Zhang Hongying, Wang Yahong, Zhang Ziyan, Zhang Lu, Tang Chao, Sun Boqun, Jiang Zhihao, Ding Bo, Cai Peng
Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
NPJ Microgravity. 2021 Jul 22;7(1):27. doi: 10.1038/s41526-021-00157-5.
This study aimed to investigate alterations in the activity and sleep of Drosophila melanogaster under simulated microgravity, which was implemented through the random positioning machine, while different light conditions (normal photoperiod and constant dark) were set. Fruit flies of different strains and sexes were treated for 3 days, and activity and sleep were monitored using the Drosophila Activity Monitoring System. After 3 days of treatment, fruit flies were sampled to detect the relative expression levels of the major clock genes and some neurotransmitter-related genes. The results showed that for the normal photoperiod (LD) condition, the activity increased and sleep decreased under simulated microgravity, while for the constant dark (DD) condition, the activity and sleep rhythms appeared disordered and the activity increased, thus decreasing the likelihood of waking up during the day. Light conditions, strains, and sexes, individually or in combination, had impacts on the simulated microgravity effects on behaviors. The clock genes and neurotransmitter-related genes had different degrees of response among sexes and strains, although the overall changes were slight. The results indicated that the normal photoperiod could ease the effects of simulated microgravity on fruit flies' activity and sleep and possible unidentified pathways involved in the regulatory mechanism need further exploration. This study is expected to provide ideas and references for studying the effects of microgravity on space life science.
本研究旨在通过随机定位仪模拟微重力环境，设置不同光照条件（正常光周期和持续黑暗），探究黑腹果蝇在模拟微重力环境下活动和睡眠的变化。对不同品系和性别的果蝇进行3天处理，使用果蝇活动监测系统监测其活动和睡眠情况。处理3天后，采集果蝇样本检测主要生物钟基因和一些神经递质相关基因的相对表达水平。结果表明，在正常光周期（LD）条件下，模拟微重力环境使果蝇活动增加、睡眠减少；而在持续黑暗（DD）条件下，果蝇的活动和睡眠节律出现紊乱，活动增加，白天醒来的可能性降低。光照条件、品系和性别单独或共同作用，均会影响模拟微重力对行为的效应。生物钟基因和神经递质相关基因在性别和品系间有不同程度的响应，尽管总体变化较小。结果表明，正常光周期可缓解模拟微重力对果蝇活动和睡眠的影响，调控机制中可能涉及的未知途径有待进一步探索。本研究有望为研究微重力对空间生命科学的影响提供思路和参考。
