1. Investigating Cell Migration Under Microgravity Conditions
Co-Principal Investigators:
Sylvia Edoigiawerie, Kamsi Odinammadu, Amelia Smith, Beverly Wu
Teacher Facilitator:
Dr. Michelle Starz-Gaiano
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
University System of Maryland, Maryland
2016 SSEP National Conference
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC
June 29-30, 2016

2. Cell Migration is Essential (if you are in the animal kingdom)
Human Embryo
Development
Immune Cell Migration
Wound Healing
and Immune Response

3. Overview: The Process of Cell Movement
Actin (cytoskeletal protein) → facilitates movement
E-cadherin (membrane protein) → involved in cell to cell adhesion
Cells migrate by responding to chemical signals in their environment that trigger them to polymerize monomers of a protein called actin and to extend the cell like an arm at a side of the of the cell known as the leading edge.
At the leading edge, the cell then adheres to the surface it moves on. Contraction at the cell body and de-adherence at the trailing end, which pushes the rest of the cell forward.
This same migratory process occurs in border cells in the oocyte of fruit flies, our model system. Pictured above are stage 8-10 fo the migratory process

4. Integrative Model of Cell Migration
Actin
(cytoskeleton)
Activating protein
E-Cadherin
(adhesion)
We incorporate an integrative perspective to analyze cell migration
Cell locomotion

5. Cells in the Fly Ovary are a Model
for Migration
Advantages: fantastic genetic tools small transparent tissues
border cells
In adult female flies, the ovary occupies the majority of the abdominal cavity. The ovary pair is made up of about 30 ovarioles, shown here, which are strings of developing egg chambers at successively older stages of development as you move from anterior to posterior. Each of these units will develop into a single egg. The egg chamber is made up of 16 large cells in the center, which are the germ line cells that will give rise to the embryo, and about somatic follicle cells, which surround the germ line cells in an epithelial layer and give rise to the egg shell. Today we will focus on a small subset of the follicle cells, the border cells, indicated in blue, which arise within the epithelial layer and then begin a dramatic migration. Let’s look more closely these 3 stages of development, which are most relevant to border cell migration….
blue= nurse cell nuclei
ovariole (L. Manning)

6. Does gravity affect the number of cells that become motile or their ability to complete movements?
Activator

7. Experimental Plan
Flies engineered to make migratory cells fluoresce green
1 sex per FME section
with fly food – open to allow mating
Use chemical fixative to freeze cells in place
Observe and score ovaries

8. Analysis and Interpretation
microgravity
predictions
Disorganized F-Actin?
F-Actin
Lathienna Manning, Starz-Gaiano
Disrupted or decreased E-cadherin?
(normally actin binding stabilizes E-cadherin)
Due to previous literature that shows alterations in actin remodeling networks under microgravity conditions in immune cells, we speculate that actin dynamics in our analogous system will also become disorganized under microgravity conditions.
Due to actin’s close relationship with another protein E-cadherin, which is required for cell-cell adhesion, we also expect E-cadherin phenotype to deviate from wildtype.
microgravity
predictions
E-cadherin
Niewiadomska, P., D. Godt, and U. Tepass.

9. Future Directions
Grounds for more research on the impact of microgravity on immunity
A focus on astronaut health in space conditions grows in importance as space exploration expands

10. Acknowledgements NCESSE Starz-Gaiano Laboratory
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Maryland Space Grant Consortium
Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, UMD CP
The Drosophila Community for Fly Stocks
Bloomington Stock Center
Funding for the Starz-Gaiano lab from National Science Foundation