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Erythroid cell growth and differentiation in vitro in the simulated microgravity environment of the nasa rotating wall vessel bioreactor

  • Special-Nasa/Johnson Space Center Workshop
  • NASA Biotechnology: Cell Science in Microgravity
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Summary

Prolonged exposure of humans and experimental animals to the altered gravitational conditions of space flight has adverse effects on the lymphoid and erythroid hematopoietic systems. Although some information is available regarding the cellular and molecular changes in lymphocytes exposed to microgravity, little is known about the erythroid cellular changes that may underlie the reduction in erythropoiesis and resultant anemia. We now report a reduction in erythroid growth and a profound inhibition of erythropoietin (Epo)-induced differentiation in a ground-based simulated microgravity model system. Rauscher murine erythroleukemia cells were grown either in tissue culture vessels at 1×g or in the simulated microgravity environment of the NASA-designed rotating wall vessel (RWV) bioreactor. Logarithmic growth was observed under both conditions; however, the doubling time in simulated microgravity was only one-half of that seen at 1×g. No difference in apoptosis was detected. Induction with Epo at the initiation of the culture resulted in differentiation of approximately 25% of the cells at 1×g, consistent with our previous observations. In contrast, induction with Epo at the initiation of simulated microgravity resulted in only one-half of this degree of differentiation. Significantly, the growth of cells in simulated microgravity for 24 h prior to Epo induction inhibited the differentiation almost completely. The results suggest that the NASA RWV bioreactor may serve as a suitable ground-based microgravity simulator to model the cellular and molecular changes in erythroid cells observed in true microgravity.

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  1. Laboratory for Cell and Molecular Biology, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue W/BL, 548, 02215, Boston, Massachusetts

    Arthur J. Sytkowski & Kerry L. Davis

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  1. Arthur J. Sytkowski
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Correspondence to Arthur J. Sytkowski.

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Sytkowski, A.J., Davis, K.L. Erythroid cell growth and differentiation in vitro in the simulated microgravity environment of the nasa rotating wall vessel bioreactor. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Animal 37, 79–83 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1290/1071-2690(2001)037<0079:ECGADI>2.0.CO;2

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