Use of a microgravity analog to explore the effects of simulated microgravity on the development of K12 biofilms.

The rapid development of space technologies and the increase of human presence in space has brought the discussion of the effects of microgravity on cells into the undergraduate classroom. This paper proposes an idea to simulate microgravity on a bacterial culture, suitable for an introductory microbiology laboratory. For this purpose, we show the use of a 2D clinostat designed for microbial studies, along with traditional microbiology techniques such as optical density, plate counts, and biofilm biomass measurement to test the effect of simulated microgravity on the growth of K12.

Phenotypic and transcriptional changes in Escherichia coli K12 in response to simulated microgravity on the EagleStat, a new 2D microgravity analog for bacterial studies.

Understanding the impacts of microgravity on bacteria is vital for successful long duration space missions. In this environment, bacteria have been shown to become more virulent, more resistant to antibiotics and to regulate biofilm formation. Since the study of these phenomena under true microgravity is cost- and time challenging, the use of ground-based analogs might allow researchers to test hypotheses before planning and executing experiments in the space environment.