How are cell and tissue structure and function influenced by gravity and what are the gravity perception mechanisms?

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Ohio University
  • Belgian Nuclear Research Center
  • Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies
  • French Association against Myopathies
  • Goethe University Frankfurt a.M.
  • University of Milan
  • Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
  • National Research Council (IBFM-CNR)
  • Sorbonne Université
  • University of Florence
  • University of Pavia
  • Italian Institute of Technology
  • National Research Council of Italy (CNR)
  • University of Siena
  • University of Bari
  • Université de Lorraine
  • Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
  • Universite Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne
  • ESTEC - European Space Research and Technology Centre
  • Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
  • German Aerospace Center (DLR)
  • Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
  • Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  • Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC)
  • Utrecht University
  • Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer
  • Vienna University of Technology
  • Allgemeine Unfallversicherungsanstalt
  • Université de Toulouse
  • University of Montpellier
  • Space Applications NV/SA for European Space Agency
  • University of Bristol

Abstract

Progress in mechanobiology allowed us to better understand the important role of mechanical forces in the regulation of biological processes. Space research in the field of life sciences clearly showed that gravity plays a crucial role in biological processes. The space environment offers the unique opportunity to carry out experiments without gravity, helping us not only to understand the effects of gravitational alterations on biological systems but also the mechanisms underlying mechanoperception and cell/tissue response to mechanical and gravitational stresses. Despite the progress made so far, for future space exploration programs it is necessary to increase our knowledge on the mechanotransduction processes as well as on the molecular mechanisms underlying microgravity-induced cell and tissue alterations. This white paper reports the suggestions and recommendations of the SciSpacE Science Community for the elaboration of the section of the European Space Agency roadmap “Biology in Space and Analogue Environments” focusing on “How are cells and tissues influenced by gravity and what are the gravity perception mechanisms?” The knowledge gaps that prevent the Science Community from fully answering this question and the activities proposed to fill them are discussed.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number16
Pages (from-to)1-7
Number of pages7
Journalnpj Microgravity
Volume10
Issue number1
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 10 Feb 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0001-9075-5121/work/160047949