Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Publications
find publications by category +
Translate page:

Phenotypic transitions enacted by simulated microgravity do not alter coherence in gene transcription profile.

Authors:
Agnese Po Alessandro Giuliani Maria Grazia Masiello Alessandra Cucina Angela Catizone Giulia Ricci Martina Chiacchiarini Marco Tafani Elisabetta Ferretti Mariano Bizzarri

NPJ Microgravity 2019 21;5:27. Epub 2019 Nov 21.

7Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.

Cells in simulated microgravity undergo a reversible morphology switch, causing the appearance of two distinct phenotypes. Despite the dramatic splitting into an adherent-fusiform and a floating-spherical population, when looking at the gene-expression phase space, cell transition ends up in a largely invariant gene transcription profile characterized by only mild modifications in the respective Pearson's correlation coefficients. Functional changes among the different phenotypes emerging in simulated microgravity using random positioning machine are adaptive modifications-as cells promptly recover their native phenotype when placed again into normal gravity-and do not alter the internal gene coherence. However, biophysical constraints are required to drive phenotypic commitment in an appropriate way, compatible with physiological requirements, given that absence of gravity foster cells to oscillate between different attractor states, thus preventing them to acquire a exclusive phenotype. This is a proof-of-concept of the adaptive properties of gene-expression networks supporting very different phenotypes by coordinated 'profile preserving' modifications.

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41526-019-0088-xDOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6872750PMC
November 2019

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

simulated microgravity
12
transcription profile
8
gene transcription
8
native phenotype
4
phenotype normal
4
recover native
4
cells recover
4
adaptive modifications-as
4
modifications-as cells
4
normal gravity-and
4
gravity-and alter
4
coherence biophysical
4
biophysical constraints
4
gene coherence
4
internal gene
4
alter internal
4
machine adaptive
4
profile characterized
4
correlation coefficients
4
coefficients functional
4

Altmetric Statistics


Show full details
4 Total Shares
1 Blogs
2 Tweets
3 Citations

Similar Publications

Phenotypic switch induced by simulated microgravity on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.

Authors:
Maria Grazia Masiello Alessandra Cucina Sara Proietti Alessandro Palombo Pierpaolo Coluccia Fabrizio D'Anselmi Simona Dinicola Alessia Pasqualato Veronica Morini Mariano Bizzarri

Biomed Res Int 2014 18;2014:652434. Epub 2014 Aug 18.

Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Systems Biology Group, Viale Regina Elena 324, Via A. Scarpa 14, 00161 Rome, Italy.

Microgravity exerts dramatic effects on cell morphology and functions, by disrupting cytoskeleton and adhesion structures, as well as by interfering with biochemical pathways and gene expression. Impairment of cells behavior has both practical and theoretical significance, given that investigations of mechanisms involved in microgravity-mediated effects may shed light on how biophysical constraints cooperate in shaping complex living systems. By exposing breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells to simulated microgravity (~0. Read More

View Article and Full-Text PDF
April 2015

Effects of simulated microgravity on gene expression and biological phenotypes of a single generation Caenorhabditis elegans cultured on 2 different media.

Authors:
Ling Fei Tee Hui-Min Neoh Sue Mian Then Nor Azian Murad Mohd Fairos Asillam Mohd Helmy Hashim Sheila Nathan Rahman Jamal

Life Sci Space Res (Amst) 2017 Nov 24;15:11-17. Epub 2017 Jun 24.

UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia. Electronic address:

Studies of multigenerational Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to long-term spaceflight have revealed expression changes of genes involved in longevity, DNA repair, and locomotion. However, results from spaceflight experiments are difficult to reproduce as space missions are costly and opportunities are rather limited for researchers. In addition, multigenerational cultures of C. Read More

View Article and Full-Text PDF
November 2017

Morphological and physiological changes in mature in vitro neuronal networks towards exposure to short-, middle- or long-term simulated microgravity.

Authors:
Giuseppe Pani Nada Samari Roel Quintens Louis de Saint-Georges Mariantonia Meloni Sarah Baatout Patrick Van Oostveldt Mohammed Abderrafi Benotmane

PLoS One 2013 16;8(9):e73857. Epub 2013 Sep 16.

Radiobiology Unit, Molecular and Cellular Biology expert group, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, SCK•CEN, Mol, Belgium ; Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Cytology, Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.

One of the objectives of the current international space programmes is to investigate the possible effects of the space environment on the crew health. The aim of this work was to assess the particular effects of simulated microgravity on mature primary neuronal networks and specially their plasticity and connectivity. For this purpose, primary mouse neurons were first grown for 10 days as a dense network before being placed in the Random Positioning Machine (RPM), simulating microgravity. Read More

View Article and Full-Text PDF
May 2014

Short-term effects of simulated microgravity on morphology and gene expression in human breast cancer cells.

Authors:
F Strube M Infanger C Dietz A Romswinkel A Kraus

Physiol Int 2019 Dec 3;106(4):311-322. Epub 2020 Jan 3.

Department of Plastic, Aesthetic and Hand Surgery, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany.

Introduction: Microgravity has been shown to impose various effects on breast cancer cells. We exposed human breast cancer cells to simulated microgravity and studied morphology and alterations in gene expression.

Materials And Methods: Human breast cancer cells were exposed to simulated microgravity in a random positioning machine (RPM) for 24 h. Read More

View Article and Full-Text PDF
December 2019