Entanglement of Arabidopsis Seedlings to a Mesh Substrate under Microgravity Conditions in KIBO on the ISS.

Abstract

The International Space Station (ISS) provides a precious opportunity to study plant growth and development under microgravity (micro-<i>G</i>) conditions. In this study, four lines of Arabidopsis seeds (wild type, wild-type MCA1-GFP, <i>mca1</i>-knockout, and <i>MCA1</i>-overexpressed) were cultured on a nylon lace mesh placed on Gelrite-solidified MS-medium in the Japanese experiment module KIBO on the ISS, and the entanglement of roots with the mesh was examined under micro-<i>G</i> and 1-<i>G</i> conditions. We found that root entanglement with the mesh was enhanced, and root coiling was induced under the micro-<i>G</i> condition. This behavior was less pronounced in <i>mca1</i>-knockout seedlings, although MCA1-GFP distribution at the root tip of the seedlings was nearly the same in micro-<i>G</i>-grown seedlings and the ground control seedlings. Possible involvement of MCA1 in the root entanglement is discussed.