Gravity-Dependent Metabolomic Responses in Starbor Kale Brassica oleracea: Comparisons With Simulated Microgravity Versus Gravity Grown

As science continues to push the frontiers on the length of space flight, we begin to experience an enhanced need for food that is nutritionally dense. Nasa-grants have worked to explore the ability of growing superfoods in space on aircrafts. However, it is paramount to ensure the physiological health of the plants being grown in space flight, perform relatively similar to the plants that grow on earth. An aspect which needs to be further probed is the comparison of microgravity and gravity on the plants seeking to be grown in space flight. Within this NASA-funded research, we grew a superfood vegetable, Kale. The kale was grown in simulated microgravity environments to mimic life in outer space. This simulation was induced by means of a 2-D clinostat. Additionally, kale was grown in gravity conditions as well. We used multivariate statistical tools such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), together with differential-expression visualizations like volcano plots, to summarize complex data rendered from LC-MS. In this study, we used these approaches to examine how horizontal and vertical orientations both in static and rotating configurations simulate aspects of simulated-microgravity and influence metabolic responses; this combined analysis provided a broad perspective on gravity-related metabolic adaptations and points to potential molecular markers that could guide future research on spaceflight health and countermeasure development.