IMMUNOLOGY

Dr. Steven K. Chapes

Dr. David Saunders

OVERVIEW

A properly functioning immune system is critical to the success of long-term space flights and to the health of astronaut crews. Despite this, little is known about the effects of space travel on the immune system. Models for space flight such as antiorthostatic suspension influence macrophage progenitor numbers and T-cell function. Both space flight and parabolic flight affect macrophage function and differentiation.

The objectives of this research are to:

• continue work on developing a tissue culture system which is more analogous to in vivo bone marrow than the traditional liquid culture system
• culture macrophages in the presence of a variety of extracellular matrix proteins, to understand how the bone mileu affect macrophage development.

NEW FINDINGS

• Established that fluid processing apparatus equipment is a better vehicle to do bone marrow CFU determinations in than standard culture plates.
• Completed the establishment of MHCII^-/-, lps^d/d, ity^s/s, or MHCII^-/-, lps^d/d, ity^r/r mice on two genetic backgrounds for the initiation of studies on pathogenesis. The finding that MHCII^-/-, lps^d/d, ity^s/s are susceptible to opportunistic infections makes provides a novel tool for studies on resistance to various kinds of opportunistic organisms.
• Dr. Chapes was an invited speaker at the Congress of Space Research at Nagoya, Japan. He presented data addressing three aspects of his group=s research.
  • Presented data illustrating how space flight affects immunological function.
  • Addressed how therapeutic administration of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is beneficial to some immune cell functions.
  • Demonstrated that for some immunological responses, the biological activity of IGF-1 is attenuated by space flight.
• Established that MHCI molecules can serve as alternate superantigen receptors and that MHCI behaves differently when purified than when membrane bound.
• Dr. Chapes= project ADifferentiation of Bone Marrow Macrophages in Space@ was chosen by NASA to be a flight experiment on a future shuttle or space station flight.

PUBLICATIONS, PRESENTATIONS AND RELATED GRANTS

Kansas State University | Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research