Transcript Effects of Microgravity and Space Flight on Macrophages

Effects of Microgravity and
Space Flight on Macrophages
Stephen Keith Chapes
Division of Biology,
Kansas State University
Macrophages
Respond to
Microgravity
in Seconds
Bone Marrow Macrophage Growth is
Enhanced During Space Flight
Bone Marrow Macrophage
Differentiation is Inhibited During Space
Flight
Space Flight Enhances Macrophage
Cytokine Secretion
B6MP102
Macrophage Cells
Growing on
Cytodex Beads
Cartoon of the
Bioprocessing Units
Used to Assess
Macrophage Cytokine
Secretion
Conclusions
• Macrophages respond to microgravity within 8
seconds.
• Space flight makes bone marrow cells proliferate faster
but it slows the rate at which bone marrow cells
differentiate into macrophages.
• Space flight increases the concentration of cytokines
the macrophage cell line, B6MP102, secretes.
• THESE DATA SUGGEST THAT MACROPHAGES
ARE AFFECTED BY MICROGRAVITY AND
SPACE FLIGHT.
References
• Chapes, S.K., E.S. Didier and W.A.F. Tompkins. 1988.
Macrophage cell line B6MP102 resembles peritoneal
macrophages in tumor cell recognition and killing.
J. Leukoc. Biol. 43:28-35.
• Chapes, S.K., D.R. Morrison, J.A. Guikema, M.L. Lewis and
B.S. Spooner. 1992. Cytokine secretion by immune cells in
space. J. Leukoc. Biol. 52:104-110.
• Armstrong, J.W., R.A. Gerren and S.K. Chapes. 1995.
The effect of space and parabolic flight on macrophage
haematopoiesis and function. Exp. Cell Res. 216:160-168.