Mixomics assessment of plant biochemical shifts under altered gravity conditions

Overview

This research investigates how the absence of gravity alters plant biochemical processes, focusing on both primary metabolism (related to growth and yield) and secondary metabolism (linked to nutritional quality and functional components). The absence of gravity disrupts key plant signaling mechanisms—including volatiles, statolith positioning, and cell-cell interactions—potentially shifting growth patterns and modifying the nutritional profile of plant-based foods. The work is particularly relevant for understanding the production of health-promoting compounds such as polyphenols and carotenoids in crops.

The platform applies a complementary, multi-omics strategy to deliver orthogonal data on plant metabolism under microgravity versus control conditions. Test species include a monocot (wheat or barley) and two dicot crops (lettuce and tomato), covering both leafy and fruit-bearing plant categories.

Technical specifications

Analytical approaches:

• Untargeted metabolomics using high-resolution mass spectrometry to profile primary and secondary metabolites
• Transcriptomics via next-generation sequencing to capture gene expression changes
• Enzyme assays including antioxidant activity tests and key enzyme inhibition measurements
• Photosynthetic performance phenotyping measuring PSII efficiency, non-photochemical quenching, and photorespiration
• Ionomic profiling by ICP-MS to characterize elemental composition
• Multivariate statistics and multi-omic integration for comprehensive data interpretation

Key features:

• Multi-omics integration providing systems-level insight into gravity-dependent metabolic regulation
• Applicable to both monocot and dicot crop species
• Focus on functional food components relevant to nutritional and health applications

Technology readiness level

The research is at an early-to-mid stage of development. The underlying rationale is supported by established knowledge of plant tropism, though the specific effects of full gravity absence remain less explored. Future validation will apply the described complementary analytical approaches to characterize plant responses under controlled microgravity conditions compared to standard controls. The platform is positioned for collaborative research and validation studies rather than immediate commercial deployment.