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Thyroid Cells Exposed to Simulated Microgravity Conditions – Comparison of the Fast Rotating Clinostat and the Random Positioning Machine

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Abstract

The ground-based facilities 2D clinostat (CN) and Random Positioning Machine (RPM) were designed to simulate microgravity conditions on Earth. With support of the CORA-ESA-GBF program we could use both facilities to investigate the impact of simulated microgravity on normal and malignant thyroid cells. In this review we report about the current knowledge of thyroid cancer cells and normal thyrocytes grown under altered gravity conditions with a special focus on growth behaviour, changes in the gene expression pattern and protein content, as well as on altered secretion behaviour of the cells. We reviewed data obtained from normal thyrocytes and cell lines (two poorly differentiated follicular thyroid cancer cell lines FTC-133 and ML-1, as well as the normal thyroid cell lines Nthy-ori 3-1 and HTU-5). Thyroid cells cultured under conditions of simulated microgravity (RPM and CN) and in Space showed similar changes with respect to spheroid formation. In static 1g control cultures no spheroids were detectable. Changes in the regulation of cytokines are discussed to be involved in MCS (multicellular spheroids) formation. The ESA-GBF program helps the scientists to prepare future spaceflight experiments and furthermore, it might help to identify targets for drug therapy against thyroid cancer.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the European Space Agency (ESA-CORA-GBF-PROJECT-2011-005 (ACRONYM DEVICE COMPARISON), ESA-CORA-GBF-PROJECT-2013-001 (ACRONYM THYROID III), D.G.) and the German Space Administration (DLR; BMWi grants 50WB1124/50WB1524; D.G.). Elisabeth Warnke is a doctoral candidate of the Helmholtz Space Life Sciences Research School, German Aerospace Center Cologne, Germany and was further funded by the German only one space Aviation and Space Medicine (DGLRM; Young Fellow Program).

Author Contributions

This review is based on data of the the ESA-CORA-GBF-PROJECT-2011-005 (ACRONYM DEVICE COMPARISON) and ESA-CORA-GBF-PROJECT-2013-001 (ACRONYM THYROID III).

Conflict of interests

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinic for Plastic, Aesthetic and Hand Surgery, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany

    Elisabeth Warnke, Sascha Kopp, Markus Wehland, Jessica Pietsch & Manfred Infanger

  2. German Aerospace Center, DLR, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Cologne, Germany

    Ruth Hemmersbach

  3. Max-Planck-Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany

    Johann Bauer

  4. Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 4, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark

    Daniela Grimm

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  1. Elisabeth Warnke
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  2. Sascha Kopp
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  3. Markus Wehland
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  4. Ruth Hemmersbach
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  5. Johann Bauer
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  6. Jessica Pietsch
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  7. Manfred Infanger
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  8. Daniela Grimm
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Correspondence to Daniela Grimm.

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Warnke, E., Kopp, S., Wehland, M. et al. Thyroid Cells Exposed to Simulated Microgravity Conditions – Comparison of the Fast Rotating Clinostat and the Random Positioning Machine. Microgravity Sci. Technol. 28, 247–260 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-015-9456-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-015-9456-7

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