Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA.
Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA.
Nat Commun. 2024 Jun 11;15(1):4795. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-42013-y.
Microgravity is associated with immunological dysfunction, though the mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, using single-cell analysis of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) exposed to short term (25 hours) simulated microgravity, we characterize altered genes and pathways at basal and stimulated states with a Toll-like Receptor-7/8 agonist. We validate single-cell analysis by RNA sequencing and super-resolution microscopy, and against data from the Inspiration-4 (I4) mission, JAXA (Cell-Free Epigenome) mission, Twins study, and spleens from mice on the International Space Station. Overall, microgravity alters specific pathways for optimal immunity, including the cytoskeleton, interferon signaling, pyroptosis, temperature-shock, innate inflammation (e.g., Coronavirus pathogenesis pathway and IL-6 signaling), nuclear receptors, and sirtuin signaling. Microgravity directs monocyte inflammatory parameters, and impairs T cell and NK cell functionality. Using machine learning, we identify numerous compounds linking microgravity to immune cell transcription, and demonstrate that the flavonol, quercetin, can reverse most abnormal pathways. These results define immune cell alterations in microgravity, and provide opportunities for countermeasures to maintain normal immunity in space.
微重力与免疫功能障碍有关,但机制尚不清楚。在这里,我们使用人类外周血单核细胞(PBMCs)在短期(25 小时)模拟微重力条件下的单细胞分析,在基础和刺激状态下用 Toll 样受体 7/8 激动剂来描述改变的基因和途径。我们通过 RNA 测序和超分辨率显微镜对单细胞分析进行了验证,并与 Inspiration-4(I4)任务、JAXA(无细胞表观基因组)任务、双胞胎研究以及国际空间站上老鼠的脾脏的数据进行了比较。总体而言,微重力改变了特定的免疫最佳途径,包括细胞骨架、干扰素信号、细胞焦亡、热休克、先天炎症(如冠状病毒发病途径和 IL-6 信号)、核受体和沉默调节蛋白信号。微重力指导单核细胞炎症参数,并损害 T 细胞和 NK 细胞功能。我们使用机器学习方法,确定了许多将微重力与免疫细胞转录联系起来的化合物,并证明了类黄酮槲皮素可以逆转大多数异常途径。这些结果定义了微重力下免疫细胞的改变,并为维持太空正常免疫提供了对策的机会。
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