MESSAGE 2 space experiment with Rhodospirillum rubrum S1H

R. rubrum S1H inoculated on solid agar rich media was sent to the ISS in October 2003 (MESSAGE-part 2 experiment). After 10 days flight R. rubrum cultures returned back to Earth. These cultures were then subjected to both transcriptomic and proteomic analysis and compared with the corresponding ground control. Whole-genome oligonucleotide microarray and high throughput proteomics which offer the possibility to survey respectively the global transcriptional and translational response of an organism were used to test the effect of space flight. Moreover in an effort to identify a specific stress response of R. rubrum to space flight ground simulation of space ionizing radiation and space gravity were performed under identical culture setup and growth conditions encountered during the actual space journey. This study is unique in combining the results from an actual space experiment with the corresponding space ionizing radiation and modeled microgravity ground simulations which lead to a more solid dissection of the different factors contribution acting in space flight conditions. Total RNA was extracted from R. rubrum S1H grown after 10 days in space flight or after 10 days in simulated ionizing radiation or simulated microgravity. Each microarray slide contained 3 technical repeats.