Behavior of Astrocytes Derived from Human Neural Stem Cells Flown onto Space and Their Progenies

Applied Sciences

Araceli Espinosa-Jeffrey¹  Victoria Tran²  Nicholas Carpo²  Sophia Shaka² 

[1] Department of Psychiatry, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;Department of Psychiatry, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;

关键词: neural stem cells;    microgravity;    astrocytes;    glia;    proliferation;    microgravity;   

DOI  :  10.3390/app11010041

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Long-term travel and prolonged stays for astronauts in outer space are imminent. To date more than 500 astronauts have experienced the extreme conditions of space flight including microgravity and radiation. Here we report that human neural stem cells (NSCs) flown onto space were successfully induced to the astrocyte phenotype when grown in fetal calf serum (FCS) supplemented medium. We want to emphasize that these astrocytes were generated after the space flight through a slow process lasting several weeks. Interestingly, we also found that these cells newly formed astrocytes, proliferated slowly but significantly and they showed a tendency to continue proliferating at the same pace. Astrocytes, a major type of glial cells, are key for the normal function of the central nervous system (CNS). They are also emerging as a critical component in most neurodegenerative diseases. Knowledge on the effects of space microgravity on them is of utmost importance for long duration space travel.

【 授权许可】

Unknown