Characteristics of the electrical network activity generated in plant roots under changes in artificial gravity

Gravity-changing conditions revealed to generate strong and rapid responses in root of plants and many evidences lead to the hypothesis of an intrinsic capacity of the root apex to generate functional electrical networks. The MEA (multi-electrode array) system is a new tool usually employed in research on animal electrogenic cells that has been recently and for the first time used on plant tissues by our Lab. The MEA approach allows to record extracellular signals from as many as 60 sites simultaneously, thus examining any distributed/synchronized electrical activity of whole cells and tissue, highlighting possibly the link between the electrical activity and the physiological response to external stimuli such as that of temporary gravity-changes conditions during an ESA parabolic flight campaign. Signals from maize roots were recorded continuously during the flight at 20 KHz rate of sampling frequency. No previous data on the use of MEA system in microgravity condition have been ever reported in literature, neither in human/animal nor in plant physiology. For this reason, one of the main goal was to check the capability of the system to perform continuous monitoring of root electrical activity without troubles or crash during the flights.