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Effect of Spaceflight on Microbial Gene Expression and Virulence (Microbe)
04.26.13

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Overview | Description | Applications | Operations | Results | Publications | Imagery

Experiment Overview

This content was provided by Cheryl A. Nickerson, Ph.D., and is maintained in a database by the ISS Program Science Office.

Brief Summary

The Microbe experiment will investigate the effects of the space flight environment on virulence (ability to infect) of three model microbial pathogens: Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans, that have been identified as potential threats to crew health based upon previous space flight missions.

Principal Investigator(s)

  • Cheryl A. Nickerson, Ph.D., Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States

    • Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)

  • Charlie Mark Ott, Ph.D., Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, United States
  • Duane L. Pierson, Ph.D., Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, United States
  • Kent Buchanan, Ph.D., Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, United States
  • Michael J. Schurr, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Denver, CO, United States

    • Developer(s)

    NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, United States

    Sponsoring Space Agency

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

    Sponsoring Organization

    Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD)

    Research Benefits

    Information Pending

    ISS Expedition Duration

    April 2006 - September 2006

    Expeditions Assigned

    13

    Previous ISS Missions

    Yeast-GAP, a similiar investigation to Microbe was initially performed on ISS Expedition 8.

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    Experiment Description

    Research Overview

    • Microorganisms are carried to space on the human body and in water or food. Many organisms that have been identified aboard spacecraft can cause crewmembers to become sick and put a long duration mission at risk.


    • The virulence (disease causing potential) of these microbes can be significantly altered in space due to radiation and microgravity.


    • The Microbe experiment will study three prevalent microbes, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans that have been identified as potential threats to crew health based upon previous space flight missions.


    • This evaluation of the effect of space flight on the gene expression and disease causing potential of these microorganisms will identify whether the risk of infection increases as a result of long-duration space flight which is important for the safety and performance during our future Lunar and Martian missions.

    Description

    A human presence in space, whether permanent or temporary, is accompanied by the presence of microbes. The extent of changes to microorganisms in response to space flight conditions is not completely understood. Because the length of human space missions is increasing, there is an increased risk to orbiting humans of infectious disease events occurring inflight. Previous studies have indicated that space flight weakens the immune system in both humans and animals. As astronauts and cosmonauts live for longer periods in a closed environment and using recycled water and air, there is an increase in the potential for negative impacts of microbial contamination upon the health, safety, and performance of crewmembers. Therefore, understanding how the space environment affects microorganisms and their disease causing potential is critically important for space flight missions and requires further study.

    The Microbe experiment employed three model microbes, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans to examine the global effects of space flight on microbial gene expression and virulence attributes. These represent different types of bacteria and yeast. Salmonella is the most common agent for gastroenteritis in humans. Sanitation procedures are used to eliminate Salmonella from food sent to orbit, but if some were missed, the impact on crew health could be significant. Pseudomonas has been detected as a contaminant in the water system of spacecraft, and was once a cause of crewmember infection during the Apollo era. Candida is a yeast that is present as part of the natural human flora, but has the potential for harmful overgrowth if microbial communities were to change over time in space.

    The experiment was flown inside self-contained culture chambers which can be activated manually by a crewmember turning a hand crank to release growth media into the cell chamber. After 24 hours of growth at ambient temperatures, the growth was stopped by a crewmember turning the hand crank once more. Upon landing, one third of the samples were recovered as soon as possible and the live cells will be used immediately for the virulence studies while the remaining stabilized samples were frozen at minus 80 degrees C. Ground analysis focused on identifying differences in growth rates and patterns, changes in gene expression, and changes in virulence of the microbes in space compared to Earth.

    By understanding the changes that microorganisms undergo in the space environment, these studies may lead to the development of vaccines and other novel countermeasures for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases occurring during space flight and on Earth.

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    Applications

    Space Applications

    Results from this single flight experiment will provide important information on the threat of pathogens in the space environment, which will assist with development of diagnostic tools to monitor the atmosphere, water and surfaces for the presence of these microbes. Understanding the molecular responses of these organisms to space flight is a necessary step that will significantly contribute to development of systems that meet requirements for supplying and storing potable water that is free of microbial contaminants. Furthermore, identification of the changes caused by space flight to genes and proteins will provide novel targets for pharmacological intervention to prevent and control infectious disease, which will ultimately facilitate safe and productive long-term exploration of the Moon and Mars.

    Earth Applications

    By understanding the unique spectrum of microbial genetic and virulence changes induced by space flight, this experiment will yield valuable knowledge leading to advances in vaccine development and other therapeutics for treatment, prevention and control of infectious diseases on Earth as well as in space.

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    Operations

    Operational Requirements

    The microbes will be contained in the glass barrel of a Fluid Processing Apparatus (FPA). The FPA is a tube that contains 2 or 3 separate liquids in addition to the sample. The liquid can be introduced to the sample in a controlled order. The FPA is contained in a Group Activation Pack (GAP). The GAP will hold up to 8 FPAs that can be processed simultaneously. For this experiment, a total of 12 GAPs will be used, 6 for Salmonella and 3 each for Pseudomonas and Candida. For activation and termination, the crew will turn a hand crank that has been inserted onto the top of the GAP. Growth of the samples will last 24 hours before the experiment is terminated. Once the samples are on the ground and have been stabilized, they will be frozen at minus 80 degrees C then shipped to the PI laboratory. The growth of some samples will not be terminated and will be maintained as viable cultures at ambient temperature for infection studies.

    Operational Protocols

    The microbes, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans, will be contained in a Fluid Processing Apparatus (FPA). In order to activate the sample, the crew will turn a hand crank that has been inserted onto the top of the GAP which contains the FPAs. This will release the growth media into the samples initiating growth. The samples will grow for 24 hours in ambient conditions. The crew will then turn the hand crank again to introduce another media to terminate the growth. Once the samples have returned to ground, the live cells will be used in virulence studies while the stabilized samples will be frozen to minus 80 degrees C and shipped to the PI laboratory for gene expression studies.

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    Results/More Information

    A human presence in space, whether permanent or temporary, is accompanied by the presence of microbes. However, the response of microorganisms to growth during a spaceflight mission is not completely understood. While several spaceflight studies have investigated changes in microbial characteristics when cultured during spaceflight, the Microbe experiment was the first to investigate changes in virulence and gene expression in several microbes that are pertinent to both astronauts and the general public on Earth. The organisms investigated were ,i>Salmonella enterica, Salmonella Typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans.

    Within a few hours after return to Earth aboard STS-115, the S. Typhimurium grown in space was used to infect mice to determine the disease causing potential (virulence) of the organism. Mice infected with bacteria cultured in space displayed a decreased time to death and increased percent mortality compared with those infected with ground controls (Wilson et al 2007). To better understand why the spaceflight-grown cultures were more virulent, an analysis of the gene expression was performed. The S. Typhimurium grown in space expressed a total of 167 genes differently compared to the identically grown cultures on Earth. Surprisingly, many genes that are commonly associated with increased virulence were not differentially regulated. Perhaps the most interesting finding was that a regulatory protein, Hfq, appeared to play a role in the alteration in gene expression in response to spaceflight culture. This finding was the first to identify a potential mechanism by which a microorganism was being altered when grown in space. One additional finding was alterations in microbial morphology. grown during spaceflight displayed greater cellular aggregation and the formation of an extracellular matrix associated with bacterial biofilms. Because extracellular matrix formation can help to increase survival of bacteria under various conditions, this biofilm phenotype indicated a change in bacterial responses that are related to increased virulence.

    Also aboard grown aboard STS-115 were cultures of P. aeruginosa (Crabbé 2011). A comparison of spaceflight grown cultures to those grown identically on Earth indicated that 167 genes were differentially regulated, with many being different than those seen with S. Typhimurium. However, one key similarity was that when analysis of the data was performed, Hfq was again identified as a key regulator for many of the differentially regulated genes. This finding reinforced the role for Hfq in microbial response to spaceflight and also suggested that this response may be evolutionarily conserved between species. The differentially regulated gene expression data also indicated that many P. aeruginosa virulence characteristics may increase in response to spaceflight culture. The results for C. albicans are still being evaluated and prepared for publication.

    Both during the preparation for spaceflight experiments and to fully understand the results after the experiment, scientists used spaceflight analogues, like the rotating wall vessel (RWV) and the random position machine (RPM) to mimic spaceflight growth conditions in order to gain insight into the potential behavior P. aeruginosa in microgravity (Nickerson 2004). For Microbe, microarray analysis samples of P. aeruginosa grown in a RWV were compared to samples grown in normal gravity controls (Crabbé 2010).The results revealed an alteration in a regulatory role of the sigma factor AlgU, which consequently led to an increase in production of the extracellular substance alginate. This change in gene regulation and increased production of alginate resulted in an increase in heat and oxidative stress resistance. Perhaps most interesting was the involvement of Hfq in response to culture in the RWV, consistent with Microbe spaceflight findings in S. Typhimurium and P. aeruginosa.

    The Microbe experiment had far reaching implications. It clarified the mechanisms behind the observations of microbial spaceflight experiments over the past 40 years and initiated studies to understand how these findings impact risk assessment to crew health. In addition, the knowledge gained from space flight research has been the focus of commercial and academic entities toward the discovery of novel therapeutic and vaccine approaches leading to the implementation of new strategies for translation of this research into health benefits for the general public (Sarker et al 2010).

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    Results Publications

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    Ground Based Results Publications

      Wilson JW, Nauman EA, Sander E, Nickerson CA, Pierson DL, Tucker DL, Ott CM.  A Novel Quantitative Biosystem to Model Physiological Fluid Shear Stress on Cells. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2007 Feb; 73(3): 699-705.
      Crabbe A, Van Houdt R, Pycke B, Monsieurs P, Nickerson CA, Cornelis P, Leys N.  Response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to low shear modeled microgravity involves AlgU regulation. Environmental Microbiology. 2010; 12(6): 1545-64.
      Sarker SF, Ott CM, Barrila J, Nickerson CA.  Discovery of Spaceflight-Related virulence Mechanisms in Salmonella and Other Microbial Pathogens: Novel Approaches to Commercial Vaccine Development. Gravitational and Space Biology. 2010; 23(2): 75-78.
      Wilson JW, Pierson DL, Nickerson CA, Ramamurthy R, Ott CM.  Microbial Responses to Microgravity and Other Low-Shear Environments. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews. 2004; 68(2): 345-361.

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    ISS Patents

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    Related Publications

      Nickerson CA, Mister SJ, Pierson DL, Morrow BJ, Burns-Keliher L, Ott CM.  Microgravity as a Novel Environmental Signal Affecting Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Virulence. Infection and Immunity. 2000; 68(6): 3147-3152.
      Wilson JW, Schurr MJ, Nickerson CA, LeBlanc CL, Ramamurthy R, Buchanan K.  Mechanisms of bacterial pathogenicity. Journal of Postgraduate Medicine. 2002; 78(918): 216-224.
      Wilson JW, Pierson DL, Nickerson CA, Ramamurthy R, Porwollik S, Ott CM, McClelland M.  Low-Shear modeled microgravity alters the Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium stress response in an RpoS-independent manner. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2002; 68(11): 5408-5416. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.68.11.5408-5416.2002.
      Wilson JW, Pierson DL, Nickerson CA, Ramamurthy R, Porwollik S, Ott CM, McClelland M, Allen PL, Hammond TG.  Microarray Analysis Identifies Salmonella Genes Belonging to Low-Shear Modeled Microgravity Regulon. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2002; 99(21): 13807-11382. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.212387899.

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    Related Websites
  • The Biodesign Institute - Arizona State University
  • The Biodesign Institute Arizona State University
  • Article: Space flight shown to alter ability of bacteria to cause disease
  • Ames Research Center - Microbe Hardware

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    Imagery

    image Image of Candida albicans.This is one of three microbial pathogens examined for the Microbe investigation. Image courtsey from Arizonia State University.
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    image Image of gram negative Salmonella typhimurium. This is one of three microbial pathogens examined for the Microbe investigation. Image courtsey from Arizonia State University.
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    image Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) of gram negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This is one of three microbial pathogens examined for the Microbe investigation. Image courtsey from Arizonia State University.
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    image NASA Image: S115e07274 - Astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, Mission Specialist holding the Microbe Group Activation Pack containing eight Fluid Processing Apparatuses in the middeck of the Space Shuttle Atlantis during Expedition 13 and STS-115 joint operations.
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    image The Group Activation Pack (GAP), left, is a triple-enclosed containment vessel used to house microbiology experiments in microgravity. The Ground-based bioreactor, right, is used in ground studies to simulate microgravity in the laboratory. (Photo courtesy of Arizona State University)
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    image Researcher Hami Teal, Ph.D. examines hardware for Microbe experiment. Image courtesy of Ames Research Center.
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    image Researcher Hami Teal, Ph.D. examines and activates the hardware for Microbe experiment. Image courtesy of Ames Research Center.
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    image Principal Investigator Cheryl Nickerson, Ph.D. Image courtesy of the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University.
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    Information provided by the investigation team to the ISS Program Scientist's Office.
    If updates are needed to the summary please contact JSC-ISS-Program-Science-Group. For other general questions regarding space station research and technology, please feel free to call our help line at 281-244-6187 or e-mail at JSC-ISS-Research-Helpline.
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