The experiment could aid long-duration human space travel
The first CRISPR experiment to take place in space shows that DNA can repair itself in microgravity. As part of the "Genes In Space-6" experiment, astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) created breaks in the DNA of a common yeast, and then analyzed how it repaired itself. During the investigation, the yeast's DNA was cut across both strands to create significant damage. In a recent paper published in the journal PLOS One, researchers explained how the DNA was restored to its original order. The introduction of CRISPR in space and the first successful genome manipulation on the ISS extends the possibilities for future DNA repair experiments, researchers said. Genes In Space-6 was proposed by four Minnesota students as part of a national contest in 2018 that challenged kids in grades seven through 12 to design a DNA analysis experiment. Aarthi Vijayakumar, Michelle Sung, Rebecca Li and David Li designed the experiment as they thought about the increased risk of cancer in astronauts. The increased exposure to radiation in space has the potential to damage the DNA of humans. On Earth, the body can repair double-strand breaks by adding and deleting DNA bases, or re-joining the two pieces without altering them. Before the Genes In Space-6 experiment, however, these processes had not been studied in microgravity. "Understanding whether one type of repair is less error-prone has important implications," study co-author Sarah Wallace, a microbiologist at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, said in a statement. Read more...
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