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Cells
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Cells in Space and on Earth
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Cells in Space and on Earth

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Microenvironment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 8143

Special Issue Editors

Dr. April E. Ronca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
Interests: spaceflight; mammalian reproduction; development; brain; behavior; artificial gravity; simulated microgravity; space radiation
Dr. Candice Tahimic

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
Interests: bone loss; bioinformatics; cardiovascular responses to spaceflight; simulated microgravity; space radiation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As human exploration advances toward establishing a permanent presence in deep space, researchers are working to understand and address the health challenges of living and working in the  space environment. Exposure to ionizing radiation, microgravity, weightlessness, isolation and other spaceflight hazards pose significant risks to astronauts traveling beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Spaceflight environment exposures are linked to a number of physiological alterations including muscle atrophy, osteopenia, fluid redistribution, cardiovascular deconditioning, anemia, balance, eyesight and other sensory disorders, CNS and immune dysfunction. 

Determining cellular responses underlying these space-related health concerns and identifying putative mechanisms that may contribute to the development of new countermeasures are critically important to ensure human health on long duration missions. Further, insights gained from spaceflight biosciences research can inform health on Earth. In this special issue on Cells in Space and on Earth to be published in Cells, we welcome research articles, short communications, and review articles. Suggested topics include (but are not limited to): oxidative stress, DNA damage, epigenetic changes and gene regulation, energy generation, mitochondrial dysregulation, protein trafficking, cell signalling, cytoskeleton dynamics, the cell cycle, in vitro models for altered gravity and radiation exposure, disease-induced cellular changes, and cellular communities (e.g., tissues, organoids, stem cells, cancer).

Dr. April E. Ronca
Dr. Candice Tahimic
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • spaceflight
  • microgravity
  • space radiation
  • artificial gravity
  • spaceflight effects across the lifespan
  • aging and disuse models

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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27 pages, 14734 KiB  
Article
Fluid and Bubble Flow Detach Adherent Cancer Cells to Form Spheroids on a Random Positioning Machine
by José Luis Cortés-Sánchez, Daniela Melnik, Viviann Sandt, Stefan Kahlert, Shannon Marchal, Ian R. D. Johnson, Marco Calvaruso, Christian Liemersdorf, Simon L. Wuest, Daniela Grimm and Marcus Krüger
Cells 2023, 12(22), 2665; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12222665 - 20 Nov 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4271
Abstract
In preparing space and microgravity experiments, the utilization of ground-based facilities is common for initial experiments and feasibility studies. One approach to simulating microgravity conditions on Earth is to employ a random positioning machine (RPM) as a rotary bioreactor. Combined with a suitable [...] Read more.
In preparing space and microgravity experiments, the utilization of ground-based facilities is common for initial experiments and feasibility studies. One approach to simulating microgravity conditions on Earth is to employ a random positioning machine (RPM) as a rotary bioreactor. Combined with a suitable low-mass model system, such as cell cultures, these devices simulating microgravity have been shown to produce results similar to those obtained in a space experiment under real microgravity conditions. One of these effects observed under real and simulated microgravity is the formation of spheroids from 2D adherent cancer cell cultures. Since real microgravity cannot be generated in a laboratory on Earth, we aimed to determine which forces lead to the detachment of individual FTC-133 thyroid cancer cells and the formation of tumor spheroids during culture with exposure to random positioning modes. To this end, we subdivided the RPM motion into different static and dynamic orientations of cell culture flasks. We focused on the molecular activation of the mechanosignaling pathways previously associated with spheroid formation in microgravity. Our results suggest that RPM-induced spheroid formation is a two-step process. First, the cells need to be detached, induced by the cell culture flask’s rotation and the subsequent fluid flow, as well as the presence of air bubbles. Once the cells are detached and in suspension, random positioning prevents sedimentation, allowing 3D aggregates to form. In a comparative shear stress experiment using defined fluid flow paradigms, transcriptional responses were triggered comparable to exposure of FTC-133 cells to the RPM. In summary, the RPM serves as a simulator of microgravity by randomizing the impact of Earth’s gravity vector especially for suspension (i.e., detached) cells. Simultaneously, it simulates physiological shear forces on the adherent cell layer. The RPM thus offers a unique combination of environmental conditions for in vitro cancer research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cells in Space and on Earth)
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Review

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12 pages, 649 KiB  
Review
The Lungs in Space: A Review of Current Knowledge and Methodologies
by Michaela B. Smith, Hui Chen and Brian G. G. Oliver
Cells 2024, 13(13), 1154; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13131154 - 6 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3329
Abstract
Space travel presents multiple risks to astronauts such as launch, radiation, spacewalks or extravehicular activities, and microgravity. The lungs are composed of a combination of air, blood, and tissue, making it a complex organ system with interactions between the external and internal environment. [...] Read more.
Space travel presents multiple risks to astronauts such as launch, radiation, spacewalks or extravehicular activities, and microgravity. The lungs are composed of a combination of air, blood, and tissue, making it a complex organ system with interactions between the external and internal environment. Gravity strongly influences the structure of the lung which results in heterogeneity of ventilation and perfusion that becomes uniform in microgravity as shown during parabolic flights, Spacelab, and Skylab experiments. While changes in lung volumes occur in microgravity, efficient gas exchange remains and the lungs perform as they would on Earth; however, little is known about the cellular response to microgravity. In addition to spaceflight and real microgravity, devices, such as clinostats and random positioning machines, are used to simulate microgravity to study cellular responses on the ground. Differential expression of cell adhesion and extracellular matrix molecules has been found in real and simulated microgravity. Immune dysregulation is a known consequence of space travel that includes changes in immune cell morphology, function, and number, which increases susceptibility to infections. However, the majority of in vitro studies do not have a specific respiratory focus. These studies are needed to fully understand the impact of microgravity on the function of the respiratory system in different conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cells in Space and on Earth)
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