Blaber Elizabeth, Sato Kevin, Almeida Eduardo A C
Space Biosciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center , Moffett Field, California.
Stem Cells Dev. 2014 Dec;23 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):73-8. doi: 10.1089/scd.2014.0408.
Exposure to microgravity causes significant mechanical unloading of mammalian tissues, resulting in rapid alterations of their physiology, which poses a significant risk for long-duration manned spaceflight. The immediate degenerative effects of spaceflight we understand best are those studied during short-term low-Earth-orbit experiments, and include rapid microgravity-adaptive bone and muscle loss, loss of cardiovascular capacity, defects in wound and bone fracture healing, and impaired immune function. Over the long-term, exposure to microgravity may cause severe deficits in mammalian stem cell-based tissue regenerative health, including, osteogenesis, hematopoiesis, and lymphopoeisis, as well as cause significant stem cell-based tissue degeneration in amphibian tail and lens regeneration. To address the needs for stem cell and other cell science research on the International Space Station (ISS), NASA has developed the new Bioculture System that will allow investigators to initiate and conduct on-orbit experiments that astronauts will be able to monitor and interact with during the course of cell cultures. This cell culture capability combined with advanced technologies for molecular biology and on-orbit measurement of gene expression (WetLab2) and other tools that are now coming online bring the ISS National Laboratory a step closer to becoming a fully functional space laboratory for advancing space biological sciences.
暴露于微重力环境会导致哺乳动物组织出现明显的机械卸载，从而使其生理机能迅速发生改变，这对长期载人航天飞行构成了重大风险。我们对航天飞行的即时退行性影响了解最多的是在短期近地轨道实验中所研究的那些，包括快速的微重力适应性骨骼和肌肉流失、心血管功能丧失、伤口和骨折愈合缺陷以及免疫功能受损。从长期来看，暴露于微重力环境可能会导致基于哺乳动物干细胞的组织再生健康出现严重缺陷，包括骨生成、造血和淋巴细胞生成，以及在两栖动物尾巴和晶状体再生中导致基于干细胞的组织显著退化。为满足国际空间站（ISS）上干细胞及其他细胞科学研究的需求，美国国家航空航天局（NASA）开发了新的生物培养系统，该系统将使研究人员能够启动并进行在轨实验，宇航员在细胞培养过程中能够对这些实验进行监测并与之互动。这种细胞培养能力与先进的分子生物学技术以及基因表达的在轨测量技术（WetLab2）和其他即将上线的工具相结合，使国际空间站国家实验室朝着成为一个推进空间生物科学的全功能空间实验室又迈进了一步。
