Transcriptome analysis of gravitational effects on mouse skeletal muscles under microgravity and artificial 1 g onboard environment

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 9168
• Main Authors: Okada, Risa, Fujita, Shin-ichiro, Suzuki, Riku, Hayashi, Takuto, Tsubouchi, Hirona, Kato, Chihiro, Sadaki, Shunya, Kanai, Maho, Fuseya, Sayaka, Inoue, Yuri, Jeon, Hyojung, Hamada, Michito, Kuno, Akihiro, Ishii, Akiko, Tamaoka, Akira, Tanihata, Jun, Ito, Naoki, Shiba, Dai, Shirakawa, Masaki, Muratani, Masafumi, Kudo, Takashi, Takahashi, Satoru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 28.04.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/114/2114; 631/114/2403; 631/114/2404; 631/208/199; 631/208/514/1949; 631/337/2019; 692/698/1671; Adaptation, Biological - genetics; Animals; Atrophy; Calcium Channels - genetics; Cell Line; Gene expression; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation; Gravity; Gravity effects; Humanities and Social Sciences; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Microgravity; multidisciplinary; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal - physiology; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology; Muscles; Muscular Atrophy - genetics; Myotubes; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Skeletal muscle; Soleus muscle; Space Flight; Transcriptomes; Weightlessness
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88392-4

Spaceflight causes a decrease in skeletal muscle mass and strength. We set two murine experimental groups in orbit for 35 days aboard the International Space Station, under artificial earth-gravity (artificial 1 g ; AG) and microgravity (μ g ; MG), to investigate whether artificial 1 g exposure prevents muscle atrophy at the molecular level. Our main findings indicated that AG onboard environment prevented changes under microgravity in soleus muscle not only in muscle mass and fiber type composition but also in the alteration of gene expression profiles. In particular, transcriptome analysis suggested that AG condition could prevent the alterations of some atrophy-related genes. We further screened novel candidate genes to reveal the muscle atrophy mechanism from these gene expression profiles. We suggest the potential role of Cacng1 in the atrophy of myotubes using in vitro and in vivo gene transductions. This critical project may accelerate the elucidation of muscle atrophy mechanisms.