radiologists find this area of study so attractive because t-rays are non-ionizing, which suggests no harm is done to tissue or DNA. They also offer the possibility of performing spectroscopic measurements over a very wide frequency range, and can even capture signatures from liquids and solids. According to Shannon theory, the broad bandwidth of the THz frequency bands can be used for terabit-per-second (Tb/s) wireless communication systems. This enables several new applications, such as cell phones with 360 degrees autostereoscopic displays, optic-fiber replacement, and wireless Tb/s file transferring. Although THz technology could satisfy the demand for an extremely high data rate, a number of technical challenges need to be overcome before its development. This presentation provides an overview the state-of-the- art in THz wireless communication and the technical challenges for an emerging application in Terabit wireless systems. The main issue for THz wave propagation is the high atmospheric attenuation, which is dominated by water vapor absorption in the THz frequency band. The technical challenges in design such a system and the techniques to overcome the challenges will be discussed in this presentation.

Hwu, Shian U.↗

Optic Nerve Sheath Mechanics and Permeability in VIIP Syndrome

Long-duration space flight carries the risk of developing Visual Impairment and Intracranial Pressure (VIIP) syndrome, a spectrum of ophthalmic changes including posterior globe flattening, choroidal folds, distension of the optic nerve sheath (ONS), optic nerve kinking and potentially permanent degradation of visual function. The slow onset of VIIP, its chronic nature, and certain clinical features strongly suggest that biomechanical factors acting on the ONS play a role in VIIP. Here we measure several relevant ONS properties needed to model VIIP biomechanics. The ONS (meninges) of fresh porcine eyes (n7) was reflected, the nerve proper was truncated near the sclera, and the meninges were repositioned to create a hollow cylinder of meningeal connective tissue attached to the posterior sclera. The distal end was cannulated, sealed, and pressure clamped (mimicking cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] pressure), while the eye was also cannulated for independent control of intraocular pressure (IOP). The meninges were inflated (CSF pressure cycling 7-50 mmHg) while ONS outer diameter was imaged. In another set of experiments (n4), fluid permeation rate across the meninges was recorded by observing the drainage of an elevated fluid reservoir (30 mmHg) connected to the meninges. The ONS showed behavior typical of soft tissues: viscoelasticity, with hysteresis in early preconditioning cycles and repeatable behavior after 4 cycles, and nonlinear stiffening, particularly at CSF pressures 15 mmHg (Figure). Tangent moduli measured from the loading curve were 372 101, 1199 358, and 2050 379 kPa (mean SEM) at CSF pressures of 7, 15 and 30 mmHg, respectively. Flow rate measurements through the intact meninges at 30mmHg gave a permeability of 1.34 0.46 lmincm2mmHg (mean SEM). The ONS is a tough, strain-stiffening connective tissue that is surprisingly permeable. The latter observation suggests that there could be significant CSF drainage through the ONS into the orbit, likely important for CSF transport in the optic nerve. These experimental measurements, extended to human eyes, are informing computational models of the pathophysiology and biomechanics of the ONS in VIIP syndrome.

biomechanics↗

Biomechanics of the Optic Nerve Sheath in VIIP Syndrome

Long-duration space flight carries the risk of developing Visual Impairment and Intracranial Pressure (VIIP) syndrome, a spectrum of ophthalmic changes including posterior globe flattening, choroidal folds, distension of the optic nerve sheath (ONS), optic nerve kinking and potentially permanent degradation of visual function. The slow onset of VIIP, its chronic nature, and certain clinical features strongly suggest that biomechanical factors acting on the ONS play a role in VIIP. Here we measure several relevant ONS properties needed to model VIIP biomechanics. The ONS (meninges) of fresh porcine eyes (n7) was reflected, the nerve proper was truncated near the sclera, and the meninges were repositioned to create a hollow cylinder of meningeal connective tissue attached to the posterior sclera. The distal end was cannulated, sealed, and pressure clamped (mimicking cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] pressure), while the eye was also cannulated for independent control of intraocular pressure (IOP). The meninges were inflated (CSF pressure cycling 7-50 mmHg) while ONS outer diameter was imaged. In another set of experiments (n4), fluid permeation rate across the meninges was recorded by observing the drainage of an elevated fluid reservoir (30 mmHg) connected to the meninges. The ONS showed behavior typical of soft tissues: viscoelasticity, with hysteresis in early preconditioning cycles and repeatable behavior after 4 cycles, and nonlinear stiffening, particularly at CSF pressures 15 mmHg (Figure). Tangent moduli measured from the loading curve were 372 101, 1199 358, and 2050 379 kPa (mean SEM) at CSF pressures of 7, 15 and 30 mmHg, respectively. Flow rate measurements through the intact meninges at 30mmHg gave a permeability of 1.34 0.46 lmincm2mmHg (mean SEM). The ONS is a tough, strain-stiffening connective tissue that is surprisingly permeable. The latter observation suggests that there could be significant CSF drainage through the ONS into the orbit, likely important for CSF transport in the optic nerve. These experimental measurements, extended to human eyes, are informing computational models of the pathophysiology and biomechanics of the ONS in VIIP syndrome.

fluid shifts↗

Space Radiation Effects on Human Cells: Modeling DNA Breakage, DNA Damage Foci Distribution, Chromosomal Aberrations and Tissue Effects

Future long-tem space travel will face challenges from radiation concerns as the space environment poses health risk to humans in space from radiations with high biological efficiency and adverse post-flight long-term effects. Solar particles events may dramatically affect the crew performance, while Galactic Cosmic Rays will induce a chronic exposure to high-linear-energy-transfer (LET) particles. These types of radiation, not present on the ground level, can increase the probability of a fatal cancer later in astronaut life. No feasible shielding is possible from radiation in space, especially for the heavy ion component, as suggested solutions will require a dramatic increase in the mass of the mission. Our research group focuses on fundamental research and strategic analysis leading to better shielding design and to better understanding of the biological mechanisms of radiation damage. We present our recent effort to model DNA damage and tissue damage using computational models based on the physics of heavy ion radiation, DNA structure and DNA damage and repair in human cells. Our particular area of expertise include the clustered DNA damage from high-LET radiation, the visualization of DSBs (DNA double strand breaks) via DNA damage foci, image analysis and the statistics of the foci for different experimental situations, chromosomal aberration formation through DSB misrepair, the kinetics of DSB repair leading to a model-derived spectrum of chromosomal aberrations, and, finally, the simulation of human tissue and the pattern of apoptotic cell damage. This compendium of theoretical and experimental data sheds light on the complex nature of radiation interacting with human DNA, cells and tissues, which can lead to mutagenesis and carcinogenesis later in human life after the space mission.

Ponomarev, A. L.↗

Neuroprotective "agents" in surgery. Secret "agent" man, or common "agent" machine?

The search for clinically-effective neuroprotective agents has received enormous support in recent years--an estimated $200 million by pharmaceutical companies on clinical trials for traumatic brain injury alone. At the same time, the pathophysiology of brain injury has proved increasingly complex, rendering the likelihood of a single agent "magic bullet" even more remote. On the other hand, great progress continues with technology that makes surgery less invasive and less risky. One example is the application of endovascular techniques to treat coronary artery stenosis, where both the invasiveness of sternotomy and the significant neurological complication rate (due to microemboli showering the cerebral vasculature) can be eliminated. In this paper we review aspects of intraoperative neuroprotection both present and future. Explanations for the slow progress on pharmacologic neuroprotection during surgery are presented. Examples of technical advances that have had great impact on neuroprotection during surgery are given both from coronary artery stenosis surgery and from surgery for Parkinson's disease. To date, the progress in neuroprotection resulting from such technical advances is an order of magnitude greater than that resulting from pharmacologic agents used during surgery. The progress over the last 20 years in guidance during surgery (CT and MRI image-guidance) and in surgical access (endoscopic and endovascular techniques) will soon be complemented by advances in our ability to evaluate biological tissue intraoperatively in real-time. As an example of such technology, the NASA Smart Probe project is considered. In the long run (i.e., in 10 years or more), pharmacologic "agents" aimed at the complex pathophysiology of nervous system injury in man will be the key to true intraoperative neuroprotection. In the near term, however, it is more likely that mundane "agents" based on computers, microsensors, and microeffectors will be the major impetus to improved intraoperative neuroprotection.

Review Literature↗

Experiment K-7-29: Connective Tissue Studies: Rat Skin, Normal and Repair - Part 1

The skin repair studies started to be problematic for the following reasons: (1) It was very difficult to locate the wound and many lesions were not of the same dimensions. A considerable amount of time was devoted to the identification of the wound using polarized light. We understand that this experiment was added on to the overall project. Marking of the wound site and standard dimensions should be recommended for the next flight experiment. (2) The tissue was frozen, therefore thawing and fixation caused problems with some of the immunocytochemical staining for obtaining better special resolution with light microscopy image processing. Despite these problems, we were unable to detect any significant qualitative differences for the following wound markers: (1) Collagen Type 3, (2) Hematotoxylin and Eosin, and (3) Macrophage Factor 13. All protein markers were isolated from rat sources and antibodies prepared and tested for cross reactivity with other molecules at the University of Wisconsin Hybridoma Facility. However, rat skin from the non lesioned site 'normal' showed interesting biochemical results. Skin was prepared for the following measurements: (1) DNA content, (2) Collagen content by hydroxyproline, and (3) uronic acid content and estimation of ground substance. The results indicated there was a non-significant increase (10%) in the DNA concentration of skin from flight animals. However, the data expressed as a ratio DNA/Collagen estimates the cell or nuclear density that supports a given quantity of collagen showed a dramatic increase in the flight group (33%). This means flight conditions may have slowed down collagen secretion and/or increased cell proliferation in adult rat skin. Further biochemical tests are being done to determine the crosslinking of elastin which will enhance the insight to assessing changes in skin turnover.

Vailas, A. C.↗

Interaction of Light and Ethylene on Stem Gravitropism

The major objective of this study was to evaluate light-regulated ethylene production during gravitropic bending in etiolated pea stems. Previous investigations indicated that ethylene production increases after gravistimulation and is associated with the later (counter-reactive) phase of bending. Additionally, changes in the counter-reaction and locus of curvature during gravitropism are greatly influenced by red light and ethylene production. Ethylene production may be regulated by the levels of available precursor (1-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylic acid, ACC) via its synthesis, conjugation to malonyl-ACC or glutamyl-ACC, or oxidation to ethylene. The regulation of ethylene production by quantifying ACC and conjugated ACC levels in gravistimulated pea stemswas examined. Also measured was the changes in protein and enzyme activity associated with gravitropic curvature by electrophoretic and spectrophotometric techniques. An image analysis system was used to visualize and quantify enzymatic activity and transcriptional products in gravistimulated and red-light treated etiolated pea stem tissues.

Harrison, Marcia A.↗