Spaceflight induces systemic effects on extracellular matrix and immune system in different age-stages - Blood 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不良影响，引发肌肉萎缩、骨质流失、心血管功能失调以及免疫系统紊乱，在长期太空任务中这一效应尤为突出。为探究太空环境下的分子层面变化，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216份样本，分别取自太空飞行组与对照组的28种小鼠器官及组织。鉴于太空飞行带来的生理影响与衰老过程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，以评估年龄相关因素的影响。本数据集的分析结果显示，太空飞行会引发不依赖于年龄的系统性变化，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）的结构改变，在内皮细胞中这一效应尤为显著。与之相比，衰老带来的影响相对较弱，主要以年龄依赖的方式调控免疫系统功能。上述研究结果表明，细胞骨架与细胞外基质的结构改变可能是引发免疫系统紊乱的潜在诱因。