1. Human immune system adaptations to simulated microgravity revealed by single-cell mass cytometry
- Author
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Dyani Gaudilliere, Martin S. Angst, M Hughes Fulford, Nima Aghaeepour, J M Spatz, Edward A. Ganio, Amy S. Tsai, Julien Hedou, and Brice Gaudilliere
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Adult ,Science ,medicine.medical_treatment ,T cell ,T-Lymphocytes ,Immunology ,Biology ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,Young Adult ,0302 clinical medicine ,Immune system ,medicine ,Cytotoxic T cell ,Humans ,Mass cytometry ,RNA, Messenger ,Viral shedding ,Weightlessness Simulation ,Multidisciplinary ,Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Immunosuppression ,Middle Aged ,Space Flight ,Flow Cytometry ,Adaptation, Physiological ,Cell biology ,Experimental models of disease ,030104 developmental biology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Aerospace engineering ,Immune System ,Medicine ,Single-Cell Analysis ,Transcriptome ,Cytometry ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,CD8 ,Signal Transduction - Abstract
Exposure to microgravity (µG) during space flights produces a state of immunosuppression, leading to increased viral shedding, which could interfere with long term missions. However, the cellular mechanisms that underlie the immunosuppressive effects of µG are ill-defined. A deep understanding of human immune adaptations to µG is a necessary first step to design data-driven interventions aimed at preserving astronauts’ immune defense during short- and long-term spaceflights. We employed a high-dimensional mass cytometry approach to characterize over 250 cell-specific functional responses in 18 innate and adaptive immune cell subsets exposed to 1G or simulated (s)µG using the Rotating Wall Vessel. A statistically stringent elastic net method produced a multivariate model that accurately stratified immune responses observed in 1G and sµG (p value 2E−4, cross-validation). Aspects of our analysis resonated with prior knowledge of human immune adaptations to µG, including the dampening of Natural Killer, CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses. Remarkably, we found that sµG enhanced STAT5 signaling responses of immunosuppressive Tregs. Our results suggest µG exerts a dual effect on the human immune system, simultaneously dampening cytotoxic responses while enhancing Treg function. Our study provides a single-cell readout of sµG-induced immune dysfunctions and an analytical framework for future studies of human immune adaptations to human long-term spaceflights.
- Published
- 2021