NASA GeneLab Project: Bridging Space Radiation Omics with Ground Studies

Beheshti, Afshin; Miller, Jack; Kidane, Yared H.; Berrios, Daniel C.; Gebre, Samrawit G.; Costes, Sylvain V.

doi:10.1667/rr15062.1

Cited by 21 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…The use of NASA's GeneLab platform [23] allowed us to mine data that might not have otherwise been possible to obtain from individual experimental datasets. The large number of radiation datasets available through this platform allowed the creative combination of different datasets from former experiments to generate new hypotheses [71].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We chose to first look at the distribution of mapping errors within the RNA-sequencing results from liver samples by examining whether mice exposure to spaceflight resulted in detectable changes compared to ground controls. We chose to focus on liver tissue datasets from GeneLab with mice exposed to space radiation because on in the GLDS liver is the organ with the largest number of sequenced tissue thus far from rodent research missions [71]. This extremely novel analysis demonstrates how RNA-sequence data can be used to generate useful data other than the standard techniques to generate counts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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NASA GeneLab Platform Utilized for Biological Response to Space Radiation in Animal Models

McDonald¹,

Stainforth

Cahill

et al. 2020

Cancers

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Background: Ionizing radiation from galactic cosmic rays (GCR) is one of the major risk factors that will impact the health of astronauts on extended missions outside the protective effects of the Earth’s magnetic field. The NASA GeneLab project has detailed information on radiation exposure using animal models with curated dosimetry information for spaceflight experiments. Methods: We analyzed multiple GeneLab omics datasets associated with both ground-based and spaceflight radiation studies that included in vivo and in vitro approaches. A range of ions from protons to iron particles with doses from 0.1 to 1.0 Gy for ground studies, as well as samples flown in low Earth orbit (LEO) with total doses of 1.0 mGy to 30 mGy, were utilized. Results: From this analysis, we were able to identify distinct biological signatures associating specific ions with specific biological responses due to radiation exposure in space. For example, we discovered changes in mitochondrial function, ribosomal assembly, and immune pathways as a function of dose. Conclusions: We provided a summary of how the GeneLab’s rich database of omics experiments with animal models can be used to generate novel hypotheses to better understand human health risks from GCR exposures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

NASA GeneLab Platform Utilized for Biological Response to Space Radiation in Animal Models

McDonald¹,

Stainforth

Cahill

et al. 2020

Cancers

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“…Our review focuses on countermeasures for irradiation conditions relevant to radiotherapy (low-linear energy transfer (LET) ionizing radiation, such as gamma rays and X-rays, but also high-LET particle radiation, with an increase use of proton and carbon ions (Ray et al 2018), at fractionated doses ranging from 10 to 50 Gy total (Barani and Larson 2015;Lumniczky et al 2017) and space environment: primarily galactic cosmic rays, which is the most damaging and hardest to shield component of the deepspace radiation environment, but also gamma rays in the context of low-Earth orbit missions. The radiation doses of interest to model the exposure conditions of astronauts onboard of the International Space Station (ISS) are between 0.1 to 0.4 mGy/day of gamma rays, contributing to the total dose of about 0.15 Gy for a year-long mission, corresponding to the longest time in orbit so far (Beheshti et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ionizing radiation-induced risks to the central nervous system and countermeasures in cellular and rodent models

Pariset

Malkani

Cekanaviciute

et al. 2020

International Journal of Radiation Biology

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Purpose: Harmful effects of ionizing radiation on the Central Nervous System (CNS) are a concerning outcome in the field of cancer radiotherapy and form a major risk for deep space exploration. Both acute and chronic CNS irradiation induce a complex network of molecular and cellular alterations including DNA damage, oxidative stress, cell death and systemic inflammation, leading to changes in neuronal structure and synaptic plasticity with behavioral and cognitive consequences in animal models. Due to this complexity, countermeasure or therapeutic approaches to reduce the harmful effects of ionizing radiation include a wide range of protective and mitigative strategies, which merit a thorough comparative analysis. Materials and methods: We reviewed current approaches for developing countermeasures to both targeted and non-targeted effects of ionizing radiation on the CNS from the molecular and cellular to the behavioral level. Results: We focus on countermeasures that aim to mitigate the four main detrimental actions of radiation on CNS: DNA damage, free radical formation and oxidative stress, cell death, and harmful systemic responses including tissue death and neuroinflammation. We propose a comprehensive review of CNS radiation countermeasures reported for the full range of irradiation types (photons and particles, low and high linear energy transfer) and doses (from a fraction of gray to several tens of gray, fractionated and unfractionated), with a particular interest for exposure conditions relevant to deep-space environment and radiotherapy. Our review reveals the importance of combined strategies that increase DNA protection and repair, reduce free radical formation and increase their elimination, limit inflammation and improve cell viability, limit tissue damage and increase repair and plasticity. Conclusions: The majority of therapeutic approaches to protect the CNS from ionizing radiation have been limited to acute high dose and high dose rate gamma irradiation, and few are translatable from animal models to potential human application due to harmful side effects and lack of blood-brain barrier permeability that precludes peripheral administration. Therefore, a promising research direction would be to focus on practical applicability and effectiveness in a wider range of irradiation paradigms, from fractionated therapeutic to deep space radiation. In addition to discovering novel therapeutics, it would be worth maximizing the benefits and reducing side effects of those that already exist. Finally, we suggest that novel cellular and tissue models for developing and testing countermeasures in the context of other impairments might also be applied to the field of CNS responses to ionizing radiation.

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“…The overall goal of this manuscript is to provide a clear methodology of how to use NASA's GeneLab platform 1 and how rodent experiments done in space are translated to omics data for analysis. Spacefaring humans are exposed to numerous health risks from altered gravity fields, space radiation, isolation from Earth, and other hostile environmental factors 2,3,4,5,6 . Biological experiments performed in space and on the ground have helped to define and quantify these risks 7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Effects of Spaceflight on Mouse Physiology using the Open Access NASA GeneLab Platform

Beheshti

Shirazi‐Fard

Choi

et al. 2019

JoVE

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Performing biological experiments in space requires special accommodations and procedures to ensure that these investigations are performed effectively and efficiently. Moreover, given the infrequency of these experiments it is imperative that their impacts be maximized. The rapid advancement of omics technologies offers an opportunity to dramatically increase the volume of data produced from precious spaceflight specimens. To capitalize on this, NASA has developed the GeneLab platform to provide unrestricted access to spaceflight omics data and encourage its widespread analysis. Rodents (both rats and mice) are common model organisms used by scientists to investigate space-related biological impacts. The enclosure that house rodents during spaceflight are called Rodent Habitats (formerly Animal Enclosure Modules), and are substantially different from standard vivarium cages in their dimensions, air flow, and access to water and food. In addition, due to environmental and atmospheric conditions on the International Space Station (ISS), animals are exposed to a higher CO 2 concentration. We recently reported that mice in the Rodent Habitats experience large changes in their transcriptome irrespective of whether animals were on the ground or in space. Furthermore, these changes were consistent with a hypoxic response, potentially driven by higher CO 2 concentrations. Here we describe how a typical rodent experiment is performed in space, how omics data from these experiments can be accessed through the GeneLab platform, and how to identify key factors in this data. Using this process, any individual can make critical discoveries that could change the design of future space missions and activities.

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NASA GeneLab Project: Bridging Space Radiation Omics with Ground Studies

Cited by 21 publications

References 49 publications

NASA GeneLab Platform Utilized for Biological Response to Space Radiation in Animal Models

NASA GeneLab Platform Utilized for Biological Response to Space Radiation in Animal Models

Ionizing radiation-induced risks to the central nervous system and countermeasures in cellular and rodent models

Exploring the Effects of Spaceflight on Mouse Physiology using the Open Access NASA GeneLab Platform

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