Contract activities on ISS Russian Segment

Experiment AT-SPACE

The biological material investigated in the experiment is Arabidopsis thaliana seeds, having the following characteristics: small size, short life cycle, prodigious seed production, easy mutant generation, easy transformation, small genome on five chromosomes, fully sequenced 29,000 genes.
Gravity perception (signal transduction pathways using DNA microchip and molecular genetic technologies) to identify the crucial genes controlling this signal transduction cascade during gravity alterations will be analyzed.

Objective:

Determine if the inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) isoform signalling in human monocytes impairs monocyte differentiation.

Task:

Study the gravity influence on the expression of the same genes in different organs (like roots and shoots) of the same plant.

Science Hardware Used:

• Soft pouch with ATS containers (8);
• KUBIK incubator;
• Glove Box.

Consumables:

• Pouch with glove box consumables.

Experiment Results:

AST return containers with plants.

Expected Results:

Further investigation of new kinds of plants for potential cultivation in space.