Biological Sciences in Space

Instability of Biped in gravity makes us healthy --- Basic Strategy of Gravitational health science

Yoriko Atomi

2008 Volume 22 Issue 4 Pages 141-147
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: August 06, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2187/bss.22.141

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The structure of human body is roughly scaled down from whole body, organ and tissue, and cell. Abundant knowledge intra scale has been accumulated owing to the recent progress of molecular and cellular biology, and life sciences. However, it is difficult to clearly characterize the interaction and a scientific causal relation among each scale. I would like to propose the utilization of "a fiber-like structure or a string-like structure" in each scale to study "the effect against gravity" as a cutting edge to elucidate mechanical interactions inter scale and the biochemical process among scales. "The Health Science under the Gravity", which composed of the evolution of homo sapience and/or human beings under "the field of the Gravity", organization of knowledge about human activities under the field of the Gravity, may contribute to give effective solutions available for especially aged society.

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Protein Homeostasis-Small Heat Shock Proteins and Cytoskeleton

Eri Fujita

2008 Volume 22 Issue 4 Pages 148-157
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: August 06, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2187/bss.22.148

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Cells can moderately stabilize their structure and keep their dynamic property in response to stress signals from outside the cells. The stress response signal system - the expression of stress proteins is necessary to maintain cell function not only in stress but also in non-stress condition. Cytoskeletal proteins comprised of cell structure and cell movement are not fixed structure but dynamic skeletal scaffold. Stress protein, αB-crystallin, might stabilize dynamic property of cytoskeleton. αB-crystallin is constitutively expressed in anti-gravity muscle, so that its function relates with gravity. Stress protein as sustainable basis of cytoskeleton dynamics plays role in remodeling of cytoskeleton, response to exercise.

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Mechanical stimuli to the cells and the molecular chaperone

Takashi Sakurai

2008 Volume 22 Issue 4 Pages 158-166
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: August 06, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2187/bss.22.158

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The molecular chaperone αB-crystallin interacts with cytoskeletal structure in the cell. The cytoskeletal component tubulin/microtubule commonly allows the cell to respond mechanically to the environment, and the concentration of free tubulin dimer is autoregulated in the balance if free dimer and polymeric forms of microtubule protein, having an intrinsic property of "dynamic instability." To explore casual relation ships between the αB-crystallin and cytoskeletal structure, we examined tubulin changes that were related to αB-crystallin in rat soleus muscle extracts, and mouse C2C12 clutured muscle cells. The molecular chaperon αB-crystallin seems to play a roll to maintain tubulin and microtubule network appropriately in the gravitational circumstance.

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Gravity Response and Disuse Atrophy in Skeletal Muscle: Understanding from Extracellular Matrix-Collagen and Its Molecular Chaperon HSP47

Asami Oguro-Ando

2008 Volume 22 Issue 4 Pages 167-171
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: August 06, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2187/bss.22.167

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Prolonged immobilization, as in the cases of bed rest or astronauts flying in space, is known to result in less activity and keeping skeletal muscle under unstretched condition. This inactivity will seriously threaten the quality of life not only of the Aged also every persons in modern society. There were a lot of researches on dynamicity of structure and function of muscle fiber under micro-gravity and hyper-gravity, while less about ECM. We have examined changes of the amount of molecular chaperone HSP47 as well as collagens. We have found rapid changes of HSP47 associating with collagens at 30 min after transition of gravity. New corresponding regulation of gravity-relating gene expression will be uncovered soon.

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Biped standing, individuality and self-dependence

Yoriko Atomi

2008 Volume 22 Issue 4 Pages 172-180
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: August 06, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2187/bss.22.172

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Considering both processes of evolution from ape and individual development from baby, we get up-standing posture on our own two legs against gravity. A part of body or conscious image of the center of the body, which has been called as "Tanden", is almost a center of gravity of human body at standing position. During sustaining up-standing posture we must pull the spinal with various muscles. In addition, while vicerae of soft tissues, which are apt to hang downward, can be supported by abdominal wall in quadruped, biped human must hold his vicerae with muscle contraction of abdominal and pelvic floor muscles surrounding pelvis. When Japanese let these muscles to be tense, he says "I strain Tannden." The concept of Tannden lets us get out of risk of tumbling. And it makes us to be able to strengthen the muscles to live out our self-dependent life without excretion-nursing. Research of biped human in gravity is a spring of wisdom to improve QOL in our aged society.

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Martial Arts and Trained Body --- Precise Self-Conduct with Support of The Equipements

Yoshiro Koyama

2008 Volume 22 Issue 4 Pages 181-185
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: August 06, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2187/bss.22.181

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When man tries to appreciate performing arts or martial arts of Asia and Japan, he will find that traditions of old physical technique are still alive. And their wisdom is immediately available in today's life. Not only with physical motion but with equipment we can activate functions of our body and mind. I enjoy Kendo (Japanese Fencing) long time from my childhood. Practice of Kendo is a treasure house of knowledge to activate our body and mind. I got ideas of new products from Kendo. And I developed some posture-correctional underwear and shoes. These examples will, I wonder, be good samples to find a basic theory of stimulation and activation of body and mind. Equipment of Kendo supports my body through point, line or plane and I correct and control my posture and my motion. Scientific research of processes between stimuli and actions to control contributes to our aged society.

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Posture Reflex Uncovered in Zero-Gravity

Yoshihiko Nakamura

2008 Volume 22 Issue 4 Pages 186-192
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: August 06, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2187/bss.22.186

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Reflex system in human body has been widely studied in medicine and biomechanics in details. The recent advance of robotics computation and human motion measurements now allows to develop a quantitative model of human whole-body reflex. Based on the human anatomy a computational model was developed consisting of a 150-DOF skeleton, 1000 elements of muscles, and a spinal nerve system projected onto the muscles. The posture reflex study is undergoing by assuming a mathematical neural network in the spinal bones. Some simple know reflexes appeared in the learned mathematical neural network. The zero-gravity environment is the best suited for such a study since those reflex motions that never observed in the gravity environment due to the ground contact constraints appear uncovered and are measured by using the human motion measurement system. The results of research will serve as a knowledge to investigate human behaviors in emergent situations, at competitive sports, for robot reasoning in service for the humans.

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Biosemiotic Aspect of Gravitational Medicine and Biology

Muneo Takaoki

2008 Volume 22 Issue 4 Pages 193-199
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: August 06, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2187/bss.22.193

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The gravitation has not been seriously considered in most of biomedical researches. The reason is not only because that the constant gravitation is often unnoticed or neglected but also due to its difficulty in experimental handling. Since the gravitation affects all nature, scientific experiments to compare biological responses with and without gravitation are virtually impossible. To study how living organisms respond to the gravitation, an alternative point of view is essential. Living organisms are not simply affected by gravitation like inanimate matters. They detect certain environmental phenomena related to gravitation and actively respond to it. In other word, living organisms receive the gravitation as a sign and interpret it to some meaning for their own sake. Such process is termed as semiosis and the science of signs in biological phenomena is biosemiotics. The necessity of biosemiotic aspect in designing gravitational biological experiments is discussed.

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