Direct RNA sequencing of astronaut blood reveals spaceflight-associated m6A increases and hematopoietic transcriptional responses.
| Publication Type | Academic Article |
| Authors | Grigorev K, Nelson T, Overbey E, Houerbi N, Kim J, Najjar D, Damle N, Afshin E, Ryon K, Thierry-Mieg J, Thierry-Mieg D, Melnick A, Mateus J, Mason C |
| Journal | Nat Commun |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pagination | 4950 |
| Date Published | 06/11/2024 |
| ISSN | 2041-1723 |
| Keywords | Space Flight, Astronauts, Sequence Analysis, RNA |
| Abstract | The advent of civilian spaceflight challenges scientists to precisely describe the effects of spaceflight on human physiology, particularly at the molecular and cellular level. Newer, nanopore-based sequencing technologies can quantitatively map changes in chemical structure and expression at single molecule resolution across entire isoforms. We perform long-read, direct RNA nanopore sequencing, as well as Ultima high-coverage RNA-sequencing, of whole blood sampled longitudinally from four SpaceX Inspiration4 astronauts at seven timepoints, spanning pre-flight, day of return, and post-flight recovery. We report key genetic pathways, including changes in erythrocyte regulation, stress induction, and immune changes affected by spaceflight. We also present the first m6A methylation profiles for a human space mission, suggesting a significant spike in m6A levels immediately post-flight. These data and results represent the first longitudinal long-read RNA profiles and RNA modification maps for each gene for astronauts, improving our understanding of the human transcriptome's dynamic response to spaceflight. |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41467-024-48929-3 |
| PubMed ID | 38862496 |
| PubMed Central ID | PMC11166648 |