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Histological and Transcriptomic Analysis of Adult Japanese Medaka Sampled Onboard the International Space Station.

ABSTRACT: To understand how humans adapt to the space environment, many experiments can be conducted on astronauts as they work aboard the Space Shuttle or the International Space Station (ISS). We also need animal experiments that can apply to human models and help prevent or solve the health issues we face in space travel. The Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) is a suitable model fish for studying space adaptation as evidenced by adults of the species having mated successfully in space during 15 days of flight during the second International Microgravity Laboratory mission in 1994. The eggs laid by the fish developed normally and hatched as juveniles in space. In 2012, another space experiment ("Medaka Osteoclast") was conducted. Six-week-old male and female Japanese medaka (Cab strain osteoblast transgenic fish) were maintained in the Aquatic Habitat system for two months in the ISS. Fish of the same strain and age were used as the ground controls. Six fish were fixed with paraformaldehyde or kept in RNA stabilization reagent (n = 4) and dissected for tissue sampling after being returned to the ground, so that several principal investigators working on the project could share samples. Histology indicated no significant changes except in the ovary. However, the RNA-seq analysis of 5345 genes from six tissues revealed highly tissue-specific space responsiveness after a two-month stay in the ISS. Similar responsiveness was observed among the brain and eye, ovary and testis, and the liver and intestine. Among these six tissues, the intestine showed the highest space response with 10 genes categorized as oxidation-reduction processes (gene ontogeny term GO:0055114), and the expression levels of choriogenin precursor genes were suppressed in the ovary. Eleven genes including klf9, klf13, odc1, hsp70 and hif3a were upregulated in more than four of the tissues examined, thus suggesting common immunoregulatory and stress responses during space adaptation.

SUBMITTER: Murata Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4591011 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Histological and Transcriptomic Analysis of Adult Japanese Medaka Sampled Onboard the International Space Station.

Murata Yasuhiko Y Yasuda Takako T Watanabe-Asaka Tomomi T Oda Shoji S Mantoku Akiko A Takeyama Kazuhiro K Chatani Masahiro M Kudo Akira A Uchida Satoko S Suzuki Hiromi H Tanigaki Fumiaki F Shirakawa Masaki M Fujisawa Koichi K Hamamoto Yoshihiko Y Terai Shuji S Mitani Hiroshi H

PloS one 20151001 10

To understand how humans adapt to the space environment, many experiments can be conducted on astronauts as they work aboard the Space Shuttle or the International Space Station (ISS). We also need animal experiments that can apply to human models and help prevent or solve the health issues we face in space travel. The Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) is a suitable model fish for studying space adaptation as evidenced by adults of the species having mated successfully in space during 15 days of ...[more]

PMID: 26427061

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Project description:BackgroundThe International Space Station (ISS) is a unique and complex built environment with the ISS surface microbiome originating from crew and cargo or from life support recirculation in an almost entirely closed system. The Microbial Tracking 1 (MT-1) project was the first ISS environmental surface study to report on the metagenome profiles without using whole-genome amplification. The study surveyed the microbial communities from eight surfaces over a 14-month period. The Microbial Tracking 2 (MT-2) project aimed to continue the work of MT-1, sampling an additional four flights from the same locations, over another 14 months.MethodsEight surfaces across the ISS were sampled with sterile wipes and processed upon return to Earth. DNA extracted from the processed samples (and controls) were treated with propidium monoazide (PMA) to detect intact/viable cells or left untreated and to detect the total DNA population (free DNA/compromised cells/intact cells/viable cells). DNA extracted from PMA-treated and untreated samples were analyzed using shotgun metagenomics. Samples were cultured for bacteria and fungi to supplement the above results.ResultsStaphylococcus sp. and Malassezia sp. were the most represented bacterial and fungal species, respectively, on the ISS. Overall, the ISS surface microbiome was dominated by organisms associated with the human skin. Multi-dimensional scaling and differential abundance analysis showed significant temporal changes in the microbial population but no spatial differences. The ISS antimicrobial resistance gene profiles were however more stable over time, with no differences over the 5-year span of the MT-1 and MT-2 studies. Twenty-nine antimicrobial resistance genes were detected across all samples, with macrolide/lincosamide/streptogramin resistance being the most widespread. Metagenomic assembled genomes were reconstructed from the dataset, resulting in 82 MAGs. Functional assessment of the collective MAGs showed a propensity for amino acid utilization over carbohydrate metabolism. Co-occurrence analyses showed strong associations between bacterial and fungal genera. Culture analysis showed the microbial load to be on average 3.0 × 105 cfu/m2 CONCLUSIONS: Utilizing various metagenomics analyses and culture methods, we provided a comprehensive analysis of the ISS surface microbiome, showing microbial burden, bacterial and fungal species prevalence, changes in the microbiome, and resistome over time and space, as well as the functional capabilities and microbial interactions of this unique built microbiome. Data from this study may help to inform policies for future space missions to ensure an ISS surface microbiome that promotes astronaut health and spacecraft integrity. Video Abstract.

Project description:Urine, humidity condensate, and other sources of non-potable water are processed onboard the International Space Station (ISS) by the Water Recovery System (WRS) yielding potable water. While some means of microbial control are in place, including a phosphoric acid/hexavalent chromium urine pretreatment solution, many areas within the WRS are not available for routine microbial monitoring. Due to refurbishment needs, two flex lines from the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) within the WRS were removed and returned to Earth. The water from within these lines, as well as flush water, was microbially evaluated. Culture and culture-independent analysis revealed the presence of Burkholderia, Paraburkholderia, and Leifsonia. Fungal culture also identified Fusarium and Lecythophora. Hybrid de novo genome analysis of the five distinct Burkholderia isolates identified them as B. contaminans, while the two Paraburkholderia isolates were identified as P. fungorum. Chromate-resistance gene clusters were identified through pangenomic analysis that differentiated these genomes from previously studied isolates recovered from the point-of-use potable water dispenser and/or current NCBI references, indicating that unique populations exist within distinct niches in the WRS. Beyond genomic analysis, fixed samples directly from the lines were imaged by environmental scanning electron microscopy, which detailed networks of fungal-bacterial biofilms. This is the first evidence of biofilm formation within flex lines from the UPA onboard the ISS. For all bacteria isolated, biofilm potential was further characterized, with the B. contaminans isolates demonstrating the most considerable biofilm formation. Moreover, the genomes of the B. contaminans revealed secondary metabolite gene clusters associated with quorum sensing, biofilm formation, antifungal compounds, and hemolysins. The potential production of these gene cluster metabolites was phenotypically evaluated through biofilm, bacterial-fungal interaction, and hemolytic assays. Collectively, these data identify the UPA flex lines as a unique ecological niche and novel area of biofilm growth within the WRS. Further investigation of these organisms and their resistance profiles will enable engineering controls directed toward biofilm prevention in future space station water systems.

Dataset Information

Histological and Transcriptomic Analysis of Adult Japanese Medaka Sampled Onboard the International Space Station.

Publications

Histological and Transcriptomic Analysis of Adult Japanese Medaka Sampled Onboard the International Space Station.

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