Contract activities on ISS Russian Segment
Experiment Amphybody
The immune system is an important regulatory mechanism affected by space flight. As plan for long-term missions continue
to develop, alterations of immunity could seriously impair the ability of the host to deal with infections. Up to now, research has mainly
focused on innate immunity and T cell responses, whereas B cell-mediated responses have been almost unexplored.
During B cell development, the antibody repertoire is created by the assembly
of many V genes, D (only for the heavy chains) and J segments. This process is
mediated by the V(D)J recombination machinery.
The experiment will analyze the V(D)J recombination products obtained when P.
waltl developed in space. Embryos will be allowed to develop during 10 days
of spaceflight in EADS Mini-Aquaria, either in microgravity or on a 1g control
centrifuge. Postflight animals will be sacrificed either immediately on recovery,
1 month or 6 months postlflight. The vestibulo ocular reflex of the tadpoles
will also be measured, along with the properties of otoconia.
Objective:
Determine if the antibody V(D)J gene recombination is affected by a space flight in developing Pleurodeles waltl embryos.
Task:
Determine if exposure to microgravity during embryonic development affects the expression of antibody V(D)J recombination genes.
Science Hardware Used:
- KUBIK 2 incubator with the power cable;
- Amphibody Biocontainers (12).
Consumables:
Experiment Results:
Biology containers (12) returned to the ground.
Expected Results:
Data from this experiment will allow to determine if exposure to microgravity during embryonic development affects the expression of antibody V(D)J recombination genes.
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