FLUMIAS – high-resolution live-cell imaging on-board the ISS: measuring gravity-mediated dynamic changes in astrocyte reactivity and cytoskeletal remodeling

Abstract

Microgravity affects all biological systems with effects that are nearly impossible to predict. The ISS provides a constant and prolonged microgravity environment excellent for cellular gravitational experiments. FLUMIAS (FLUorescence MIcroscopic Analysis in Space) is a newly developed research platform, which combines an automated microscope with a life support system and a centrifuge to apply variable gravitational loads up to 1g onboard the ISS. The project LAARA (Live Assessment of Astrocytic Reactivity under Space Conditions) aims to investigate how astrocytes, the most prominent type of glial cell in the brain, adapt to altered gravity. Astrocyte reactivity is thought to play an important role in brain physiological changes in prolonged space missions. This hypothesis originates in the role of reactive astrogliosis as a physiological mechanism of the brain following injury or infection. FLUMIAS enables live visualization of astrocytic adaptation processes and sensitivity thresholds to altered gravity. To increase the knowledge on astrogliosis and the impact of space conditions on the reactive state of astrocytes, cytoskeletal dynamics and mitochondrial activity will be investigated.