New study investigates weightlessness' influence on immune system T cells, potentially uncovering reasons behind astronauts' compromised infection-fighting capability.
Impact of weightlessness on immune system T cells has been explored by a new study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, potentially elucidating the reduced activity and effectiveness of astronauts' T cells against infections, published in the journal Science Advances. (1✔ ✔Trusted Source
Exposure of volunteers to microgravity by dry immersion bed over 21 days results in gene expression changes and adaptation of T cells
Go to source) The next steps in the exploration of space are human missions to the moon and Mars. Space is an extremely hostile environment that poses threats to human health.
‘The immune system T cells' response to weightlessness is scrutinized in a new Swedish study, shedding light on why astronauts' T cells display reduced activity and diminished ability to combat infections.
# Immunity, #Astronauts
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One such threat is changes to the immune system that occur in astronauts while in space and that persist after their return to Earth. This immune deficiency can leave them more vulnerable to infection and lead to the reactivation of latent viruses in the body. “If astronauts are to be able to undergo safe space missions, we need to understand how their immune systems are affected and try to find ways to counter harmful changes to it,” says study leader Lisa Westerberg, principal researcher at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet.
“We’ve now been able to investigate what happens to T cells, which are a key component of the immune system when exposed to weightless conditions.”
In the study, the researchers have tried to simulate weightlessness in space using a method called dry immersion. This involves a custom-made waterbed that tricks the body into thinking it is in a weightless state.
The researchers examined T cells in the blood of eight healthy individuals for three weeks of exposure to simulated weightlessness. Blood analyses were performed before the experiment started, at 7, 14, and 21 days after the start, and at 7 days after the experiment ended.
Stealthy Impact in Immune T Cells
They found that the T cells significantly changed their gene expression – that is to say, which genes were active and which were not – after 7 and 14 days of weightlessness and that the cells became more immature in their genetic program. The greatest effect was seen after 14 days.Advertisement
After 21 days, the T cells had “adapted” their gene expression to weightlessness so that it had almost returned to normal, but analyses carried out seven days after the experiment ended showed that the cells had regained some of the changes.
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Reference:
- Exposure of volunteers to microgravity by dry immersion bed over 21 days results in gene expression changes and adaptation of T cells - (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg1610)
Source-Eurekalert