Effects of a Closed Space Environment on Gene Expression in Hair Follicles of Astronauts in the International Space Station

PLoS One. 2016 Mar 30;11(3):e0150801. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150801. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Adaptation to the space environment can sometimes pose physiological problems to International Space Station (ISS) astronauts after their return to earth. Therefore, it is important to develop healthcare technologies for astronauts. In this study, we examined the feasibility of using hair follicles, a readily obtained sample, to assess gene expression changes in response to spaceflight adaptation. In order to investigate the gene expression changes in human hair follicles during spaceflight, hair follicles of 10 astronauts were analyzed by microarray and real time qPCR analyses. We found that spaceflight alters human hair follicle gene expression. The degree of changes in gene expression was found to vary among individuals. In some astronauts, genes related to hair growth such as FGF18, ANGPTL7 and COMP were upregulated during flight, suggesting that spaceflight inhibits cell proliferation in hair follicles.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Astronauts
  • Extraterrestrial Environment
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Gene Expression*
  • Hair Follicle / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Space Flight
  • Spacecraft
  • Transcriptome
  • Weightlessness

Grants and funding

The experimental cost for this study was funded by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Advanced Engineering Services Co., Ltd. provided support in the form of salaries for authors MS (2nd author) and RT, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.