Home › Cell Biology › Exploring the Effects of Spaceflight on Mouse Physiology using the Open Access NASA GeneLab Platform
Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Exploring the Effects of Spaceflight on Mouse Physiology using the Open Access NASA GeneLab Platform

· 2019
DOI: 10.3791/58447-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Access and navigate the NASA GeneLab omics database for spaceflight studies
  • ✓ Analyze transcriptomic datasets to identify differentially expressed genes in space-exposed mice
  • ✓ Interpret physiological changes in rodents subjected to microgravity conditions
Protocol

The NASA GeneLab platform provides unfettered access to precious omics data from biological spaceflight experiments. We describe how a typical mouse experiment is conducted in space and how data from such experiments can be accessed and analyzed.

Difficulty
intermediate
Total time
~6-8 weeks (spaceflight mission duration) + 2-4 weeks (data analysis post-mission)
Model organism
Mouse (C57BL/6J or similar laboratory strain)
Biosafety
BSL-1

Steps

1
Handle and prepare rodents for spaceflight experiments

Understand proper rodent handling protocols and housing requirements for mice destined for spaceflight missions aboard orbital platforms. This includes acclimation and pre-flight health assessment.

▶ 00:46
2
Access and query GeneLab omics dataset repositories

Learn to navigate the open-access NASA GeneLab platform to locate spaceflight experiment datasets and retrieve raw omics data from completed mouse missions.

▶ 04:52
3
Retrieve metadata and perform transcriptomic analysis

Extract study metadata, experimental descriptions, and conduct differential gene expression analysis on spaceflight-derived transcriptomic datasets using GeneLab tools.

▶ 06:35
4
Identify differentially expressed genes between groups

Analyze and interpret key genes that show altered expression between spaceflight-exposed mice and vivarium-housed control mice to identify physiological adaptation signatures.

▶ 08:35
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