Atransparent roundworm could reveal the biological effects of microgravity and spaceradiation, and perhaps provide clues on how to protect future human astronautsheaded for the moon, Mars and beyond.
The C.elegans worm's biological responses proved eerily similar to thoseof humans during a series of experiments aboard the International SpaceStation in 2004. Now researchers have published a review of their findings inthe journal Advances in Space Research.
"Atleast at face value, this validates that you can use C. elegans to lookat mechanisms of muscleatrophy in spaceflight," said Nathaniel Szewczyk, a biomedicalresearcher at the University of Nottingham in the UK and member of the researchteam.
"Rateof synthesis is down across all species [in spaceflight]," Szewczykexplained. "It doesn't matter if you're a worm, rat or human."
Thisstrongly suggests that spaceflight affects the usual gene transcription processin which new proteins are made. However, researchers can't confirm a cause untilthey run more experiments where they actively block the transcription processto produce weakened muscles.
Besides,spaceflight may not only affect new muscle creation - it might also degrade orweaken existing muscle. There's less evidence for this, but it's a main focusfor Szewczyk. He wants to continue studying how typical muscle degradationoccurs on Earth, and also use future space experiments to examine the activityof enzymes called proteases, which degrade proteins.
Anotherhealth challenge which ICE-FIRST addressed was the problem of harmfulradiation in space. Astronauts in low Earth orbit still get some protectionfrom the planet's magnetic field, but they are nonetheless exposed to increasedamounts of radiation.
Theroundworms showed that they could normally repair their radiation damaged cellsin spaceflight by using apoptosis, or the programmed cell death which can alsobe triggered by unusual amounts of damage. Researchers say that this makes themideal "living dosimeters" to track accumulated radiation damage overtime.
"Withthe radiation aspect, there's the idea of automating experiments and puttingthem on unmanned platform," Szewczyk explained. "We could actuallyput worms on an unmanned mission to Mars."
Still, ashift toward human rather than animal spaceflight experiments has squeezed the C.elegans studies. The original NASA program under which ICE-FIRST operatedhas been cancelled, although the U.S. space agency may once again be lookingfor "model organism" experiments, Szewczyk noted.
So just as fliesand monkeys once preceded man's first step into an unknown space environment, perhapscreatures such as C. elegans could once again blaze a path to moredistant planetary bodies in the solar system.
- Video - How Astronauts Work Out in Space
- Giant Moon Blanket Could Protect Astronauts
- SPACE.com Video Show - Inside the International Space Station
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
