{"id":23520,"date":"2021-07-21T08:58:15","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T12:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.ncsu.edu\/2021\/07\/21\/plants-return-from-space-in-microgravity-research-projects\/"},"modified":"2024-09-07T02:43:21","modified_gmt":"2024-09-07T06:43:21","slug":"plants-return-from-space-in-microgravity-research-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.ncsu.edu\/plants-return-from-space-in-microgravity-research-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"Plants Return from Space in Microgravity Research Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/plant-and-microbial-biology\/\">plant biology<\/a> experiments of two NC State researchers are back on Earth after spending weeks at the International Space Station.<\/p>\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/\">College of Agriculture and Life Sciences<\/a>\u2019 Marcela Rojas-Pierce, a professor, and Imara Perera, a research professor, sent plant biology experiments to space in early June. Now, the projects have returned, and Rojas-Pierce and Perera will study how these plants have reacted and adapted to new and extreme environments.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-ncst-image-grid\"><\/section>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/image-grid -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Rojas-Pierce\u2019s project focuses on how microgravity affects vacuoles, plant cells\u2019 largest internal structures. Vacuoles have several roles, including breaking down and storing proteins.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>Rojas-Pierce sent two Arabidopsis genotypes to the International Space Station: one wild type and one mutated. The mutated genotype lacks proteins that help vacuole fusion; that results in small vacuoles in a plant. Rojas-Pierce and her team have tested how a chemical inhibitor, Wortmannin, induces vacuole fusion in the mutant plants. Scientists at the International Space Station conducted similar experiments before preserving the changed cell structures and sending the plants back to Earth.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/RojasPierce_Plant1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/RojasPierce_Plant1-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Plant samples returned to Earth from the International Space Station in small round containers.\" class=\"wp-image-524058\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Plant samples after they returned to Earth from the International Space Station.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p>\u201cThis particular experiment is embedded in a bigger-picture project we have in the lab here on Earth where we\u2019re trying to understand how plants respond to gravity,\u201d Rojas-Pierce told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/bric-24-an-experiment-frozen-in-time-and-space\">NASA<\/a>. \u201cWe know that the vacuole is important for that response. We\u2019re trying to understand why.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>Perera\u2019s research project looks at microgravity\u2019s effect on plants\u2019 metabolic pathways. The gene expression and protein accumulation in the plants sent to the International Space Station will be compared to ground control plants grown at Kennedy Space Center. The comparison will show the molecular responses of plants to microgravity and the space environment.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Perera_Plant1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Perera_Plant1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Under red light, a green plant grows in a container at the VEGGIE growth chamber at the Kennedy Space Center.\" class=\"wp-image-524056\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Ground control plants grow in the VEGGIE growth chamber at the Kennedy Space Center. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p>\u201cUnderstanding how plants adapt to space is important in order to cultivate plants on long duration missions,\u201d Perera said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>Both Perera\u2019s and Rojas-Pierce\u2019s teams will spend several weeks analyzing the plants on Earth.<\/p><p><em>This post was <a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/2021\/07\/plants-return-from-space\/\">originally published<\/a> in NC State News.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/plant-and-microbial-biology\/\">plant biology<\/a> experiments of two NC State researchers are back on Earth after spending weeks at the International Space Station.<\/p>\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/\">College of Agriculture and Life Sciences<\/a>\u2019 Marcela Rojas-Pierce, a professor, and Imara Perera, a research professor, sent plant biology experiments to space in early June. Now, the projects have returned, and Rojas-Pierce and Perera will study how these plants have reacted and adapted to new and extreme environments.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-ncst-image-grid\"><!-- wp:image -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-ncst-image-column\"><!-- wp:image {\"id\":524069,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"media\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Marcela_RojasPierce_500.jpg\"><img src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Marcela_RojasPierce_500-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-524069\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Marcela Rojas-Pierce<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Imara_Perera_500.jpg\"><img src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Imara_Perera_500.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-524070\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Imara Perera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image --><\/section>\n<!-- \/wp:image --><\/section>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/image-grid -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Rojas-Pierce\u2019s project focuses on how microgravity affects vacuoles, plant cells\u2019 largest internal structures. Vacuoles have several roles, including breaking down and storing proteins.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>Rojas-Pierce sent two Arabidopsis genotypes to the International Space Station: one wild type and one mutated. The mutated genotype lacks proteins that help vacuole fusion; that results in small vacuoles in a plant. Rojas-Pierce and her team have tested how a chemical inhibitor, Wortmannin, induces vacuole fusion in the mutant plants. Scientists at the International Space Station conducted similar experiments before preserving the changed cell structures and sending the plants back to Earth.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/RojasPierce_Plant1.jpg\"><img src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/RojasPierce_Plant1-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Plant samples returned to Earth from the International Space Station in small round containers.\" class=\"wp-image-524058\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Plant samples after they returned to Earth from the International Space Station.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p>\u201cThis particular experiment is embedded in a bigger-picture project we have in the lab here on Earth where we\u2019re trying to understand how plants respond to gravity,\u201d Rojas-Pierce told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/bric-24-an-experiment-frozen-in-time-and-space\">NASA<\/a>. \u201cWe know that the vacuole is important for that response. We\u2019re trying to understand why.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>Perera\u2019s research project looks at microgravity\u2019s effect on plants\u2019 metabolic pathways. The gene expression and protein accumulation in the plants sent to the International Space Station will be compared to ground control plants grown at Kennedy Space Center. The comparison will show the molecular responses of plants to microgravity and the space environment.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Perera_Plant1.jpg\"><img src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Perera_Plant1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Under red light, a green plant grows in a container at the VEGGIE growth chamber at the Kennedy Space Center.\" class=\"wp-image-524056\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Ground control plants grow in the VEGGIE growth chamber at the Kennedy Space Center. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p>\u201cUnderstanding how plants adapt to space is important in order to cultivate plants on long duration missions,\u201d Perera said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>Both Perera\u2019s and Rojas-Pierce\u2019s teams will spend several weeks analyzing the plants on Earth.<\/p>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The plant biology experiments of two NC State researchers are back on Earth after spending weeks at the International Space Station.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":958,"featured_media":23521,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[101],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-23520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-81"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Plants Return from Space in Microgravity Research 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