Simulated Microgravity Exerts an Age-Dependent Effect on the Differentiation of Cardiovascular Progenitors Isolated from the Human Heart

• Published in: PloS one 2015-07, Vol.10 (7), p.e0132378-e0132378
• Main Authors: Fuentes, Tania I, Appleby, Nancy, Raya, Michael, Bailey, Leonard, Hasaniya, Nahidh, Stodieck, Louis, Kearns-Jonker, Mary
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Age; Aged; Aging - physiology; AKT protein; Angiogenesis; Biomarkers; Calcium-binding protein; Cancer; Cardiomyocytes; Cardiovascular system; Cell Count; Cell cycle; Cell differentiation; Cell Differentiation - drug effects; Cell growth; Cell migration; Cell Movement - drug effects; Cell Separation - methods; Clinorotation; Cloning; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Differentiation (biology); DNA; DNA repair; DNA Repair - genetics; Embryos; Endothelial cells; Exposure; Extracellular signal-regulated kinase; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases - metabolism; Flow cytometry; Gene expression; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Heart; Heart diseases; Heart surgery; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - pharmacology; Medicine; Microgravity; MicroRNA; MicroRNAs; MicroRNAs - genetics; MicroRNAs - metabolism; Middle Aged; miRNA; Myocardium - cytology; Neonates; Oct-4 protein; Paracrine signalling; Pathology; Phosphorylation; Phosphorylation - drug effects; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; RNA-directed DNA polymerase; Simulation; Stem cells; Stem Cells - cytology; Stem Cells - drug effects; Stem Cells - enzymology; Telomerase; Telomerase reverse transcriptase; Troponin; Troponin T; Von Willebrand factor; Weightlessness Simulation
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132378

Microgravity has a profound effect on cardiovascular function, however, little is known about the impact of microgravity on progenitors that reside within the heart. We investigated the effect of simulated microgravity exposure on progenitors isolated from the neonatal and adult human heart by quantifying changes in functional parameters, gene expression and protein levels after 6-7 days of 2D clinorotation. Utilization of neonatal and adult cardiovascular progenitors in ground-based studies has provided novel insight into how microgravity may affect cells differently depending on age. Simulated microgravity exposure did not impact AKT or ERK phosphorylation levels and did not influence cell migration, but elevated transcripts for paracrine factors were identified in neonatal and adult cardiovascular progenitors. Age-dependent responses surfaced when comparing the impact of microgravity on differentiation. Endothelial cell tube formation was unchanged or increased in progenitors from adults whereas neonatal cardiovascular progenitors showed a decline in tube formation (p