Department of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC, 29302, USA.
Magnolia Research Center, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Carolinas Campus, Spartanburg, SC, 29303, USA.
Sci Rep. 2019 Sep 25;9(1):13825. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-50311-z.
Immune dysfunction due to microgravity remains a hurdle in the next step of human space exploration. Dendritic cells (DC) represent a critical component of immunity, given their role in the detection of invaders and the subsequent task of activating T cells to respond and eliminate the threat. Upon encounter with microbes, DC undergo a process of maturation, whereby the cells upregulate the expression of surface proteins and secrete cytokines, both required for the optimal activation of CD4 and CD8 T cells. In this study, DC were cultured from 2-14 days in a rotary cell culture system, which generates a simulated microgravity (SMG) environment, and then the cells were assessed for maturation status and the capacity to activate T cells. Short-term culture (<72 h) of DC in SMG resulted in an increased expression of surface proteins associated with maturation and interleukin-6 production. Subsequently, the SMG exposed DC were superior to Static control DC at activating both CD4 and CD8 T cells as measured by interleukin-2 and interferon-γ production, respectively. However, long-term culture (4-14 d) of DC in SMG reduced the expression of maturation markers and the capacity to activate T cells as compared to Static DC controls.
由于微重力导致的免疫功能障碍仍然是人类太空探索下一步的障碍。树突状细胞 (DC) 是免疫系统的关键组成部分，因为它们在检测入侵者和随后激活 T 细胞以响应和消除威胁方面发挥作用。在遇到微生物时，DC 会经历成熟过程，在此过程中，细胞上调表面蛋白的表达并分泌细胞因子，这两者都是 CD4 和 CD8 T 细胞最佳激活所必需的。在这项研究中，DC 从第 2 天到第 14 天在旋转细胞培养系统中进行培养，该系统产生模拟微重力 (SMG) 环境，然后评估细胞的成熟状态和激活 T 细胞的能力。在 SMG 中短期 (<72 小时) 培养 DC 会导致与成熟相关的表面蛋白和白细胞介素 6 产生的表达增加。随后，与静态对照 DC 相比，暴露于 SMG 的 DC 能够更好地激活 CD4 和 CD8 T 细胞，分别通过白细胞介素 2 和干扰素-γ 的产生来衡量。然而，与静态 DC 对照相比，DC 在 SMG 中进行长期培养 (4-14 天) 会降低成熟标志物的表达和激活 T 细胞的能力。
