How and why does the proteome respond to microgravity?

Abstract

For medical and biotechnological reasons, it is important to study mammalian cells, animals, bacteria and plants exposed to simulated and real microgravity. It is necessary to detect the cellular changes that cause the medical problems often observed in astronauts, cosmonauts or animals returning from prolonged space missions. In order for in vitro tissue engineering under microgravity conditions to succeed, the features of the cell that change need to be known. In this article, we summarize current knowledge about the effects of microgravity on the proteome in different cell types. Many studies suggest that the effects of microgravity on major cell functions depend on the responding cell type. Here, we discuss and speculate how and why the proteome responds to microgravity, focusing on proteomic discoveries and their future potential.

Keywords::

• apoptosis
• Arabidopsis thaliana
• bacteria
• cytoskeleton
• growth
• human cells
• microgravity
• proteomics
• tissue engineering

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Jessica Pietsch and Markus Wehland-von Trebra for the preparation of the figures, as well as Peter Lindborg for grammatical corrections.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Daniela Grimm gratefully acknowledges support from the German Space Agency DLR (grants 50WB0524; 50WB0824) and Sarah Baatout acknowledges support from the BELSPO/PRODEX/ESA contracts (C90-380 and C90-391). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.