Biological System
Transcriptomic Response
Gene expression changes in blood and tissue
Overview
Gene expression is the readout of which genes are active at any moment. Bulk RNA-seq, single-nucleus RNA-seq, and direct RNA sequencing give complementary views of how the Inspiration4 crew's cells responded to spaceflight. The transcriptomic data reveals which biological programs were upregulated or suppressed — from stress-response pathways to immune signaling cascades.
Key findings
- Bulk RNA-seq (OSD-569) identified differentially expressed genes in blood at R+1 consistent with acute spaceflight stress.crew who showed this effect
- snRNA-seq (OSD-570 PBMC) resolved cell-type-specific expression changes — T cell subtypes shifted distinctly from B cells.crew who showed this effect
- m6A RNA modification (direct RNA-seq, OSD-569) showed widespread post-transcriptional regulation changes at R+1.crew who showed this effect
- Spatial transcriptomics (OSD-574, skin biopsies) captured compartment-specific gene expression in dermis and epidermis.crew who showed this effect
How to read this page: These findings describe four individuals at one point in time. No finding should be generalized to spaceflight health broadly. Individual differences dominate the signal. Values labeled “2× individual baseline” use derived thresholds, not clinical cutoffs.
Individual trajectories
change from own pre-mission level · n=4fold-change from L-44All crew · Transcriptomic Response●●●●Trajectory chart renders after preprocessing
Transcriptomic data shown as change from own pre-mission baseline expression. Only select high-signal genes shown; full tables downloadable.