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Use of Reduced Gravity Simulators for Plant Biological Studies

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Plant Gravitropism

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2368))

Abstract

Simulated microgravity and partial gravity research on Earth is a necessary complement to space research in real microgravity due to limitations of access to spaceflight. However, the use of ground-based facilities for reduced gravity simulation is far from simple. Microgravity simulation usually results in the need to consider secondary effects that appear in the generation of altered gravity. These secondary effects may interfere with gravity alteration in the changes observed in the biological processes under study. In addition to microgravity simulation, ground-based facilities are also capable of generating hypergravity or fractional gravity conditions whose effects on biological systems are worth being tested and compared with the results of microgravity exposure. Multiple technologies (2D clinorotation, random positioning machines, magnetic levitators, or centrifuges) and experimental hardware (different containers and substrates for seedlings or cell cultures) are available for these studies. Experimental requirements should be collectively and carefully considered in defining the optimal experimental design, taking into account that some environmental parameters, or life-support conditions, could be difficult to be provided in certain facilities. Using simulation facilities will allow us to anticipate, modify, or redefine the findings provided by the scarce available spaceflight opportunities.

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Acknowledgments

Most of the results and comments included in this book chapter have been the consequence of the authors’ participation in several different “CORA-ESA Access to GBF” Projects of the European Space Agency, allowing the utilization of European facilities for altered gravity simulation, in close collaboration with the respective GBF managers. One of the co-authors of this paper (JvL) is the manager of the facilities hosted at DESC at ESA-ESTEC (Noordwijk, NL). Other facilities used are managed, respectively, by Dr. Hemmersbach (DLR), Dr. Pereda-Loth (Toulouse University), Dr. Hill (Nottingham University), and Dr. Christianen (Nijmegen University). We want to acknowledge Julio Martin Santos (3DOHMS) support in dedicated hardware design (3D printing and electronic components) to be used in our lab clinostats (obtained by UNZIP project grants from UNOOSA). Work performed in the authors’ laboratory was financially supported by the Spanish Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Grants #ESP2015-64323-R and #RTI2018-099309-B-I00 (co-funded by EU-ERDF) to F.J.M. and a grant from European Space Agency contract# 4000107455/12/NL/PA awarded to J.J.W.A.v.L.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas – CSIC, Madrid, Spain

    Raúl Herranz, Miguel A. Valbuena, Aránzazu Manzano, Khaled Y. Kamal, Alicia Villacampa, Malgorzata Ciska & F. Javier Medina

  2. DESC (Dutch Experiment Support Center), Amsterdam UMC location VUmc and Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Pathology, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Jack J. W. A. van Loon

  3. European Space Agency (ESA), Technology Center (ESTEC), TEC-MMG, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

    Jack J. W. A. van Loon

Authors
  1. Raúl Herranz
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  2. Miguel A. Valbuena
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  3. Aránzazu Manzano
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  4. Khaled Y. Kamal
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  5. Alicia Villacampa
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  6. Malgorzata Ciska
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  7. Jack J. W. A. van Loon
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  8. F. Javier Medina
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Raúl Herranz or F. Javier Medina .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Utilization and Life Sciences Office, Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL, USA

    Elison B. Blancaflor

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Herranz, R. et al. (2022). Use of Reduced Gravity Simulators for Plant Biological Studies. In: Blancaflor, E.B. (eds) Plant Gravitropism. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2368. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1677-2_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1677-2_16

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