title: In vitro chick pre-cardiac explant tissue differentiation during spaceflight on SpaceHab-02.
abstract: Chick precardiac tissue explants were cultured on the 8-day mission of STS-60, space shuttle Discovery. Development of in vitro cultures of precardiac chick tissue from embryo stages 5 though 8 (H-H) were initiated during orbit and were terminated after approximately fifteen hours of 37 degree C culture. Transmission electron microscopy and tritiated thymidine studies were performed postflight. No significant differences in cell proliferation were observed between flight and ground controls. Electron-microscopic studies revealed stage 8 explants were capable of differentiation during flight in a pattern which matched ground control tissues. As anticipated, stage 7 explant tissues had differentiated to a lesser extent compared to stage 8 tissues. Interestingly, stage 7 precardiac explant flight tissue differentiation was less than ground control tissue. This difference in differentiation between flight and ground cultures was enhanced in stage 6 tissues, as high levels of myofibril organization were only seen in ground controls. Other cellular components such as Golgi apparatus, junctional complexes, and mitochondria were present and appeared normal and healthy.
authors: Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan 66506-4904, USA.
authors: J S
authors: JS
authors: van Twest
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Paulsen
authors: B S
authors: BS
authors: Spooner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D002642:Chick Embryo; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D013026:Space Flight; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014893:Weightlessness