Modeling the Impact of Microgravity at the Cellular Level: Implications for Human Disease

Overview

Journal Front Cell Dev Biol

Specialty Cell Biology

Date 2020 Mar 11

PMID 32154251

Citations 58

Authors

Peta Bradbury

Hanjie Wu

Jung Un Choi

Alan E Rowan

Hongyu Zhang

Kate Poole

Jan Lauko

Joshua Chou

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

A lack of gravity experienced during space flight has been shown to have profound effects on human physiology including muscle atrophy, reductions in bone density and immune function, and endocrine disorders. At present, these physiological changes present major obstacles to long-term space missions. What is not clear is which pathophysiological disruptions reflect changes at the cellular level versus changes that occur due to the impact of weightlessness on the entire body. This review focuses on current research investigating the impact of microgravity at the cellular level including cellular morphology, proliferation, and adhesion. As direct research in space is currently cost prohibitive, we describe here the use of microgravity simulators for studies at the cellular level. Such instruments provide valuable tools for cost-effective research to better discern the impact of weightlessness on cellular function. Despite recent advances in understanding the relationship between extracellular forces and cell behavior, very little is understood about cellular biology and mechanotransduction under microgravity conditions. This review will examine recent insights into the impact of simulated microgravity on cell biology and how this technology may provide new insight into advancing our understanding of mechanically driven biology and disease.

Citing Articles

Quantum food and nutrition: Subatomic approaches to nourishment for health and well-being.

Wahlqvist M, Wattanapenpaiboon N, Shuai M, Liu H, Zhong L, Zheng J Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2025; 34(1):1-9.

PMID: 39828254 PMC: 11742606. DOI: 10.6133/apjcn.202502_34(1).0001.

Effect of Eight Months of Swimming on Bone Quality of Different Anatomical Regions: A Study on Wistar Rat Models.

Freitas L, Bezerra A, Resende-Coelho A, Maciel L, Gomez-Lazaro M, Amorim T Calcif Tissue Int. 2025; 116(1):29.

PMID: 39789144 PMC: 11717846. DOI: 10.1007/s00223-024-01333-x.

Microgravity's effects on miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks in a mouse model of segmental bone defects.

Gautam A, Chakraborty N, Dimitrov G, Hoke A, Miller S, Swift K PLoS One. 2024; 19(12):e0313768.

PMID: 39621621 PMC: 11611151. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313768.

Articular cartilage loss is an unmitigated risk of human spaceflight.

Hardy J NPJ Microgravity. 2024; 10(1):104.

PMID: 39543227 PMC: 11564753. DOI: 10.1038/s41526-024-00445-w.

Cellular response in three-dimensional spheroids and tissues exposed to real and simulated microgravity: a narrative review.

van den Nieuwenhof D, Moroni L, Chou J, Hinkelbein J NPJ Microgravity. 2024; 10(1):102.

PMID: 39505879 PMC: 11541851. DOI: 10.1038/s41526-024-00442-z.

References

White O, Clement G, Fortrat J, Pavy-LeTraon A, Thonnard J, Blanc S . Towards human exploration of space: the THESEUS review series on neurophysiology research priorities. NPJ Microgravity. 2017; 2:16023. PMC: 5515521. DOI: 10.1038/npjmgrav.2016.23. View

Papaseit C, Pochon N, Tabony J . Microtubule self-organization is gravity-dependent. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000; 97(15):8364-8. PMC: 26953. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.140029597. View

Mann V, Grimm D, Corydon T, Kruger M, Wehland M, Riwaldt S . Changes in Human Foetal Osteoblasts Exposed to the Random Positioning Machine and Bone Construct Tissue Engineering. Int J Mol Sci. 2019; 20(6). PMC: 6471706. DOI: 10.3390/ijms20061357. View

Vidyasekar P, Shyamsunder P, Arun R, Santhakumar R, Kapadia N, Kumar R . Genome Wide Expression Profiling of Cancer Cell Lines Cultured in Microgravity Reveals Significant Dysregulation of Cell Cycle and MicroRNA Gene Networks. PLoS One. 2015; 10(8):e0135958. PMC: 4546578. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135958. View

Tabony J, Glade N, Papaseit C, Demongeot J . Microtubule self-organisation and its gravity dependence. Adv Space Biol Med. 2003; 8:19-58. DOI: 10.1016/s1569-2574(02)08014-0. View

Shi Z, Rao W, Wang H, Wang N, Si J, Zhao J . Modeled microgravity suppressed invasion and migration of human glioblastoma U87 cells through downregulating store-operated calcium entry. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2015; 457(3):378-84. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2014.12.120. View

Nabavi N, Khandani A, Camirand A, Harrison R . Effects of microgravity on osteoclast bone resorption and osteoblast cytoskeletal organization and adhesion. Bone. 2011; 49(5):965-74. DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2011.07.036. View

Hughes-Fulford M . Function of the cytoskeleton in gravisensing during spaceflight. Adv Space Res. 2004; 32(8):1585-93. DOI: 10.1016/S0273-1177(03)90399-1. View

Burger E, Klein-Nulend J . Microgravity and bone cell mechanosensitivity. Bone. 1998; 22(5 Suppl):127S-130S. DOI: 10.1016/s8756-3282(98)00010-6. View

10.

Sciola L, Cogoli-Greuter M, Cogoli A, Spano A, Pippia P . Influence of microgravity on mitogen binding and cytoskeleton in Jurkat cells. Adv Space Res. 2001; 24(6):801-5. DOI: 10.1016/s0273-1177(99)00078-2. View

11.

Ingber D . Tensegrity: the architectural basis of cellular mechanotransduction. Annu Rev Physiol. 1997; 59:575-99. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.physiol.59.1.575. View

12.

Nassef M, Kopp S, Wehland M, Melnik D, Sahana J, Kruger M . Real Microgravity Influences the Cytoskeleton and Focal Adhesions in Human Breast Cancer Cells. Int J Mol Sci. 2019; 20(13). PMC: 6651518. DOI: 10.3390/ijms20133156. View

13.

Stamenkovic V, Keller G, Nesic D, Cogoli A, Grogan S . Neocartilage formation in 1 g, simulated, and microgravity environments: implications for tissue engineering. Tissue Eng Part A. 2010; 16(5):1729-36. DOI: 10.1089/ten.tea.2008.0624. View

14.

Sanchez-Adams J, Leddy H, McNulty A, OConor C, Guilak F . The mechanobiology of articular cartilage: bearing the burden of osteoarthritis. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2014; 16(10):451. PMC: 4682660. DOI: 10.1007/s11926-014-0451-6. View

15.

Xu H, Wu F, Zhang H, Yang C, Li K, Wang H . Actin cytoskeleton mediates BMP2-Smad signaling via calponin 1 in preosteoblast under simulated microgravity. Biochimie. 2017; 138:184-193. DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2017.04.015. View

16.

Zaidel-Bar R, Ballestrem C, Kam Z, Geiger B . Early molecular events in the assembly of matrix adhesions at the leading edge of migrating cells. J Cell Sci. 2003; 116(Pt 22):4605-13. DOI: 10.1242/jcs.00792. View

17.

Kopp S, Warnke E, Wehland M, Aleshcheva G, Magnusson N, Hemmersbach R . Mechanisms of three-dimensional growth of thyroid cells during long-term simulated microgravity. Sci Rep. 2015; 5:16691. PMC: 4649336. DOI: 10.1038/srep16691. View

18.

Sonnenfeld G, MANDEL A, Konstantinova I, Berry W, Taylor G, Lesnyak A . Spaceflight alters immune cell function and distribution. J Appl Physiol (1985). 1992; 73(2 Suppl):191S-195S. DOI: 10.1152/jappl.1992.73.2.S191. View

19.

Smith J . IL-6 and the dysregulation of immune, bone, muscle, and metabolic homeostasis during spaceflight. NPJ Microgravity. 2018; 4:24. PMC: 6279793. DOI: 10.1038/s41526-018-0057-9. View

20.

Vassy J, Portet S, Beil M, Millot G, Fauvel-Lafeve F, Gasset G . Weightlessness acts on human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Adv Space Res. 2004; 32(8):1595-603. DOI: 10.1016/S0273-1177(03)90400-5. View