Abstract
This paper introduces one of the plant biology experiments, “Biological effects and the signal transduction of microgravity stimulation in plants”, carried out on the SJ-10 recoverable microgravity experimental satellite (SJ-10 satellite). The experimental equipment, experimental process and some results of follow-up analysis are described. When the Arabidopsis seedlings returned to the ground after 11 days of microgravity, their leaf area was larger than that of the ground control. The whole genome methylation analysis was also performed by using the Arabidopsis seedlings chemically fixed with RNAlater in space after 60 h of growth under microgravity environment. The results demonstrated that the epigenetic differences in Arabidopsis seedlings exposed to microgravity. The Arabidopsis genome exhibits lower methylation levels in the CHG, CHH and CpG contexts under microgravity conditions. Microgravity stimulation was related to altered methylation of a number of genes, including DNA methylation-associated genes, hormone signaling related genes, cell wall modification genes and transposable elements (TEs). Relatively unstable DNA methylation of TEs was responsible for the induction of active transposons. These observations suggest that DNA demethylation within TEs may change the function exertion of transposons in response to microgravity conditions. In order to further understand the relationship between plant growth, epigenetic changes and plant adaptation to microgravity environment, the biological effects of gravity on plant cells and seedlings based on data obtained from both ground-based research and space experiments on board the Chinese satellite “SJ-10” and the Chinese spaceship “Shenzhou-8” are discussed in this chapter. The data demonstrate the impact of direction and intensity changes of gravity on cell wall metabolism during plant gravitropism and on cells in the state of weightlessness. It is assumed that the maintenance of cell shape requires a balance between cell wall rigidity and cell turgor. When the cell turgor is greater than the rigidity, the balance is broken and may lead to increasing cell volume. Therefore, changes in gravity may affect cell growth by influencing the balance between cell wall rigidity and cell turgor. As a result, the supporting tissue system of plants is weakened in the process of adapting to the microgravity environment, leading to the disruption of the mechanical balance in cells, which may further affect the plant growth and development. In summary, the results of these investigations are beneficial for understanding the mechanism of plant adaptation to microgravity and improve strategies to allow plants to adapt to space.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Abbreviations
- ABA:
-
Abscisic acid
- ARFs:
-
Auxin response factors
- AMR:
-
Altered methylation-related
- BRs:
-
Brassinosteroids
- CDS:
-
Coding sequences
- DMRs:
-
Differentially methylated regions
- GO:
-
Gene ontology
- NO:
-
Nitric oxide
- RAR:
-
Radio-adaptive response
- SJ-10 satellite:
-
SJ-10 recoverable microgravity experimental satellite
- TEs:
-
Transposable elements
- TFs:
-
Transcription factors
References
Adamowski M, Friml J (2015) PIN-dependent auxin transport: action, regulation, and evolution. Plant Cell 27:20–32
Band LR, Wells DM, Fozard JA et al (2014) Systems analysis of auxin transport in the Arabidopsis root apex. Plant Cell 26:862–875
Belyavskaya NA (1992) The function of calcium in plant graviperception. Adv Space Res 12:83–91
Bourgeade P, Boyer N (1994) Plasma-membrane H+-Atpase activity in response to mechanical stimulation of Bryonia-Dioica internodes. Plant Physiol Biochem 32:661–668
Briarty LG, Maher EP (2004) Reserve utilization in seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana germinating in microgravity. Int J Plant Sci 165:545–551
Cai WM, Braun M, Sievers A (1997) Displacement of statoliths in Chara rhizoids during horizontal rotation on clinostats. Shi yan sheng wu xue bao 30:147–155
Cai WM, Jin J, Chen HY (2016) Effects of gravity on growth of plant cells. Chin J Space Sci 36(4):552–556
Caspar T, Pickard BG (1989) Gravitropism in a starchless mutant of Arabidopsis—implications for the starch-statolith theory of gravity sensing. Planta 177:185–197
Chen R, Hilson P, Sedbrook J et al (1998) The Arabidopsis thaliana AGRAVITROPIC 1 gene encodes a component of the polar-auxin-transport efflux carrier. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95:15112–15117
Chen HY, Ying L, Jin J et al (2010) Determining the transcriptional regulation pattern of PgTIP1 in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana by constructing gene. Adv Biosci Biotechnol 1:384–390
Correll MJ, Pyle TP, Millar KD et al (2013) Transcriptome analyses of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings grown in space: implications for gravity-responsive genes. Planta 238:519–533
Cui DY, Neill SJ, Tang ZC et al (2005) Gibberellin-regulated XET is differentially induced by auxin in rice leaf sheath bases during gravitropic bending. J Exp Bot 56:1327–1334
Dharmasiri N, Dharmasiri S, Estelle M (2005) The F-box protein TIR1 is an auxin receptor. Nature 435:441–445
Dowen RH, Pelizzola M, Schmitz RJ et al (2012) Widespread dynamic DNA methylation in response to biotic stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 109:E2183–2191
Fengler S, Spirer I, Neef M et al (2015) A whole-genome microarray study of Arabidopsis thaliana semisolid callus cultures exposed to microgravity and nonmicrogravity related spaceflight conditions for 5 days on board of Shenzhou 8. Biomed Res Int 2015:547495
Goh T, Kasahara H, Mimura T et al (2012) Multiple AUX/IAA-ARF modules regulate lateral root formation: the role of Arabidopsis SHY2/IAA3-mediated auxin signalling. Philos Trans R Soc B 367:1461–1468
Hager JW, Le Blanc JC (2003) High-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with a new quadrupole/linear ion trap instrument. J Chromatogr A 1020:3–9
Hashida SN, Uchiyama T, Martin C et al (2006) The temperature-dependent change in methylation of the Antirrhinum transposon Tam3 is controlled by the activity of its transposase. Plant Cell 18:104–118
Hejnowicz Z, Sondag C, Alt W et al (1998) Temporal course of graviperception in intermittently stimulated cress roots. Plant Cell Environ 21:1293–1300
Hoson T (2014) Plant growth and morphogenesis under different gravity conditions: relevance to plant life in space. Life (Basel) 4:205–216
Hoson T, Soga K, Mori R et al (2002a) Stimulation of elongation growth and cell wall loosening in rice coleoptiles under microgravity conditions in space. Plant Cell Physiol 43:1067–1071
Hoson T, Soga K, Wakabayashi K et al (2002b) Growth and cell wall changes in rice roots under microgravity conditions in space. Uchu Seibutsu Kagaku 16:171–172
Hoson T, Soga K, Mori R et al (2004) Cell wall changes involved in the automorphic curvature of rice coleoptiles under microgravity conditions in space. J Plant Res 117:449–455
Hoson T, Soga K, Wakabayashi K et al (2014) Growth stimulation in inflorescences of an Arabidopsis tubulin mutant under microgravity conditions in space. Plant Biol (Stuttg) 16(Suppl 1):91–96
Hu X, Neill SJ, Tang Z et al (2005) Nitric oxide mediates gravitropic bending in soybean roots. Plant Physiol 137:663–670
Hu LW, Cui DY, Neill S et al (2007) OsEXPA4 and OsRWC3 are involved in asymmetric growth during gravitropic bending of rice leaf sheath bases. Physiol Plantarum 130:560–571
Hu LW, Cui DY, Zang AP et al (2009) Auxin-regulated OsRGP1 and OsSuS are involved in gravitropic bending of rice shoot bases. Fen Zi Xi Bao Sheng Wu Xue Bao 42:27–34
Hu LW, Mei ZL, Zang AP et al (2013) Microarray analyses and comparisons of upper or lower flanks of rice shoot base preceding gravitropic bending. PLoS ONE 8:e74646
Hu WR, Tang BC, Kang Q (2017) Progress of microgravity experimental satellite SJ-10. Aeron Aero Open Access J 1:125–127
Jin J, Chen HY, Cai WM (2014) Growth of rice cells in Shenzhou 8 under microgravity and transcriptome analysis. Manned Spacefl 5(20):481–490
Jin J, Chen HY, Cai WM (2015) Transcriptome analysis of Oryza sativa calli under microgravity. Microgravity Sci Technol 27:437–453
Jin J, Chen H, Cai W (2018) Transcriptomic analysis reveals the effects of microgravity on Rice calli on board the Chinese spaceship Shenzhou 8. Microgravity Sci Technol 4:1–10
Johnson CM, Subramanian A, Pattathil S et al (2017) Comparative transcriptomics indicate changes in cell wall organization and stress response in seedlings during spaceflight. Am J Bot 104:1219–1231
Joo JH, Bae YS, Lee JS (2001) Role of auxin-induced reactive oxygen species in root gravitropism. Plant Physiol 126:1055–1060
Kiss JZ, Sack FD (1989) Reduced gravitropic sensitivity in roots of a starch-deficient mutant of Nicotiana sylvestris. Planta 180:123–130
Kriegs B, Theisen R, Schnabl H (2006) Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and Ran expression during simulated and real microgravity. Protoplasma 229:163–174
Li GW (2008) Study on the functions of rice aquaporins and their response to various abiotic stresses. Institute of plant physiology and ecology, SIBS, CAS, Shanghai
Lin W, Peng Y, Li G et al (2007) Isolation and functional characterization of PgTIP1, a hormone-autotrophic cells-specific tonoplast aquaporin in ginseng. J Exp Bot 58:947–956
Ljung K, Bhalerao RP, Sandberg G (2001) Sites and homeostatic control of auxin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis during vegetative growth. Plant J 28:465–474
Luschnig C, Gaxiola RA, Grisafi P et al (1998) EIR1, a root-specific protein involved in auxin transport, is required for gravitropism in Arabidopsis thaliana. Gene Dev 12:2175–2187
Marchant A, Kargul J, May ST et al (1999) AUX1 regulates root gravitropism in Arabidopsis by facilitating auxin uptake within root apical tissues. EMBO J 18:2066–2073
Martzivanou M, Hampp R (2003) Hyper-gravity effects on the Arabidopsis transcriptome. Physiol Plant 118:221–231
Paul AL, Ferl RJ (2015) Spaceflight exploration in plant gravitational biology. Methods Mol Biol 1309:285–305
Paul AL, Zupanska AK, Ostrow DT et al (2012) Spaceflight transcriptomes: unique responses to a novel environment. Astrobiology 12:40–56
Penterman J, Zilberman D, Huh JH et al (2007) DNA demethylation in the Arabidopsis genome. P Natl Acad Sci USA 104:6752–6757
Perbal G, Driss-Ecole D (2003) Mechanotransduction in gravisensing cells. Trends Plant Sci 8:498–504
Pischke MS, Huttlin EL, Hegeman AD et al (2006) A transcriptome-based characterization of habituation in plant tissue culture. Plant Physiol 140:1255–1278
Shan C, Mei ZL, Duan JL et al (2014) OsGA2ox5, a Gibberellin metabolism enzyme, Is involved in plant growth, the root gravity response and salt stress. PloS ONE 9
Sievers A (1991) Gravity sensing mechanisms in plant cells. ASGSB Bull 4:43–50
Strohm AK, Baldwin KL, Masson PH (2012) Multiple roles for membrane-associated protein trafficking and signaling in gravitropism. Front Plant Sci 3:274
Swarup R, Bennett M (2003) Auxin transport: the fountain of life in plants? Dev Cell 5:824–826
Thimann KV (1992) The cholodny-went “theory”. Plant Mol Biol Report 10(2):103–104
Wang Y, Zhao H, Zhang Y et al (2016) Establishing and evaluation of the microgravity level in the SJ-10 recoverable satellite. Aerosp China 4:3–13
Xie Q, Guo HS, Dallman G et al (2002) SINAT5 promotes ubiquitin-related degradation of NAC1 to attenuate auxin signals. Nature 419:167–170
Xing MQ, Zhang YJ, Zhou SR et al (2015) Global analysis reveals the crucial roles of DNA methylation during Rice seed development. Plant Physiol 168:1417–1432
Xu ZC, Zhang T, Zheng WB et al (2016) Design of plant incubator under microgravity environment. Chin J Space Sci 36:556–570
Xu PP, Chen HY, Jin J et al (2018) Single-base resolution methylome analysis shows epigenetic changes in Arabidopsis seedlings exposed to microgravity spaceflight conditions on board the SJ-10 recoverable satellite. Npj Microgravity 4:556–570
Yamaguchi N, Komeda Y (2013) The role of CORYMBOSA1/BIG and auxin in the growth of Arabidopsis pedicel and internode. Plant Sci 209:64–74
Yamazaki C, Fujii N, Miyazawa Y et al (2016) The gravity-induced re-localization of auxin efflux carrier CsPIN1 in cucumber seedlings: spaceflight experiments for immunohistochemical microscopy. Npj Microgravity 2:16030
Zhao C, Avci U, Grant EH et al (2008) XND1, a member of the NAC domain family in Arabidopsis thaliana, negatively regulates lignocellulose synthesis and programmed cell death in xylem. Plant J 53:425–436
Acknowledgements
We thank Drs. Hu Xiangyang, Cui Dayong, Lin Wuling, Hu Liwei, Mei Zhiling and Shan Chi for their work in our laboratory that contributed to this review. This work was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant Nos. XDA04020202-15 and XDA04020415), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. U1738107, 31570859, 31500236 and 31600684) and the China Manned Space Flight Technology Project. The projects were coordinated by Institute of Mechanics (Chinese Academy of Sciences), National Space Science Center (Chinese Academy of Sciences) and The Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization (Chinese Academy of Sciences). Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics (Chinese Academy of Sciences) provided spaceflight equipment.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Science Press and Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Cai, W. et al. (2019). Plant Adaptation to Microgravity Environment and Growth of Plant Cells in Altered Gravity Conditions. In: Duan, E., Long, M. (eds) Life Science in Space: Experiments on Board the SJ-10 Recoverable Satellite. Research for Development. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6325-2_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6325-2_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-6324-5
Online ISBN: 978-981-13-6325-2
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)