Rotifers in space: transcriptomic response of the bdelloid rotifer Adineta vaga aboard the International Space Station.

IF 4.5 1区生物学 Q1 BIOLOGY

BMC Biology Pub Date : 2025-07-01 DOI:10.1186/s12915-025-02272-1

Victoria C Moris, Lucie Bruneau, Jérémy Berthe, Richard Coos, Bjorn Baselet, Anne-Catherine Heuskin, Nicol Caplin, René Demets, Jutta Krause, Lobke Zuijderduijn, Alexandra Tortora, Magdalena Herova, Sébastien Penninckx, Luca Parmitano, Kevin Tabury, Sarah Baatout, Karine Van Doninck, Boris Hespeels

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: The biological effects of spaceflight remain incompletely understood, even in humans (Homo sapiens), and are largely unexplored in non-traditional models such as bdelloid rotifers.

Results: This study analyzes the transcriptomic changes experienced by Adineta vaga, a bdelloid rotifer aboard the International Space Station (ISS), using RNA sequencing. The aim was to investigate the overall effect of spaceflight in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on these organisms. To this end, new hardware was developed to enable autonomous culturing of rotifers with minimal astronaut intervention. The study revealed significant transcriptomic changes, with 18.61% of genes showing differential expression in response to microgravity and radiation. These changes included upregulation of genes involved in protein synthesis, RNA metabolic processes, and DNA repair. Notably, the study also found a significant enrichment of foreign genes (Horizontal Gene Transfers: HGTs) among the genes that were either over- or under-expressed during spaceflight, suggesting that HGTs play a role in bdelloids' adaptability to new and potentially atypical environments.

Conclusions: This research not only enhances our understanding of how organisms respond to microgravity but also proposes A. vaga as a valuable model for future studies in space biology.

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太空中的轮虫：国际空间站上蛭形轮虫Adineta vaga的转录组反应。

背景：太空飞行的生物效应仍然没有完全被理解，即使在人类（智人）中也是如此，而且在非传统模型（如蛭形轮虫）中也基本上没有被探索过。结果：本研究利用RNA测序技术分析了国际空间站（ISS）上的蛭形轮虫Adineta vaga的转录组变化。目的是调查低地球轨道（LEO）太空飞行对这些生物的总体影响。为此，开发了新的硬件，使轮虫能够在最少的宇航员干预下自主培养。研究发现，在微重力和辐射环境下，18.61%的基因表现出显著的转录组变化。这些变化包括参与蛋白质合成、RNA代谢过程和DNA修复的基因上调。值得注意的是，该研究还发现，在太空飞行期间过度或不足表达的基因中，外源基因（水平基因转移：HGTs）显著富集，这表明HGTs在蛭形体对新的和潜在的非典型环境的适应性中发挥了作用。结论：该研究不仅提高了我们对生物如何应对微重力的理解，而且为未来的空间生物学研究提供了一个有价值的模型。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

BMC Biology 生物-生物学

CiteScore

7.80

自引率

1.90%

发文量

260

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： BMC Biology is a broad scope journal covering all areas of biology. Our content includes research articles, new methods and tools. BMC Biology also publishes reviews, Q&A, and commentaries.