Experiment

The second session of CsPINs Experiment has started

All times are Japan Standard Time (JST)

The second session of Dynamism of Auxin Efflux Facilitators, CsPINs, Responsible for Gravity-regulated Growth and Development in Cucumber (CsPINs)*, which uses the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) on board Kibo, has started.
*Principal Investigator (PI): Hideyuki Takahashi, Professor, Tohoku University

"CsPINs" is a protein group that controls activity and distribution of Auxin, a plant hormone, which has an essential role in coordination of growth and behavioral processes in the plant's life cycle. This experiment focuses on "CsPIN1", which is assumed to be involved in gravimorphogenesis※ in plant, and "CsPIN5", which is assumed to be involved in hydrotropism, and aims at understanding their activities.

* Morphogenesis is the biological process that causes a new tissue or organ to form into an organism by heterogenesis or celluar differentiation whereas gravimorphogenesis is the formation by the gravitational effect as a plant root grows downward.

CsPINs consists of a total of eight experiments of three sessions. In this second session, three experiments are planned, and the first one has started on Sunday, June 26, 1:44 a.m.
The first session was held for four days, between April 26 and April 29. The obtained samples returned to the ground on June 1, by the space shuttle Endeavour (STS-134 mission) and are now being analyzed.

If these protein activities are understood, the findings will be applied to the root growth orientation control or plant organ formation control. It is hoped that the control techniques will eventually be applied to agriculture technology and or future space plant factories.

Special Message from Principal Investigator (PI)

This second session of CsPINs experiment is the applied version of the one conducted in 1998, by Astronaut Chiaki Mukai and other crew members of the STS-95 mission.

We are very delighted again to know that the experiment was started by Astronaut Furukawa in the ISS and expect the favorable results. We deeply grateful to Astronaut Furukawa and all concerned parties for starting the experiment as scheduled.

*All times are Japan Standard Time (JST)