The CellBox-2 Mission to the International Space Station: Thyroid Cancer Cells in Space

Daniela Melnik,Sarah Baatout,Marcus Krüger,Daniela Grimm,Manfred Infanger,Thomas J Corydon,Herbert Schulz,Johann Bauer,Markus Wehland,Randy Vermeesen,Bjorn Baselet,Sascha Kopp

doi:10.3390/ijms22168777

Abstract

A spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS) is a dream of many researchers. We had the chance to investigate the effect of real microgravity (CellBox-2 Space mission) on the transcriptome and proteome of FTC-133 human follicular thyroid cancer cells (TCC). The cells had been sent to the ISS by a Falcon 9 rocket of SpaceX CRS-13 from Cape Canaveral (United States) and cultured in six automated hardware units on the ISS before they were fixed and returned to Earth. Multicellular spheroids (MCS) were detectable in all spaceflight hardware units. The VCL, PXN, ITGB1, RELA, ERK1 and ERK2 mRNA levels were significantly downregulated after 5 days in space in adherently growing cells (AD) and MCS compared with ground controls (1g), whereas the MIK67 and SRC mRNA levels were both suppressed in MCS. By contrast, the ICAM1, COL1A1 and IL6 mRNA levels were significantly upregulated in AD cells compared with 1g and MCS. The protein secretion measured by multianalyte profiling technology and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (AngiogenesisMAP®, extracellular matrix proteins) was not significantly altered, with the exception of elevated angiopoietin 2. TCC in space formed MCS, and the response to microgravity was mainly anti-proliferative. We identified ERK/RELA as a major microgravity regulatory pathway.

Highlights

The Global Cancer Observatory (Globocan) 2020 estimated that thyroid cancer (TC) is responsible for 586,000 cases of cancer worldwide [1]
The VCL, PXN, ITGB1, RELA, ERK1 and ERK2 mRNA levels were significantly downregulated after 5 days in space in adherently growing cells (AD) and Multicellular spheroids (MCS) compared with ground controls (1g), whereas the MIK67 and SRC mRNA levels were both suppressed in MCS
To gain more information about the behaviour of these cells in space, we used the cultures from the CellBox-2 mission and focused on additional changes in gene expression patterns and measured proteins released into the supernatants during a 5- or 10-day stay in orbit (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

The Global Cancer Observatory (Globocan) 2020 estimated that thyroid cancer (TC) is responsible for 586,000 cases of cancer worldwide [1]. The American Cancer Society recently estimated that in the United States, there will be about 44,280 new cases of TC (12,150 in men and 32,130 in women) and about 2200 deaths from TC (1050 men and 1150 women) in 2021 [2]. Patients with differentiated TC have a long-term survival rate near 90%. The poorly differentiated TC types show a more discouraging long-term survival rate of close to 10%, which is a result of their resistance to the standard treatment options [4,5,6]. The survival rate is still poor and novel research approaches are necessary

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion