Metabolic Dynamics in Short- and Long-Term Microgravity in Human Primary Macrophages

Thiel, Cora S.; Vahlensieck, Christian; Bradley, Timothy; Tauber, Svantje; Lehmann, Martin; Ullrich, Oliver

doi:10.3390/ijms22136752

Open AccessArticle

Metabolic Dynamics in Short- and Long-Term Microgravity in Human Primary Macrophages

by

Cora S. Thiel

^1,2,*,†,

Christian Vahlensieck

^1,†

,

Timothy Bradley

¹

,

Svantje Tauber

^1,2,

Martin Lehmann

³ and

Oliver Ullrich

^{1,2,4,5,6,7,*}

¹

Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland

²

Innovation Cluster Space and Aviation (UZH Space Hub), Air Force Center, University of Zurich, Überlandstrasse 271, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland

³

Biocenter LMU Muenchen, Department of Biology I–Botany, Großhaderner Strasse 2–4, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany

⁴

Space Biotechnology, Department of Machine Design, Engineering Design and Product Development, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany

⁵

Space Medicine, Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule (EAH) Jena, Department of Industrial Engineering, Carl-Zeiss-Promenade 2, 07745 Jena, Germany

⁶

Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland

⁷

Space Life Sciences Laboratory (SLSL), Kennedy Space Center (KSC), 505 Odyssey Way, Exploration Park, FL 32953, USA

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

C.S.T. and C.V. contributed equally.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(13), 6752; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22136752

Submission received: 29 May 2021 / Revised: 18 June 2021 / Accepted: 19 June 2021 / Published: 23 June 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanobiology in Space and on Earth)

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Abstract

Microgravity acts on cellular systems on several levels. Cells of the immune system especially react rapidly to changes in gravity. In this study, we performed a correlative metabolomics analysis on short-term and long-term microgravity effects on primary human macrophages. We could detect an increased amino acid concentration after five minutes of altered gravity, that was inverted after 11 days of microgravity. The amino acids that reacted the most to changes in gravity were tightly clustered. The observed effects indicated protein degradation processes in microgravity. Further, glucogenic and ketogenic amino acids were further degraded to Glucose and Ketoleucine. The latter is robustly accumulated in short-term and long-term microgravity but not in hypergravity. We detected highly dynamic and also robust adaptative metabolic changes in altered gravity. Metabolomic studies could contribute significantly to the understanding of gravity-induced integrative effects in human cells.

Keywords: spaceflight; sounding rocket; microgravity; metabolomics; immune cells

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MDPI and ACS Style

Thiel, C.S.; Vahlensieck, C.; Bradley, T.; Tauber, S.; Lehmann, M.; Ullrich, O. Metabolic Dynamics in Short- and Long-Term Microgravity in Human Primary Macrophages. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 6752. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22136752

AMA Style

Thiel CS, Vahlensieck C, Bradley T, Tauber S, Lehmann M, Ullrich O. Metabolic Dynamics in Short- and Long-Term Microgravity in Human Primary Macrophages. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(13):6752. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22136752

Chicago/Turabian Style

Thiel, Cora S., Christian Vahlensieck, Timothy Bradley, Svantje Tauber, Martin Lehmann, and Oliver Ullrich. 2021. "Metabolic Dynamics in Short- and Long-Term Microgravity in Human Primary Macrophages" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22, no. 13: 6752. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22136752

APA Style

Thiel, C. S., Vahlensieck, C., Bradley, T., Tauber, S., Lehmann, M., & Ullrich, O. (2021). Metabolic Dynamics in Short- and Long-Term Microgravity in Human Primary Macrophages. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(13), 6752. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22136752

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Metabolic Dynamics in Short- and Long-Term Microgravity in Human Primary Macrophages

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