Abstract
In the ‘Rocket Science’ project, storage of Eruca sativa (salad rocket) seeds for six months on board the International Space Station resulted in delayed seedling establishment. Here we investigated the physiological and molecular mechanisms underpinning the spaceflight effects on dry seeds. We found that ‘Space’ seed germination vigor was reduced, and ageing sensitivity increased, but the spaceflight did not compromise seed viability and the development of normal seedlings. Comparative analysis of the transcriptomes (using RNAseq) in dry seeds and upon controlled artificial ageing treatment (CAAT) revealed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with spaceflight and ageing. DEG categories enriched by spaceflight and CAAT included transcription and translation with reduced transcript abundances for 40S and 60S ribosomal subunit genes. Among the ‘spaceflight-up’ DEGs were heat shock proteins (HSPs), DNAJ-related chaperones, a heat shock factor (HSFA7a-like), and components of several DNA repair pathways (e.g., ATM, DNA ligase 1). The ‘response to radiation’ category was especially enriched in ‘spaceflight-up’ DEGs including HSPs, catalases, and the transcription factor HY5. The major finding from the physiological and transcriptome analysis is that spaceflight causes vigor loss and partial ageing during air-dry seed storage, for which space environmental factors and consequences for seed storage during spaceflights are discussed.
Highlights
IntroductionLife 2020, 10, 49 outside their evolutionary history [1,2,3,4,5]
Plant science research during spaceflight, including on orbiting space platforms such as the International Space Station (ISS), has revealed novel mechanisms and the potential of ‘dry’ seeds, growing seedlings, and flowering plants to respond to environmental change and extreme conditionsLife 2020, 10, 49; doi:10.3390/life10040049 www.mdpi.com/journal/lifeLife 2020, 10, 49 outside their evolutionary history [1,2,3,4,5]
We identified a number of transcripts encoding heat shock protein (HSP) and DNAJ-related molecular chaperones, as well as a heat shock factor (HSF), that were more abundant in dry Space seeds and upon controlled artificial ageing treatment (CAAT) in all samples (Figure 5)
Summary
Life 2020, 10, 49 outside their evolutionary history [1,2,3,4,5] These findings are relevant for sustainable agriculture, climate change, food security, and seed storage on the Earth’s surface, as well as for growing fresh food during long-distance space travel and for agriculture on Mars and other planets [1,6,7,8]. This research has potential to be applied to growing fresh food derived from plants for nutrition and human survival in space during long-distance space travel [5,7,12,13,14,15,16,17]
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