Effects of spaceflight aboard the International Space Station on mouse estrous cycle and ovarian gene expression

Abstract Ovarian steroids dramatically impact normal homeostatic and metabolic processes of most tissues within the body, including muscle, bone, neural, immune, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. Determining the effects of spaceflight on the ovary and estrous cycle is, therefore, critical to...

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Main Authors: Xiaoman Hong, Anamika Ratri, Sungshin Y. Choi, Joseph S. Tash, April E. Ronca, Joshua S. Alwood, Lane K. Christenson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2021-03-01
Series:npj Microgravity
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-021-00139-7
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author Xiaoman Hong
Anamika Ratri
Sungshin Y. Choi
Joseph S. Tash
April E. Ronca
Joshua S. Alwood
Lane K. Christenson
author_facet Xiaoman Hong
Anamika Ratri
Sungshin Y. Choi
Joseph S. Tash
April E. Ronca
Joshua S. Alwood
Lane K. Christenson
author_sort Xiaoman Hong
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Ovarian steroids dramatically impact normal homeostatic and metabolic processes of most tissues within the body, including muscle, bone, neural, immune, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. Determining the effects of spaceflight on the ovary and estrous cycle is, therefore, critical to our understanding of all spaceflight experiments using female mice. Adult female mice (n = 10) were exposed to and sacrificed on-orbit after 37 days of spaceflight in microgravity. Contemporary control (preflight baseline, vivarium, and habitat; n = 10/group) groups were maintained at the Kennedy Space Center, prior to sacrifice and similar tissue collection at the NASA Ames Research Center. Ovarian tissues were collected and processed for RNA and steroid analyses at initial carcass thaw. Vaginal wall tissue collected from twice frozen/thawed carcasses was fixed for estrous cycle stage determinations. The proportion of animals in each phase of the estrous cycle (i.e., proestrus, estrus, metestrus, and diestrus) did not appreciably differ between baseline, vivarium, and flight mice, while habitat control mice exhibited greater numbers in diestrus. Ovarian tissue steroid concentrations indicated no differences in estradiol across groups, while progesterone levels were lower (p < 0.05) in habitat and flight compared to baseline females. Genes involved in ovarian steroidogenic function were not differentially expressed across groups. As ovarian estrogen can dramatically impact multiple non-reproductive tissues, these data support vaginal wall estrous cycle classification of all female mice flown in space. Additionally, since females exposed to long-term spaceflight were observed at different estrous cycle stages, this indicates females are likely undergoing ovarian cyclicity and may yet be fertile.
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spelling doaj.art-4fdd39a8dc864f128470ff20d63eda802023-12-02T16:32:43ZengNature Portfolionpj Microgravity2373-80652021-03-01711810.1038/s41526-021-00139-7Effects of spaceflight aboard the International Space Station on mouse estrous cycle and ovarian gene expressionXiaoman Hong0Anamika Ratri1Sungshin Y. Choi2Joseph S. Tash3April E. Ronca4Joshua S. Alwood5Lane K. Christenson6Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical CenterDepartment of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical CenterKBR, NASA-Ames Research CenterDepartment of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical CenterSpace Biosciences Division, NASA-Ames Research CenterSpace Biosciences Division, NASA-Ames Research CenterDepartment of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical CenterAbstract Ovarian steroids dramatically impact normal homeostatic and metabolic processes of most tissues within the body, including muscle, bone, neural, immune, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. Determining the effects of spaceflight on the ovary and estrous cycle is, therefore, critical to our understanding of all spaceflight experiments using female mice. Adult female mice (n = 10) were exposed to and sacrificed on-orbit after 37 days of spaceflight in microgravity. Contemporary control (preflight baseline, vivarium, and habitat; n = 10/group) groups were maintained at the Kennedy Space Center, prior to sacrifice and similar tissue collection at the NASA Ames Research Center. Ovarian tissues were collected and processed for RNA and steroid analyses at initial carcass thaw. Vaginal wall tissue collected from twice frozen/thawed carcasses was fixed for estrous cycle stage determinations. The proportion of animals in each phase of the estrous cycle (i.e., proestrus, estrus, metestrus, and diestrus) did not appreciably differ between baseline, vivarium, and flight mice, while habitat control mice exhibited greater numbers in diestrus. Ovarian tissue steroid concentrations indicated no differences in estradiol across groups, while progesterone levels were lower (p < 0.05) in habitat and flight compared to baseline females. Genes involved in ovarian steroidogenic function were not differentially expressed across groups. As ovarian estrogen can dramatically impact multiple non-reproductive tissues, these data support vaginal wall estrous cycle classification of all female mice flown in space. Additionally, since females exposed to long-term spaceflight were observed at different estrous cycle stages, this indicates females are likely undergoing ovarian cyclicity and may yet be fertile.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-021-00139-7
spellingShingle Xiaoman Hong
Anamika Ratri
Sungshin Y. Choi
Joseph S. Tash
April E. Ronca
Joshua S. Alwood
Lane K. Christenson
Effects of spaceflight aboard the International Space Station on mouse estrous cycle and ovarian gene expression
npj Microgravity
title Effects of spaceflight aboard the International Space Station on mouse estrous cycle and ovarian gene expression
title_full Effects of spaceflight aboard the International Space Station on mouse estrous cycle and ovarian gene expression
title_fullStr Effects of spaceflight aboard the International Space Station on mouse estrous cycle and ovarian gene expression
title_full_unstemmed Effects of spaceflight aboard the International Space Station on mouse estrous cycle and ovarian gene expression
title_short Effects of spaceflight aboard the International Space Station on mouse estrous cycle and ovarian gene expression
title_sort effects of spaceflight aboard the international space station on mouse estrous cycle and ovarian gene expression
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-021-00139-7
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