Multi-system responses to altered gravity and spaceflight: Insights from Drosophila melanogaster

Janani Iyer; Siddhita D Mhatre; Rachel Gilbert; Sharmila Bhattacharya

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104880

Multi-system responses to altered gravity and spaceflight: Insights from Drosophila melanogaster

Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2022 Nov:142:104880. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104880. Epub 2022 Sep 17.

Authors

Janani Iyer¹, Siddhita D Mhatre², Rachel Gilbert³, Sharmila Bhattacharya⁴

Affiliations

¹ Space Biosciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA; Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD 21046, USA; KBR, Houston, TX 77002, USA.
² Space Biosciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA; KBR, Houston, TX 77002, USA; COSMIAC Research Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
³ Space Biosciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA; Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD 21046, USA.
⁴ Space Biosciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA; Biological and Physical Sciences Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington DC 20024, USA. Electronic address: sharmila.bhattacharya@nasa.gov.

PMID: 36126744
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104880

Abstract

NASA is planning to resume human-crewed lunar missions and lay the foundation for human exploration to Mars. However, our knowledge of the overall effects of long-duration spaceflight on human physiology is limited. During spaceflight, astronauts are exposed to multiple risk factors, including gravitational changes, ionizing radiation, physiological stress, and altered circadian lighting. These factors contribute to pathophysiological responses that target different organ systems in the body. This review discusses the advancements in gravitational biology using Drosophila melanogaster, one of the first organisms to be launched into space. As a well-established spaceflight model organism, fruit flies have yielded significant information, including neurobehavioral, aging, immune, cardiovascular, developmental, and multi-omics changes across tissues and developmental stages, as detailed in this review.

Keywords: Drosophila melanogaster; Gravity; Model organism; Spaceflight.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Animals
Astronauts
Drosophila
Drosophila melanogaster*
Gravitation
Humans
Space Flight*