Abstract
Space flight results in a number of serious collateral physiological changes, primarily due to microgravity. In the search for the underlying mechanisms many approaches have been developed, from microgravity modeling on Earth to research in space, with studies of gene and protein expression being a core part of it. Unlike bone and muscular tissue, molecular changes in nerve cells during spaceflight have barely been studied. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent advances in studies regarding changes of gene and protein expression in nervous system cells in conditions of microgravity. This review will focus to a large extent on the results of the Bion-M1 biosatellite. For the first time, we have detected the microgravity-responsive genes of dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) systems: tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), and the first-type dopamine receptor (D1) in the nigrostriatal system; 2A subtype serotonin receptors (5-HT2A) and D1 receptors in the hypothalamus; and also monoamine oxidase A (MAO A) in the frontal cortex. The decrease in the expression of key genes of dopamine system may contribute to the development of locomotor disorders and dyskinesia both in animals and humans. Also, the system of neuronal apoptosis is activated under the influence of microgravity, as shown by the decrease in expression of antiapoptotic protein Bcl-XL in the hippocampus and its decrease in the hypothalamus. The long-term spaceflight has resulted in the dysregulation in the expression of genes encoding the glial neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and the dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) in the brain. These neurophysiological factors play a crucial role in maintaining and protecting dopaminergic neurons, and therefore a decrease in their expression may be one of the causes of the negative impact of spaceflight on the brain’s dopamine system. The data obtained from the Bion-M1 biosatellite flight are unique because they, for the first time, have made it possible to the known neurophysiologial mechanisms for adapting the central nervous system to the microgravity based on solid molecular-genetic grounds.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
