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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2021 Jan 6.
Published in final edited form as: Cell Rep. 2020 Nov 25;33(10):108445. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108445

Figure 1. Heart Size and Contractility Are Reduced under Microgravity.

Figure 1.

(A) Drosophila flies were reared aboard the ISS in a customized Nanoracks vented fly box (VFB) containing 15 vials of flies and food (bottom, left). Each vial contained 10 virgin females and 5 males when launched. Vials remained in the VFB for the duration of the microgravity exposure.

(B) End-diastolic diameters (EDDs) in hearts from females (red, top) and males (blue, bottom) were significantly decreased in female, but not male, space flown (SF) Canton-S flies compared with ground controls (GCs). EDDs recovered in hearts from female flies born in space but cultured as adults in 1g (space flight recovery [SFR]). EDDs in all sei/hERG mutant flies were reduced relative to Canton-S flies; genetic background controls were not significantly affected by microgravity.

(C) End systolic diameters (ESDs) were also reduced in sei/hERG/hERG mutant flies under both gravity conditions relative to Canton-S flies.

(D and E) Fractional shortening (D), a measure of contractility, and cardiac output (E) were significantly reduced in hearts from both male and female Canton-S flies under microgravity and showed partial recovery in flies born in space and reared as adults in 1g (SFR). Heart function parameters were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison post hoc test. p values are shown. Fly numbers are indicated in the bars in (B).