Spaceflight induces systemic effects on extracellular matrix and immune system in different age-stages - Non-myeloid hippocampus data

Spaceflights significantly impacts astronaut health, causing muscle atrophy, bone loss, cardiovascular deconditioning and immune system dysregulation, especially during long missions. To explore molecular changes, we generated a single-cell RNA sequencing dataset, of 216 samples from 28 mouse organs and tissues under spaceflight and control conditions. Since spaceflight effects closely resemble aspects of aging, we included two age groups (3 and 8 months) to assess age-related influences. Our data revealed that spaceflight drives age-independent systemic changes, primarily affecting tissue remodeling and alterations in cytoskeleton, membrane and extracellular matrix (ECM), particularly in endothelial cells. In contrast, aging has a weaker impact, mainly altering immune regulation in an age-dependent manner. These findings suggest that cytoskeletal and ECM changes may contribute to immune Dysregulation.

太空飞行会对宇航员健康造成显著损害，可引发肌肉萎缩、骨质流失、心血管功能失调及免疫系统紊乱，在长期航天任务中该影响尤为突出。为探究此类生理损伤背后的分子层面变化，我们构建了一套单细胞RNA测序（single-cell RNA sequencing）数据集，该数据集包含航天环境与对照条件下，取自28个小鼠器官组织的216份样本。鉴于太空飞行引发的生理效应与衰老的部分特征高度相似，我们设置了3月龄与8月龄两个年龄组别，以评估年龄相关的影响因素。我们的研究数据显示，太空飞行会驱动不依赖于年龄的系统性改变，主要影响组织重塑以及细胞骨架、细胞膜与细胞外基质（extracellular matrix, ECM）的改变，该现象在内皮细胞中表现尤为显著。与之相对，衰老的影响则相对较弱，主要以年龄依赖的方式调控免疫功能。上述研究结果表明，细胞骨架与细胞外基质的改变可能参与了免疫系统紊乱的发生过程。