Influence of the spaceflight environment on macrophage lineages

Rocky An^#^{1

2}, Virginia Katherine Blackwell^#^{1

3}, Bijan Harandi^#^{1

4}, Alicia C Gibbons^#^{1

5}, Olivia Siu^#^{1

6}, Iris Irby^#^{1

7}, Amy Rees^#^{1

8}, Nadjet Cornejal^{1

9}, Kristina M Sattler^{1

10}, Tao Sheng^{1

11}, Nicholas C Syracuse^{1

12}, David Loftus¹³, Sergio R Santa Maria¹³, Egle Cekanaviciute¹³, Sigrid S Reinsch¹³, Hami E Ray^{13

14}, Amber M Paul^{15

16

17}

Affiliations

¹ NASA Ames Research Center, Space Life Sciences Training Program, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA.
² Cornell University, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering and Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
³ Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
⁴ Tufts University, Department of Chemistry, Medford, MA, 02155, USA.
⁵ University of California San Diego, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
⁶ Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology, Daytona Beach, FL, 32114, USA.
⁷ Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
⁸ Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
⁹ Brooklyn College, Department of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, Brooklyn, NY, 11210, USA.
¹⁰ Ohio State University, Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
¹¹ University of Pittsburgh, Department of Computer Science, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
¹² North Carolina State University, Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry and Department of Biological Sciences, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA.
¹³ NASA Ames Research Center, Space Biosciences Division, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA.
¹⁴ ASRC Federal, Inc, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA.
¹⁵ Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology, Daytona Beach, FL, 32114, USA. amber.paul@erau.edu.
¹⁶ NASA Ames Research Center, Space Biosciences Division, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA. amber.paul@erau.edu.
¹⁷ Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA. amber.paul@erau.edu.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 38862517
PMCID: PMC11166655
DOI: 10.1038/s41526-023-00293-0

Review

Influence of the spaceflight environment on macrophage lineages

Rocky An et al. NPJ Microgravity. 2024.

. 2024 Jun 11;10(1):63.

doi: 10.1038/s41526-023-00293-0.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ NASA Ames Research Center, Space Life Sciences Training Program, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA.
² Cornell University, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering and Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
³ Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
⁴ Tufts University, Department of Chemistry, Medford, MA, 02155, USA.
⁵ University of California San Diego, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
⁶ Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology, Daytona Beach, FL, 32114, USA.
⁷ Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
⁸ Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
⁹ Brooklyn College, Department of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, Brooklyn, NY, 11210, USA.
¹⁰ Ohio State University, Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
¹¹ University of Pittsburgh, Department of Computer Science, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
¹² North Carolina State University, Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry and Department of Biological Sciences, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA.
¹³ NASA Ames Research Center, Space Biosciences Division, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA.
¹⁴ ASRC Federal, Inc, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA.
¹⁵ Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology, Daytona Beach, FL, 32114, USA. amber.paul@erau.edu.
¹⁶ NASA Ames Research Center, Space Biosciences Division, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA. amber.paul@erau.edu.
¹⁷ Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA. amber.paul@erau.edu.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 38862517
PMCID: PMC11166655
DOI: 10.1038/s41526-023-00293-0

Abstract

Spaceflight and terrestrial spaceflight analogs can alter immune phenotypes. Macrophages are important immune cells that bridge the innate and adaptive immune systems and participate in immunoregulatory processes of homeostasis. Furthermore, macrophages are critically involved in initiating immunity, defending against injury and infection, and are also involved in immune resolution and wound healing. Heterogeneous populations of macrophage-type cells reside in many tissues and cause a variety of tissue-specific effects through direct or indirect interactions with other physiological systems, including the nervous and endocrine systems. It is vital to understand how macrophages respond to the unique environment of space to safeguard crew members with appropriate countermeasures for future missions in low Earth orbit and beyond. This review highlights current literature on macrophage responses to spaceflight and spaceflight analogs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

**Fig. 1. In-Flight Macrophage Lineage Phenotypes.**
Representative timeline of the observable phenotypes produced in-flight from Table 1. Each line/color represents a mission experiment with the in-flight days listed above/below vertical nodes. Collective observable phenotypes display increased (above centerline) or decreased (below centerline) activity are depicted visually, including increased production of IL12-p40, CXCL-8, CXCL-5, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-RA, IL-1α, IL-17F, and IL-6 and decreased macrophage differentiation processes from hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC). Created with BioRender.com.

**Fig. 2. Post-Flight Macrophage Lineage Phenotypes.**
Representative timeline of the observable phenotypes produced post-flight analysis from Table 1. Each line/color represents a mission experiment with the in-flight days listed above horizontal nodes, and post-flight collection time points vertical lines. Collective observable phenotypes that display increased (above centerline) or decreased (below centerline) activity are depicted visually, including monocytic count, phagocytic function, cytokine production, and T cell tolerance outcomes. Each phenotype is color-coordinated with the experimental timeline of missions and collections. Created with BioRender.com.

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Influence of the spaceflight environment on macrophage lineages

Affiliations

Influence of the spaceflight environment on macrophage lineages

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

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