PLOS ONE.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\nConventional DNA repair<\/h3>\n Being well-versed in advanced methods of DNA repair will be vital for the future of space exploration, as the great expanse beyond our planet poses an array of threats that can cause DNA damage, such as radiation. In addition, the harsh conditions may also impact how the body naturally repairs its DNA, further exacerbating that risk.<\/p>\n
The body has two innate processes of repairing double-strand breaks in DNA \u2013 where the intertwined strand of the double helix is broken. The first method adds or deletes bases, whereas the second rejoins the strands without modifying the DNA sequence, although safety and technical concerns have prevented these methods of DNA repair from being studied in space until now.<\/p>\n
Genome editing<\/h3>\n The researchers used CRISPR to generate DNA breaks at specific locations. These are short, repeated sequences of DNA in bacteria with viral DNA sequences between them. The bacteria then transcribe the viral DNA sequences to RNA, which then guides a specific protein to the viral DNA and cuts it. The CRISPR method allowed the researchers to achieve precisely controlled breaks in a specific location of the genome, which eradicates the risks from accidental damage. This built the framework for attaining DNA repair in space, providing an unprecedented insight into the type of repair mechanism used.<\/p>\n
Sarah Wallace, a microbiologist in the Biomedical Research and Environmental Sciences Division at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center, said: \u201cUnderstanding whether one type of repair is less error-prone has important implications. Could a therapeutic be developed to encourage one pathway over the other, or do we need more radiation shielding or both? It is important to gain this understanding to help ensure that we are protecting the crew and helping them recover in the best possible way.\u201d<\/p>\n
By conducting the entire experiment in space \u2013 in comparison to freezing samples on Earth and sending them to space for repair \u2013 it allowed the researchers to understand the effects of spaceflight conditions on the process. The investigation has also led to the development of novel hardware used in the technique, as tools that are effective on Earth do not necessarily translate that success when in spaceflight.<\/p>\n
Sarah Rommel, the paper\u2019s primary author and a researcher in the Microbiology Laboratory at Johnson, said: \u201cWe cannot take exactly what we have on Earth and simply put it in space because we have to keep the crew and all the environmental life systems onboard safe. For example, we made our own custom kits for the whole process, looking at how to use the least amount of the safest materials and still get the best science. We validated that it is not too complicated to do in space. It worked as it was intended, and it did what it was supposed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wallace commented: \u201cWhile more work is needed to understand potential preferences toward DNA repair processes used in space, this work demonstrated the sophistication of what can be done with the molecular tools onboard. Having an entire molecular laboratory in space is just going to explode what we can do there, including more complex investigations such as this CRISPR work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also are looking at how to put these methods into other settings such as hospital rooms. The ability to generate near-real-time data could provide a huge benefit in dealing with the anti-microbial resistance crisis and in resource-limited environments.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A team including four students and astronauts onboard the International Space Station has successfully conducted DNA repair in space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":14185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[766,24429],"tags":[3475,809],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
CRISPR technology achieves DNA repair in Space for the first time<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n