Artificial Gravity Attenuates the Transcriptomic Response to Spaceflight in the Optic Nerve and Retina -- Retina data

The development of eye pathology is a serious concern for astronauts that spend time in deep space. Microgravity is a major component of the spaceflight environment, which could have adverse effects on ocular health. The use of centrifugation to restore partial or Earth-like gravity in space is a possible countermeasure to mitigate the effects of microgravity on the eye. Therefore, we subjected mice on the International Space Station (ISS) to artificial gravity by centrifugation at 0, 0.33, 0.67, and 1G, and then performed RNA-seq on optic nerve and retinal tissue after returning them to Earth alive. We find that the microgravity environment induces transcriptomic changes in the optic nerve and retina consistent with an increased oxidative stress load, inflammation, apoptosis, and lipid metabolic stress. Adding artificial gravity on board the ISS can attenuate the transcriptomic response to microgravity in a dose-dependent manner. Such attenuation may effectively mitigate spaceflight-induced detrimental effects on ocular tissue. This study hosts retina data, and OSD-759 hosts optic nerve data.