Effects Of Hypergravity Research Articles

Wolffia globosa, a novel crop species for protein production in space agriculture

Space agriculture, pivotal for sustainable extraterrestrial missions, requires plants that can adapt to altered gravitational conditions. This study delves into the adaptive responses to altered gravity of Wolffia globosa, an aquatic plant known for its rapid growth and high nutritional value. The research aimed to analyse the effect of simulated microgravity and hypergravity on relative growth rate (RGR), morphological characteristics, protein content, and the correlation between plant size and growth rate of Wolffia globosa. The study highlighted the responses of the species to altered gravity, uncovering inherent variability among seven different clones of W. globosa. Results show a base variability among clones in terms of RGR, size and protein content. Furthermore, some clones are affected by simulated microgravity, showing a decrease in RGR. Differently, under hypergravity, clones showed RGR higher than in 1 g control, therefore revealing a novel plant response to hypergravity. Morphological adaptations to gravity alterations were also evident. Among the studied clones, significant morphological changes were observed, further underlining the peculiar adaptation to the hypergravity environment. Differently, under simulated microgravity, morphology was generally stable across clones. A key finding of the study was the significant negative correlation between RGR and the physical dimensions of the plants: the fastest growth was associated with the smallest dimensions of the plants. This correlation might have practical implications in selecting clones for space cultivation, that leads to compact yet highly productive clones. The analysis of the protein content of all the clones revealed mostly no significant changes under hypergravity. Otherwise, a general decrease in protein content was observed under simulated microgravity. Overall, the study confirms the suitability of W. globosa for space agriculture and provides new insights into the perspective of using W. globosa as an alternative crop species for protein production for manned Space missions. Furthermore, it underscores the need for focusing on the clones and the selection of the W. globosa plants that are best adapted to the environmental conditions of space; therefore, selecting those with the best combination of biomass production (by means of growth rate, size), and protein content.

Effect of hypergravity on CHF for water flow boiling in a rectangular channel

Abstract Hypergravity during the maneuver of aircraft can obviously increase the intensity of disturbance in flow boiling. The critical heat flux (CHF) is a critical parameter to prevent the aircraft thermal management system from drying out. On a rotating platform with distilled water as the working fluid, an experimental investigation into the water flow boiling CHF characteristics in a rectangular channel under hypergravity was carried out. In this study, the influence of hypergravity, entry temperature, mass velocity with heating direction on flow boiling CHF have been investigated and discussed. The results show that hypergravity has a clear effect on the CHF by improving two-phase mixing and bubble separation. CHF increases as the hypergravity and mass velocity increase but decreases as the inlet temperature rises. The orientation of the heating has a clear impact on CHF. A new fitting correlation was discovered as a result of the current study.

A concentric 3D-printed centrifuge rotor to study the effects of hypergravity on small organisms at three different but concurrent radial accelerations

For life to reach space, it must first escape Earth's gravity—hence exposure to hypergravity during launch, and interplanetary acceleration and deceleration. Long-term colonisation of space requires the establishment of sustainable, in situ, food production systems. Earthworms may be involved as a regolith/soil ameliorant, a source of protein, and for organic waste conversion. Earthworms, however, have hydrostatic skeletons that may be susceptible to hypergravity exposure. We investigated whether earthworms (Eisenia andrei) would survive prolonged centrifugal hypergravity using a table-top centrifuge. Our intention was to concurrently test three different hypergravity treatments (plus a 1 G control). Our concentric rotor concept, with appropriate design adaptations, allows concurrent testing of three different gravity treatments on small- and microorganisms, cell cultures, plants, microcosm, and chemical/biochemical reactions for extended periods of hours to months. Our concentric concept therefore is easily adaptable and may facilitate other terrestrial-based research on chemical, molecular, and organismal levels.•We designed a 3D-printed centrifuge rotor with three concentric rings, each ring with four separate 125 mL compartments.•This design was tested with an 8-day pilot run with four young worms per container at 1.7 G, 2.5 G, and 3.1 G, with a 1 G control.•All worms at all treatments gained body mass, the mean increases of which were almost indistinguishable between treatments, illustrating the utility of the design.

Prolonged exposure to hypergravity increases number and size of cells and enhances lignin deposition in the stem of Arabidopsis thaliana.

We have performed a lab-based hypergravity cultivation experiment using a centrifuge equipped with a lighting system and examined long-term effects of hypergravity on the development of the main axis of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.) primary inflorescence, which comprises the rachis and peduncle, collectively referred to as the main stem for simplicity. Plants grown under 1 × g (gravitational acceleration on Earth) conditions for 20-23 days and having the first visible flower bud were exposed to hypergravity at 8 × g for 10 days. We analyzed the effect of prolonged hypergravity conditions on growth, lignin deposition, and tissue anatomy of the main stem. As a result, the length of the main stem decreased and cross-sectional area, dry mass per unit length, cell number, and lignin content of the main stem significantly increased under hypergravity. Lignin content in the rosette leaves also increased when they were exposed to hypergravity during their development. Except for interfascicular fibers, cross-sectional areas of the tissues composing the internode significantly increased under hypergravity in most types of the tissues in the basal part than the apical part of the main stem, indicating that the effect of hypergravity is more pronounced in the basal part than the apical part. The number of cells in the fascicular cambium and xylem significantly increased under hypergravity both in the apical and basal internodes of the main stem, indicating a possibility that hypergravity stimulates procambium activity to produce xylem element more than phloem element. The main stem was suggested to be strengthened through changes in its morphological characteristics as well as lignin deposition under prolonged hypergravity conditions.

Hypergravity prompt thermal crack in 1060 aluminium slat

High-speed rotation instruments that apply gradient hypergravities can induce local variations in structure and thus induce cracking. Rotation-induced hypergravity is a kind of gradient force, and it has a gradient value that depends on distance and local weight. Conventional mechanical testing applies a constant force or periodic force instead of true gradient hypergravity to rotating components. In this study, a dedicated instrument was designed and assembled, and a special sample of 1060 aluminium slats with multiple thinned necks was used to reveal the difference between gradient hypergravity and conventional constant forces. Hypergravity caused more significant damage to the aluminium slat, and the ultimate crack strength was approximately 10% of the strength observed under the constant force applied at the same temperature. All the samples cracked on the inner neck which bears the highest hypergravity. Two types of cracks were categorized based on the relative extension: type Ⅰ mode cracks occurred in the centre of the neck with long extension before cracking under hypergravity more than 3.5 MPa, while type Ⅱ cracks occurred in the root of the neck without long extension before cracking under hypergravity less than 3.5 MPa. Combination of hypergravity and torsional force in high-speed rotation system prompt cracking and exhibit similar microstructure with that under high constant force. Typical cracking and its microstructure under the effects of hypergravity and temperature provided a convenient and practicable method for evaluating service safety of commercial rotating machines for industrial applications and raw alloys.

Numerical study of flow boiling heat transfer in a mini-channel under hyper-gravity

Gravity plays a crucial role in influencing bubble behavior and heat transfer in flow boiling, and its impact can vary significantly in aerospace settings. Therefore, this study aims to numerically investigate flow boiling heat transfer in a rectangular mini-channel under hyper-gravity conditions, specifically at 12 times the normal gravity. To accomplish this, a coupled volume-of-fluid and level set method is employed, taking into account fluid-solid conjugated heat transfer as well as a nucleus site density model derived from experimental data. By reproducing the flow pattern and heat transfer characteristics under different heat flux and flow rate conditions, the study unveils the effects of hyper-gravity on flow boiling heat transfer. When the flow rate is lower under hyper-gravity conditions, a notable phenomenon occurs wherein numerous bubbles detach from the heating wall and coalesce into a vapor film at the top of the mini-channel due to increased buoyancy. In contrast, under normal gravity, bubbles merge and slide on the heating wall, leading to the formation of a dry patch below. Consequently, hyper-gravity results in a lower wall superheat, and the disparity in average wall superheat between normal and high gravities escalates as the added heat flux rises. Notably, in the hyper-gravity environment, the frequent detachment of bubbles in the middle and downstream sections of the mini-channel leads to an initial increase in wall superheating, followed by a plateau along the flow direction. As the flow rate increases, the inertial force intensifies. However, intriguingly, the discrepancy in flow boiling heat transfer between normal and high gravities does not exhibit a monotonic decrease with the increasing flow rate. This behavior can be attributed to the pressing of more bubbles onto the heating wall under normal gravity, resulting in the formation of dry patches at high velocities.

Epigenetic and physiological alterations in zebrafish subjected to hypergravity.

Gravity is one of the most constant environmental factors across Earth's evolution and all organisms are adapted to it. Consequently, spatial exploration has captured the interest in studying the biological changes that physiological alterations are caused by gravity. In the last two decades, epigenetics has explained how environmental cues can alter gene functions in organisms. Although many studies addressed gravity, the underlying biological and molecular mechanisms that occur in altered gravity for those epigenetics-related mechanisms, are mostly inexistent. The present study addressed the effects of hypergravity on development, behavior, gene expression, and most importantly, on the epigenetic changes in a worldwide animal model, the zebrafish (Danio rerio). To perform hypergravity experiments, a custom-centrifuge simulating the large diameter centrifuge (100 rpm ~ 3 g) was designed and zebrafish embryos were exposed during 5 days post fertilization (dpf). Results showed a significant decrease in survival at 2 dpf but no significance in the hatching rate. Physiological and morphological alterations including fish position, movement frequency, and swimming behavior showed significant changes due to hypergravity. Epigenetic studies showed significant hypermethylation of the genome of the zebrafish larvae subjected to 5 days of hypergravity. Downregulation of the gene expression of three epigenetic-related genes (dnmt1, dnmt3, and tet1), although not significant, was further observed. Taken altogether, gravity alterations affected biological responses including epigenetics in fish, providing a valuable roadmap of the putative hazards of living beyond Earth.

Equivalent in-plane elastic moduli of honeycomb materials under hypergravity conditions

Honeycomb materials frequently encounter hypergravity conditions in both aerospace and biological contexts during phases such as launch, reentry or under centrifugal motion. The significant body force engendered by hypergravity induces alterations in the microstructure of honeycomb materials, which in turn, influences their macroscopic mechanical behaviour. Leveraging the stiffness of the beam element as a pivotal variable, we successfully derived the equivalent moduli of the honeycomb material under hypergravity conditions. We further proposed the concept of a ‘hypergravity factor’, elucidating that the density of the base material, the dimensions of honeycomb cells and the magnitude of the hypergravity contribute to amplifying hypergravity effects. The results, numerically validated through finite-element simulations, could be reduced to the case that neglects body force. The critical buckling load of the honeycomb material under hypergravity can be assessed by setting the derived moduli to zero. In the presence of hypergravity, a honeycomb material undergoes a transition into a gradient material along the hypergravity direction, thereby exacerbating anisotropy. This phenomenon is theoretically expected to occur in virtually all porous materials. The analytical framework adopted, which employs beam stiffness as an intermediary variable, facilitates the extension of these results to honeycomb materials which encompass beam elements with functional gradients or varying cross-sectional morphologies.

The importance of gravity vector on adult mammalian organisms: Effects of hypergravity on mouse testis.

In the age of space exploration, the effect of hypergravity on human physiology is a relatively neglected topic. However, astronauts have several experiences of hypergravity during their missions. The main disturbance of altered gravity can be imputed to cell cytoskeleton alteration and physiologic homeostasis of the body. Testis has proved to be a particularly sensible organ, subject to environmental alteration and physiological disturbance. This makes testis an organ eligible for investigating the alteration following exposure to altered gravity. In our study, mice were exposed to hypergravity (3g for 14 days) in the Large Diameter Centrifuge machine (ESA, Netherland). We have observed a morphological alteration of the regular architecture of the seminiferous tubules of testis as well as an altered expression of factors involved in the junctional complexes of Sertoli cells, responsible for ensuring the morpho-functional integrity of the organ. The expression of key receptors in physiological performance, such as Androgen Receptors and Interstitial Cells Stimulating Hormone receptors, was found lower expressed. All these findings indicate the occurrence of altered physiological organ performance such as the reduction of the spermatozoa number and altered endocrine parameters following hypergravity exposure.

Experimental study on subcooled pool boiling heat transfer under hypergravity

The pool boiling heat transfer experiment was conducted with pure water under subcooled and saturation conditions, both in hypergravity (1–3 g) and normal gravity (1 g) at atmospheric pressure. A turntable was employed to simulate the hypergravity environment. Subcooling was varied at four different levels: 2 °C, 5 °C, 8 °C, and 10 °C, corresponding to gravity levels ranging from 1 g to 3 g. Heat transfer enhancement was observed in the fully developed region under saturation conditions, whereas it was less pronounced in the natural convection region. Specifically, increasing the subcooling degrees leads to an expansion of the natural convection region, where the effects of hypergravity become noticeable at higher heat flux levels. The effect of hypergravity diminishes as the bubble detachment diameter in the fully developed region decreases with increasing subcooling degree, implying that the main effect of hypergravity on heat transfer is due to its influence on the bubble behavior. Additionally, a detailed analysis is presented to further explain the effect of hypergravity on heat transfer, focusing on the bubble dynamical behavior and the impact of buoyancy under hypergravity conditions.

Under pressure—the influence of hypergravity on electrocortical activity and neurocognitive performance

The effects of hypergravity and the associated increased pressure on the human body have not yet been studied in detail, but are of great importance for the safety of astronauts on space missions and could have a long-term impact on rehabilitation strategies for neurological patients. Considering the plans of international space agencies with the exploration of Mars and Moon, it is important to explore the effects of both extremes, weightlessness and hypergravity. During parabolic flights, a flight manoeuvre that artificially creates weightlessness and hypergravity, electrocortical activity as well as behavioural parameters (error rate and reaction time) and neuronal parameters (event-related potentials P300 and N200) were examined with an electroencephalogram. Thirteen participants solved a neurocognitive task (mental arithmetic task as a primary task and oddball paradigm as a secondary task) within normal as well as hypergravity condition in fifteen consecutive parabolas for 22 s each. No changes between the different gravity levels could be observed for the behavioural parameters and cortical current density. A significantly lower P300 amplitude was observed in 1 G, triggered by the primary task and the target sound of the oddball paradigm. The N200, provoked by the sounds of the oddball paradigm, revealed a higher amplitude in 1.8 G. A model established by Kohn et al. (2018) describing changes in neural communication with decreasing gravity can be used here as an explanatory approach. The fluid shift increases the intracranial pressure, decreases membrane viscosity and influences the open state probability of ion channels. This leads to an increase in the resting membrane potential, and the threshold for triggering an action potential can be reached more easily. The question now arises whether the observed changes are linear or whether they depend on a specific threshold.

Differential effects of hypergravity on immune dysfunctions induced by simulated microgravity.

Microgravity (μg) is among the major stressors in space causing immune cell dysregulations. These are frequently expressed as increased pro-inflammatory states of monocytes and reduced activation capacities in T cells. Hypergravity (as artificial gravity) has shown to have beneficial effects on the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular system both as a countermeasure option for μg-related deconditioning and as "gravitational therapy" on Earth. Since the impact of hypergravity on immune cells is sparsely explored, we investigated if an application of "mild" mechanical loading of 2.8 g is able to avoid or treat μg-mediated immune dysregulations. For this, T cell and monocyte activation states and cytokine pattern were first analyzed after whole blood antigen incubation in simulated μg (s-μg) by using the principle of fast clinorotation or in hypergravity. Subsequent hypergravity countermeasure approaches were run at three different sequences: one preconditioning setting, where 2.8 g was applied before s-μg exposure and two therapeutic approaches in which 2.8 g was set either intermediately or at the end of s-μg. In single g-grade exposure experiments, monocyte pro-inflammatory state was enhanced in s-μg and reduced in hypergravity, whereas T cells displayed reduced activation when antigen incubation was performed in s-μg. Hypergravity application in all three sequences did not alleviate the increased pro-inflammatory potential of monocytes. However, in T cells the preconditioning approach restored antigen-induced CD69 expression and IFNγ secretion to 1 g control values and beyond. This in vitro study demonstrates a proof of concept that mild hypergravity is a gravitational preconditioning option to avoid adaptive immune cell dysfunctions induced by (s-)μg and that it may act as a booster of immune cell functions.

Thermal characteristics of latent heat sinks based on low melting point metal and topologically optimized fins under lateral hypergravity

With the increasing thermal load of optoelectronic equipment on aircraft, the method of using low melting point metals (LMPMs) instead of organic phase change materials (PCMs) to construct latent heat sinks has immense potential to solve the thermal control problem. However, aircraft are usually under hypergravity during maneuvering flight, and the thermal characteristics of latent heat sinks are likely to be different from those under normal gravity. Hence, the dynamic thermal characteristics of a latent heat sink with bismuth-based LMPM and topologically optimized fins under lateral hypergravity (0–6 g) were investigated with heat fluxes of 10–50 kW/m2. Compared with n-docosane, LMPM decreases the heating wall temperature by over 10 °C, and the holding time below specified temperatures (50, 60, and 70 °C) is prolonged by more than 50 %. Compared with the pin fin, the topologically optimized fin reduces the heating wall temperature by more than 4 °C maximum. The effect of hypergravity on the thermal performances of the heat sink with LMPM and topologically optimized fins is connected with the melting stage. It is negligible in the solid conduction stage and the initial stage of latent melting. It makes the heating wall temperature first increase and then decrease but always higher than that under normal gravity in the rest stage of latent melting. It causes the heating wall temperature to monotonically decrease with hypergravity in the liquid convection stage. The largest difference in heating wall temperature under various gravity occurs between 2 g and 0 g. It is 5.2 °C and its percentage is 7.6 % for 50 kW/m2. In addition, the effect of heat flux on thermal performances is not related to hypergravity.

Hypergravity enhances RBM4 expression in human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and accelerates their differentiation into neurons.

The regulation of stem cell differentiation is important in determining the quality of transplanted cells in regenerative medicine. Physical stimuli are involved in regulating stem cell differentiation, and in particular, research on the regulation of differentiation using gravity is an attractive choice. We have shown that microgravity is useful for maintaining undifferentiated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). However, the effects of hypergravity on the differentiation of MSCs, especially on neural differentiation related to neural regeneration, have not been elucidated. We induced neural differentiation of human bone marrow-derived MSCs (hbMSCs) for 10 days under normal gravity (1G) or hypergravity (3G) conditions using a gravity controller, Gravite®. HbMSCs were collected, and cell number and viability were measured 3 and 10 days after induction. RNA was also extracted from the collected hbMSCs, and the expression of neuron-associated genes and regulator markers of neural differentiation was analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Additionally, we evaluated the NF-M-positive cell rate 10 days after induction using immunofluorescent staining. Neural gene expression and the NF-M-positive cell rate were increased in hbMSCs under the 3G condition 10 days after induction. mRNA expression of RNA binding motif protein 4 (RBM4) and pyruvate kinase M 1 (PKM1) in the 3G condition was also higher than that in the 1G group. Hypergravity can enhance RBM4 and PKM1, promoting the neural differentiation of hbMSCs.

The effect of different gravity fields on mass transfer in the rat bone lacunar-canalicular system

The bone lacunar-canalicular system (LCS) is an important microscopic infrastructure for signaling and solute transport in bone tissue, which guarantees normal physiological processes of the tissue, but the mass transfer laws in the LCS under different gravity fields have not yet been clarified. SD rats were injected intraperitoneally with different concentrations of sodium fluorescein tracer and subjected to mass transfer experiments in the LCS under normal gravity and hypergravity. The fluorescence distribution in the osteon was observed using laser scanning confocal microscopy. The hypergravity environment was provided by a self-designed high-G loading centrifuge. The fluorescence intensity of the Haversian canal in the osteon was the highest. The fluorescence intensity of lacunae farther away from the Haversian canal was lower, and the fitted curve was parabolic. With the increasing distance from the Haversian canal, the curve first rapidly decreased, and then the decreasing trend gradually became slower. Hypergravity promoted mass transfer in the LCS, and the 10 ​G hypergravity showed varying degrees of fluorescence intensity in each layer of the osteon relative to normal gravity, with intensity enhancements in the range of 132.7–249.0%. The fluorescence intensity was also significantly increased when the tracer concentration was halved and the gravity field magnitude was increased to 10G. In conclusion, hypergravity promoted the transport of solute molecules, nutrients, and signaling molecules within the LCS. The effect of hypergravity on mass transfer in the LCS was greater than that of tracer concentration. This may help to understand bone diseases from a mass transfer perspective.

Transcriptional Response in Human Jurkat T Lymphocytes to a near Physiological Hypergravity Environment and to One Common in Routine Cell Culture Protocols.

Cellular effects of hypergravity have been described in many studies. We investigated the transcriptional dynamics in Jurkat T cells between 20 s and 60 min of 9 g hypergravity and characterized a highly dynamic biphasic time course of gene expression response with a transition point between rapid adaptation and long-term response at approximately 7 min. Upregulated genes were shifted towards the center of the nuclei, whereby downregulated genes were shifted towards the periphery. Upregulated gene expression was mostly located on chromosomes 16-22. Protein-coding transcripts formed the majority with more than 90% of all differentially expressed genes and followed a continuous trend of downregulation, whereas retained introns demonstrated a biphasic time-course. The gene expression pattern of hypergravity response was not comparable with other stress factors such as oxidative stress, heat shock or inflammation. Furthermore, we tested a routine centrifugation protocol that is widely used to harvest cells for subsequent RNA analysis and detected a huge impact on the transcriptome compared to non-centrifuged samples, which did not return to baseline within 15 min. Thus, we recommend carefully studying the response of any cell types used for any experiments regarding the hypergravity time and levels applied during cell culture procedures and analysis.

The effect of hypergravity, hyperbaric pressure, and hypoxia on osteogenic differentiation of adipose stem cells

Human adipose stem cells (ASCs) hold great potential for regenerative medicine approaches, including osteogenic regeneration of bone defects, that fail to heal autonomously. Osteogenic differentiation of stem cells is dependent on the stimulation of biophysical factors. In the present study, the effects of hypergravity, hypoxia, and hyperbaric treatment were investigated on adipose stem cell (ASC) metabolic activity, quantified by PrestoBlue conversion, and cell numbers, evaluated by crystal violet staining. Osteogenic differentiation was assessed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and cresolphthalein staining of calcium deposition. Differentiation was performed for 12 days, which was accompanied by periodical stimulation. Increasing gravity forces up to 50x g did not affect ASC viability, but it enhanced osteogenic markers with a strongest effect between 20 and 30x g. Hyperbaric stimulation at 3 bar decreased ASC cell numbers but increased ALP activity and calcium deposition. Hypoxia at 8 % atmospheric oxygen did not affect ASC proliferation, while cell numbers were reduced at 3 % oxygen. Furthermore, hypoxic conditions produced opposing results on osteogenic markers, as ALP activity increased whereas cresolphthalein staining decreased upon stimulation. These data demonstrated that intermittent short duration of basal physical or chemical impulses interfere with the osteogenic differentiation of ASCs. Our findings could be of specific relevance in ASC based therapies for regenerative medicine and bone tissue engineering approaches.

Post-Transcriptional Dynamics is Involved in Rapid Adaptation to Hypergravity in Jurkat T Cells.

The transcriptome of human immune cells rapidly reacts to altered gravity in a highly dynamic way. We could show in previous experiments that transcriptional patterns show profound adaption after seconds to minutes of altered gravity. To gain further insight into these transcriptional alteration and adaption dynamics, we conducted a highly standardized RNA-Seq experiment with human Jurkat T cells exposed to 9xg hypergravity for 3 and 15 min, respectively. We investigated the frequency with which individual exons were used during transcription and discovered that differential exon usage broadly appeared after 3 min and became less pronounced after 15 min. Additionally, we observed a shift in the transcript pool from coding towards non-coding transcripts. Thus, adaption of gravity-sensitive differentially expressed genes followed a dynamic transcriptional rebound effect. The general dynamics were compatible with previous studies on the transcriptional effects of short hypergravity on human immune cells and suggest that initial up-regulatory changes mostly result from increased elongation rates. The shift correlated with a general downregulation of the affected genes. All chromosome bands carried homogenous numbers of gravity-sensitive genes but showed a specific tendency towards up- or downregulation. Altered gravity affected transcriptional regulation throughout the entire genome, whereby the direction of differential expression was strongly dependent on the structural location in the genome. A correlation analysis with potential mediators of the early transcriptional response identified a link between initially upregulated genes with certain transcription factors. Based on these findings, we have been able to further develop our model of the transcriptional response to altered gravity.

Effects of short-term hypergravity on hematopoiesis and vasculogenesis in embryonic zebrafish

Microgravity and hypergravity-induced changes affect both molecular and organismal responses as demonstrated in various animal models. In addition to its inherent advantages, zebrafish have been shown to be incredibly resilient to altered gravity conditions. To understand the effects of altered gravity on animal physiology, especially the cardiovascular system, we used 2 h centrifugations to simulate short-term hypergravity and investigated its effects on zebrafish development. Morphological and in situ hybridization observations show a comparable overall development in both control and treated embryos. Spatiotemporal analysis revealed varied gene expression patterns across different developmental times. Genes driving primitive hematopoiesis (tal1, gata1) and vascular specificity (vegf, etv2) displayed an early onset of expression following hypergravity exposure. Upregulated expression of hematopoiesis-linked genes, such as runx1, cmyb, nos, and pdgf family demonstrate short-term hypergravity to be a factor inducing definitive hematopoiesis through a combinatorial mechanism. We speculate that these short-term hypergravity-induced physiological changes in the developing zebrafish embryos constitute a rescue mechanism to regain homeostasis.

Osteoclastic and Osteoblastic Responses to Hypergravity and Microgravity: Analysis Using Goldfish Scales as a Bone Model.

It is known that the bone matrix plays an important role in the response to physical stresses such as hypergravity and microgravity. In order to accurately analyze the response of bone to hypergravity and microgravity, a culture system under the conditions of coexistence of osteoclasts, osteoblasts, and bone matrix was earnestly desired. The teleost scale is a unique calcified organ in which osteoclasts, osteoblasts, and the two layers of bone matrix, i.e., a bony layer and a fibrillary layer, coexist. Therefore, we have developed in vitro organ culture systems of osteoclasts and osteoblasts with the intact bone matrix using goldfish scales. Using the scale culture system, we examined the effects of hypergravity with a centrifuge and simulated ground microgravity (g-µG) with a three-dimensional clinostat on osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Under 3-gravity (3G) loading for 1 day, osteoclastic marker mRNA expression levels decreased, while the mRNA expression of the osteoblastic marker increased. Upon 1 day of exposure, the simulated g-µG induced remarkable enhancement of osteoclastic marker mRNA expression, whereas the osteoblastic marker mRNA expression decreased. In response to these gravitational stimuli, osteoclasts underwent major morphological changes. By simulated g-µG treatments, morphological osteoclastic activation was induced, while osteoclastic deactivation was observed in the 3G-treated scales. In space experiments, the results that had been obtained with simulated g-µG were reproduced. RNA-sequencing analysis showed that osteoclastic activation was induced by the down-regulation of Wnt signaling under flight-microgravity. Thus, goldfish scales can be utilized as a bone model to analyze the responses of osteoclasts and osteoblasts to gravity.