Project description:We analyzed the transcriptional profile by RNA-sequencing of exosomal content isolated from blood plasma of three astronauts who flew on various ISS missions between 1998-2001. Computational analysis of the transcriptome of these exosomes identified 27 differentially expressed lncRNAs with possible functions and clinical implications.
Project description:Characterization of bacterial behavior in the microgravity environment of spaceflight is of importance towards risk assessment and prevention of infectious disease during long-term missions. Further, this research field unveils new insights into connections between low fluid-shear regions encountered by pathogens during their natural infection process in vivo, and bacterial virulence. This study is the first to characterize the global transcriptomic and proteomic response of an opportunistic pathogen that is actually found in the space habitat, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Overall, P. aeruginosa responded to spaceflight conditions through differential regulation of 167 genes and 28 proteins, with Hfq identified as a global transcriptional regulator in the response to this environment. Since Hfq was also induced in spaceflight-grown Salmonella typhimurium, Hfq represents the first spaceflight-induced regulator across the bacterial species border. The major P. aeruginosa virulence-related genes induced in spaceflight conditions were the lecA and lecB lectins and the rhamnosyltransferase (rhlA), involved in the production of rhamnolipids. The transcriptional response of spaceflight-grown P. aeruginosa was compared with our previous data of this organism grown in microgravity-analogue conditions using the rotating wall vessel (RWV) bioreactor technology. Interesting similarities were observed, among others with regard to Hfq regulation and oxygen utilization. While LSMMG-grown P. aeruginosa mainly induced genes involved in microaerophilic metabolism, P. aeruginosa cultured in spaceflight adopted an anaerobic mode of growth, in which denitrification was presumably most prominent. Differences in hardware between spaceflight and LSMMG experiments, in combination with more pronounced low fluid shear and mixing in spaceflight when compared to LSMMG conditions, were hypothesized to be at the origin of these observations. Collectively, our data suggest that spaceflight conditions could induce the transition of P. aeruginosa from an opportunistic organism to potential pathogen, results that are of importance for infectious disease risk assessment and prevention, both during spaceflight missions and in the clinic. This study describes the transcriptional response of P. aeruginosa PAO1 to low-Earth orbit environmental conditions. Our aim was to assess whether the microgravity environment of spaceflight could induce virulence traits in P. aeruginosa. To this end, P. aeruginosa cultures were grown in space, and the expression profile was compared with ground control samples (both in biological triplicate). Two RWV samples also examined (did not re-analyze them, only compared the outputs).
Project description:This study presents the first global transcriptional profiling and phenotypic characterization of the major human opportunistic fungal pathogen, Candida albicans, grown in spaceflight conditions. Microarray analysis revealed that C. albicans subjected to short-term spaceflight culture differentially regulated 454 genes compared to synchronous ground controls, which represented 8.4% of the analyzed ORFs. Spaceflight-cultured C. albicans induced genes involved in cell aggregation (similar to flocculation), which was validated by microscopic and flow cytometry analysis. We also observed enhanced random budding of spaceflight-cultured cells as opposed to more normal bipolar budding patterns for ground samples, in accordance with the gene expression data. Furthermore, genes involved in antifungal agent and stress resistance were differentially regulated in spaceflight, including induction of ABC transporters and members of the major facilitator family, downregulation of ergosterol-encoding genes, and upregulation of genes involved in oxidative stress resistance. Finally, downregulation of genes involved in the actin cytoskeleton was observed. Interestingly, the transcriptional regulator Cap1 and over 30% of the Cap1 regulon was differentially expressed in spaceflight-cultured C. albicans. A potential role for Cap1 in the spaceflight response of C. albicans is suggested, as this regulator is involved in random budding, cell aggregation, actin cytoskeleton, and oxidative stress resistance; all related to observed spaceflight-associated changes of C. albicans. While culture of C. albicans in microgravity potentiates a global change in gene expression that could induce a virulence-related phenotype, no increased virulence in a murine intraperitoneal (i.p.) infection model was observed. This study represents an important basis for the assessment of the risk that commensal flora could play during spaceflight missions. Furthermore, since the low fluid-shear environment of microgravity is relevant to physical forces encountered by pathogens during the infection process, insights gained from this study could identify novel infectious disease mechanisms, with downstream benefits for the general public. Cells were grown for 24 hours on the space shuttle or as ground-based controls, preserved in RNALater, and stored at -80C. Four samples of each flight- and ground-based controls were harvested for microarray analysis. GAP is Group Activation Pack and each GAP contains 8 FPAs. The numbers represent the # assigned to the particular GAP and the number assigned to the specific FPA (1-8) within the indicated GAP. The same hardware is used for the flight samples and the ground samples.
Project description:Characterization of bacterial behavior in the microgravity environment of spaceflight is of importance towards risk assessment and prevention of infectious disease during long-term missions. Further, this research field unveils new insights into connections between low fluid-shear regions encountered by pathogens during their natural infection process in vivo, and bacterial virulence. This study is the first to characterize the global transcriptomic and proteomic response of an opportunistic pathogen that is actually found in the space habitat, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Overall, P. aeruginosa responded to spaceflight conditions through differential regulation of 167 genes and 28 proteins, with Hfq identified as a global transcriptional regulator in the response to this environment. Since Hfq was also induced in spaceflight-grown Salmonella typhimurium, Hfq represents the first spaceflight-induced regulator across the bacterial species border. The major P. aeruginosa virulence-related genes induced in spaceflight conditions were the lecA and lecB lectins and the rhamnosyltransferase (rhlA), involved in the production of rhamnolipids. The transcriptional response of spaceflight-grown P. aeruginosa was compared with our previous data of this organism grown in microgravity-analogue conditions using the rotating wall vessel (RWV) bioreactor technology. Interesting similarities were observed, among others with regard to Hfq regulation and oxygen utilization. While LSMMG-grown P. aeruginosa mainly induced genes involved in microaerophilic metabolism, P. aeruginosa cultured in spaceflight adopted an anaerobic mode of growth, in which denitrification was presumably most prominent. Differences in hardware between spaceflight and LSMMG experiments, in combination with more pronounced low fluid shear and mixing in spaceflight when compared to LSMMG conditions, were hypothesized to be at the origin of these observations. Collectively, our data suggest that spaceflight conditions could induce the transition of P. aeruginosa from an opportunistic organism to potential pathogen, results that are of importance for infectious disease risk assessment and prevention, both during spaceflight missions and in the clinic.
Project description:This study presents the first global transcriptional profiling and phenotypic characterization of the major human opportunistic fungal pathogen, Candida albicans, grown in spaceflight conditions. Microarray analysis revealed that C. albicans subjected to short-term spaceflight culture differentially regulated 454 genes compared to synchronous ground controls, which represented 8.4% of the analyzed ORFs. Spaceflight-cultured C. albicans induced genes involved in cell aggregation (similar to flocculation), which was validated by microscopic and flow cytometry analysis. We also observed enhanced random budding of spaceflight-cultured cells as opposed to more normal bipolar budding patterns for ground samples, in accordance with the gene expression data. Furthermore, genes involved in antifungal agent and stress resistance were differentially regulated in spaceflight, including induction of ABC transporters and members of the major facilitator family, downregulation of ergosterol-encoding genes, and upregulation of genes involved in oxidative stress resistance. Finally, downregulation of genes involved in the actin cytoskeleton was observed. Interestingly, the transcriptional regulator Cap1 and over 30% of the Cap1 regulon was differentially expressed in spaceflight-cultured C. albicans. A potential role for Cap1 in the spaceflight response of C. albicans is suggested, as this regulator is involved in random budding, cell aggregation, actin cytoskeleton, and oxidative stress resistance; all related to observed spaceflight-associated changes of C. albicans. While culture of C. albicans in microgravity potentiates a global change in gene expression that could induce a virulence-related phenotype, no increased virulence in a murine intraperitoneal (i.p.) infection model was observed. This study represents an important basis for the assessment of the risk that commensal flora could play during spaceflight missions. Furthermore, since the low fluid-shear environment of microgravity is relevant to physical forces encountered by pathogens during the infection process, insights gained from this study could identify novel infectious disease mechanisms, with downstream benefits for the general public.
Project description:Spaceflight-related stresses impact health via various body systems, including the hematopoietic and immune systems, with effects ranging from moderate alterations of homeostasis to serious illness. Oxidative stress appears to be involved in these changes, and the transcription factor Nrf2, which regulates expression of a set of cytoprotective and antioxidative stress response genes, has been implicated in the response to spaceflight-induced stresses. Here, we show through analyses of mice from the MHU-3 project, in which Nrf2-knockout mice travelled in space for 31 days, that mice lacking Nrf2 suffer more seriously from spaceflight-induced immunosuppression than wild-type mice. We discovered that a one-month spaceflight triggered the expression of tissue inflammatory marker genes in wild-type mice, an effect that was even more pronounced in the absence of Nrf2. Concomitant with induction of inflammatory conditions, the consumption of coagulation-fibrinolytic factors and platelets was elevated by spaceflight and further accelerated by Nrf2 deficiency. These results highlight that Nrf2 mitigates spaceflight-induced inflammation, subsequent immunosuppression, and thrombotic microangiopathy. These observations reveal a new strategy to relieve health problems encountered during spaceflight.
Project description:Gene expression levels were determined in 3rd instar and adult Drosophila melanogaster reared during spaceflight, to elucidate the genetic and molecular mechanisms underpinning the effects of microgravity on the immune system. The goal was to validate the Drosophila model for understanding alterations of innate immune responses in humans due to spaceflight. Five containers of flies, with ten female and five male fruit flies in each container, were housed and bred on the space shuttle (average orbit altitude of 330.35 km) for 12 days and 18.5 hours, with a new generation reared in microgravity. RNA was extracted on the day of shuttle landing from whole body animals (3rd instar larvae and adults), hybridized to Drosophila 2.0 Affymetrix genome arrays, and the expression level of all genes was normalized against the gene expression level from the corresponding developmental stage animals raised on ground. Spaceflight altered the expression of larval genes involved in the maturation of plasmatocytes (macrophages) and their phagocytic response, as well as the level of constitutive expression of pattern recognition receptors and opsonins that specifically recognize bacteria, and of lysozymes, antimicrobial peptide pathway and immune stress genes, hallmarks of humoral immunity. Larval microarrays (FL 6 samples) are based on RNA extracted from 6 independent sets of 50 mid 3rd instar larvae reared in microgravity and collected on the day of landing after 12 days and 18.5 hours on the space shuttle and the same number of control larvae raised on ground (GL 6 samples). Adults microarrays (F1 3 samples) are based on RNA from 3 sets of 20 adult females each, that emerged during spaceflight and within 4 hours of landing and the same number of adult females from the corresponding ground control containers (G1 3 samples).
Project description:Astronauts are exposed to a unique combination of stressors during spaceflight, which leads to alterations in their physiology and potentially increases their susceptibility to infectious pathogens. Here we report the first microarray evaluation of any astronaut tissue sample, specifically whole blood, before and after spaceflight using an array comprising 234 well-characterized stress response genes. Differentially regulated genes included those important for DNA repair, oxidative stress, and protein folding/degradation. Microarrays comprising 234 well characterized stress-related genes were used to profile transcriptomic changes in six astronauts before and after short-duration spaceflight. Blood samples were collected for analysis from each eastronaut 10 days prior and 2-3 hours after return from spaceflight. Data submitted for platform GPL140 contain genes that have been pre-filtered by the analytical software to remove values of low certainty, resulting in missing values for some samples. Unfortunately, these original data are no longer available due to physical damage at Tulane University during hurricane Katrina, but the processed values were retained in redundant locations and these are submitted for upload to GEO.
Project description:Evolutionary insights reveal a new role of peptidyl arginine deiminase 2 in transcription regulationA systematic evolutionary analysis identified positively selected residues in the non-catalytic domain of PADI2. We established a link between the positive evolution of key residues in the PADI2 and their role in transcription. Specifically, we identified the structurally exposed loop encompassing the positively selected L162 in the PADI2 middle domain and its role in transcription and cellular proliferation. This loop contributes to the PADI2 interaction with the P-TEFb complex and cellular proliferation. Our results showcase the use of combining evolutionary and experimental approaches to dissect the dynamic of evolutionary processes.
Project description:Scientific access to spaceflight and especially the International Space Station has revealed that physiological adaptation to spaceflight is accompanied or enabled by changes in gene expression that significantly alter the transcriptome of cells in spaceflight. A wide range of experiments have shown that plant physiological adaptation to spaceflight involves gene expression changes that alter cell wall and other metabolisms. However, while transcriptome profiling aptly illuminates changes in gene expression that accompany spaceflight adaptation, mutation analysis is required to illuminate key elements required for that adaptation. In this study transcriptome profiling was used to gain insight into the spaceflight adaptation role of Altered response to gravity-1 (Arg1), a gene known to affect gravity responses in plants on Earth. The study compared expression profiles of cultured lines of Arabidopsis thaliana derived from wild type (WT) cultivar Col-0 to profiles from a knock-out line deficient in the gene encoding (ARG1 KO), both on the ground and in space. The cell lines were launched on SpaceX CRS-2 as part of the Cellular Expression Logic (CEL) experiment of the BRIC17 spaceflight mission. The cultured cell lines were grown within 60mm Petri plates in Petri Dish Fixation Units (PDFUs) that were housed within the Biological Research In Canisters (BRIC) hardware. Spaceflight samples were fixed on orbit. Differentially expressed genes were identified between the two environments (spaceflight and comparable ground controls) and the two genotypes (WT and ARG1 KO). Each genotype engaged unique genes during physiological adaptation to the spaceflight environment, with little overlap. Most of the genes altered in expression in spaceflight in WT cells were found to be Arg1-dependent, suggesting a major role for that gene in the physiological adaptation of undifferentiated cells to spaceflight.