Calcium signaling is a hallmark of environmental adaptation processes in all eukaryotic cells. Changes in intracellular calcium levels in response to changes in gravity have been described for mammalian and plant cells. Calcium signaling functions in single cells to activate downstream cellular responses like membrane depolarization. Furthermore, calcium signaling serves as a mode of communication between cells, often in conjunction with hormones, facilitating an intricate interplay of different cell types, tissues, and organs that cannot be studied in single cells but requires analysis of intact organisms.

In this comparative study of calcium signaling in mammalian cells and Arabidopsis thaliana whole plants, cell lines and Arabidopsis thaliana transgenic plants expressing the genetically-encoded calcium reporter CaMPARI2 are generated. This project will complement molecular analyses like transcriptomic and proteomic studies by addressing the lack of spatial resolution in these studies by visualizing secondary messenger signaling in organs and cell populations. The experimental concept includes optogenetics hardware, which photoconverts the irreversible calcium reporter CaMPARI2 during a parabolic flight. Our goal is to understand calcium signaling events in response to altered gravity in eukaryotic cells.

Ongoing project…