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APEX-12 (Advanced Plant EXperiment-12)

Blue blobs are illuminated under a microscope on a black background. Small yellow, fluorescent dots are scattered throughout the blue blobs.
A microscopic image of plant telomeres taken under a fluorescent microscope. The chromosomes are highlighted in blue. The telomeres are highlighted in yellow.
Texas A&M University

Principal Investigator(s): Dorothy Shippen, Ph.D.

Overview: Advanced Plant EXperiment-12 (APEX-12) will test the hypothesis that induction of telomerase, a protein complex, activity in space protects plant DNA molecules from damage elicited by cellular stress evoked by the combined spaceflight stressors experienced by seedlings grown aboard the space station.

Science objectives:

  • Collect data on telomerase activity in plants
  • Compare the differences in telomere dynamics between plants and humans in space

Potential Earth applications:

  • Could lead to the development of crops that are more resilient to environmental stressors, such as drought or extreme temperatures
  • Could provide insights into therapies for age-related diseases and treatments for diseases in humans that are linked to telomere dysfunction

Potential space applications:

  • Enable sustainable agriculture for long-term space missions
  • Could lead to strategies for protecting astronauts from the effects of microgravity and space radiation
  • Could inform future efforts to grow plants on the Moon and Mars

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Why NASA studies plant telomeres and the connection to aging and disease

Postdoctoral research associate at Texas A&M University Borja Barbero explains the importance of studying plant telomeres in space. The findings of his research with Dr. Dorothy Shippen offer insight into the effects of spaceflight on plant chromosomes and how these findings could impact human health.

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