Physiol. Genomics 26: 163-171, 2006.
First published May 16, 2006; doi:10.1152/physiolgenomics.00323.2005
1094-8341/06 $8.00
Physiological Genomics 26:163-171 (2006)
1094-8341/06 $8.00 © 2006 American Physiological Society
Invited Review
Proteomics and genomics of microgravity
Heather L. Nichols1,
Ning Zhang1,2 and
Xuejun Wen1,2,3
1 Clemson-Medical University of South Carolina Bioengineering Program, Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University; and Departments of 2 Cell Biology and Anatomy and 3 Orthopedic Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
Many serious adverse physiological changes occur during spaceflight. In the search for underlying mechanisms and possible new countermeasures, many experimental tools and methods have been developed to study microgravity caused physiological changes, ranging from in vitro bioreactor studies to spaceflight investigations. Recently, genomic and proteomic approaches have gained a lot of attention; after major scientific breakthroughs in the fields of genomics and proteomics, they are now widely accepted and used to understand biological processes. Understanding gene and/or protein expression is the key to unfolding the mechanisms behind microgravity-induced problems and, ultimately, finding effective countermeasures to spaceflight-induced alterations. Significant progress has been made in identifying the genes/proteins responsible for these changes. Although many of these genes and/or proteins were observed to be either upregulated or downregulated, however, no large-scale genomics and proteomics studies have been published so far. This review aims at summarizing the current status of microgravity-related genomics and proteomics studies and stimulating large-scale proteomics and genomics research activities.
spaceflight; protein expression; gene expression; bone; muscle; immune system; nervous system
Copyright © 2006 by the American Physiological Society.
