微流控芯片加载的秀丽隐杆线虫样品制备流程

    Developing Standardized Protocol for the Preparation of Caenorhabditis elegans Samples Suitable for Microfluidic Chip Loading

    • 随着中国空间站舱外辐射暴露平台的逐步应用, 空间辐射造成的长期生物损伤是空间生命科学亟待研究的方向. 秀丽隐杆线虫作为空间飞行实验的模式生物, 其辐射效应研究能够为人类深空辐射风险评估和防护提供重要依据. 为实现长期空间飞行下线虫的发育分析, 需依托微流控芯片液体培养系统进行搭载与观测. 为明确微流控芯片线虫样品的发育制备要求和加载方案, 研究采用灼烧法对野生型、DNA损伤修复蛋白(RAD-51, CEP-1)和肌肉运动蛋白(UNC-54)荧光品系在不同扩繁周期和发育时间进行群体体宽测量, 确定不同品系最适的扩繁和发育时长, 弥补芯片加载时样品同步性不足的问题. 利用上述流程制备的四种线虫加载于神舟十六飞船任务的线虫芯片, 样品体宽范围为27.71~28.02 μm, 符合芯片加载要求(24~29 μm), 保证了芯片内个体状态的一致性. 本研究建立了线虫扩繁-同步化-体宽控制-芯片加载的实验流程, 为空间站液体培养线虫搭载和观测提出“质控”要求.

       

      Abstract: As space biology experiments transition from short-term post-flight observations to long-term in-orbit monitoring, particularly with the application of the extravehicular radiation exposure platform on the Chinese Space Station, understanding the long-term biological effects of space radiation has emerged as an urgent research direction in space life sciences. Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), which shares 60%~80% of homologous genes with humans, serves as a model organism for studying radiation effects in spaceflight experiments, providing essential insights for assessing and mitigating radiation risks in deep-space exploration. To enable long-term analysis of C. elegans development both inside and outside the spacecraft, a microfluidic chip-based liquid culture system can be utilized for single-individual worm loading and observation. Microfluidic chips regulate the number of nematodes entering the culture chamber by controlling the inner diameter of the channels. Therefore, the preparation and loading of chip samples impose precise requirements on the body width of nematodes, which is directly related to their developmental stage. To clarify the developmental requirements and loading protocols for nematode samples in microfluidic chips, this study measured the body width of wild-type (N2), DNA damage repair proteins (RAD-51, CEP-1), and muscle motility proteins (UNC-54) fluorescent strains of nematodes during different population proliferation cycles and larval development using the heat-shock method. This approach determined the optimal proliferation duration and developmental period for different nematode strains, addressing the issue of insufficient sample synchronization during microfluidic chip loading. After preparation using the aforementioned protocol, four types of nematodes were loaded onto the nematode chip for the Shenzhou 16 mission. The body width of the samples ranged from 27.71 μm to 28.02 μm, which meets the chip loading requirement of 24 μm to 29 μm and ensures consistency in the individual states within the chip. This finding validates the feasibility of the preparation protocol. This study established an experimental workflow for nematode “proliferation-synchronization-body width control-chip loading”, and proposed “quality control” requirements for nematode cultivation and observation in liquid culture systems aboard space stations.

       

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