title: Calcium utilization by quail embryos during activities preceding space flight and during embryogenesis in microgravity aboard the orbital space station MIR.
abstract: A series of studies were conducted to determine the effect of activities preceding spaceflight and during space-flight on calcium utilization during quail embryonic development. In the pre-space trials, fertile quail eggs were subjected to pre-flight dynamics including forces of centrifugation, vibration, or a combination of vibration and centrifugation prior to incubation for 6 or 16 days. Quail eggs were also tested for survivability in a refrigerator stowage kit for eggs (RSKE) which was subsequently used to transport the eggs to space. Eggs in the RSKE were subjected to shuttle launch dynamics including G force and random vibration profiles. The space-flight trial involved 48 quail eggs launched on space shuttle Flight STS-76 which were subsequently incubated in a Slovakian incubator onboard space station, MIR. Two ground control trials, each with 48 eggs with and without exposure to shuttle launch dynamics were initiated 5 days post-launch. Eggshells from all study trials were retrieved and analyzed for calcium content. Results showed that neither pre-flight activities nor shuttle launch dynamics had an effect on calcium utilization by developing embryos. However, calcium utilization by developing embryos incubated in microgravity was impaired by 12.6% when compared to embryos incubated on earth under laboratory control environment. This impairment was believed to be due to unidentified factors of the microgravity environment.
authors.affiliation: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Orban
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Piert
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Guryeva
authors.forename: P Y
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Hester
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002498:Centrifugation; D002642:Chick Embryo; D003370:Coturnix / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D004528:Egg Shell / Q000378:metabolism*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation; D013026:Space Flight; D014732:Vibration; D014893:Weightlessness; D015053:Zygote / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium