Communications Biology (Apr 2023)
Lunar gravity prevents skeletal muscle atrophy but not myofiber type shift in mice
- Takuto Hayashi,
- Ryo Fujita,
- Risa Okada,
- Michito Hamada,
- Riku Suzuki,
- Sayaka Fuseya,
- James Leckey,
- Maho Kanai,
- Yuri Inoue,
- Shunya Sadaki,
- Ayano Nakamura,
- Yui Okamura,
- Chikara Abe,
- Hironobu Morita,
- Tatsuya Aiba,
- Teruhiro Senkoji,
- Michihiko Shimomura,
- Maki Okada,
- Daisuke Kamimura,
- Akane Yumoto,
- Masafumi Muratani,
- Takashi Kudo,
- Dai Shiba,
- Satoru Takahashi
Affiliations
- Takuto Hayashi
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, and Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
- Ryo Fujita
- Divsion of Regenerative Medicine, Transborder Medical Research Center, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
- Risa Okada
- JEM Utilization Center, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
- Michito Hamada
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, and Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
- Riku Suzuki
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, and Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
- Sayaka Fuseya
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, and Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
- James Leckey
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, and Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
- Maho Kanai
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, and Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
- Yuri Inoue
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, and Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
- Shunya Sadaki
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, and Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
- Ayano Nakamura
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, and Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
- Yui Okamura
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, and Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
- Chikara Abe
- Department of Physiology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine
- Hironobu Morita
- Mouse Epigenetics Project, ISS/Kibo experiment, JAXA
- Tatsuya Aiba
- JEM Utilization Center, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
- Teruhiro Senkoji
- JEM Utilization Center, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
- Michihiko Shimomura
- JEM Utilization Center, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
- Maki Okada
- JEM Utilization Center, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
- Daisuke Kamimura
- JEM Utilization Center, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
- Akane Yumoto
- JEM Utilization Center, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
- Masafumi Muratani
- Mouse Epigenetics Project, ISS/Kibo experiment, JAXA
- Takashi Kudo
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, and Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
- Dai Shiba
- JEM Utilization Center, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
- Satoru Takahashi
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, and Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04769-3
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 6,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 10
Abstract
Abstract Skeletal muscle is sensitive to gravitational alterations. We recently developed a multiple artificial-gravity research system (MARS), which can generate gravity ranging from microgravity to Earth gravity (1 g) in space. Using the MARS, we studied the effects of three different gravitational levels (microgravity, lunar gravity [1/6 g], and 1 g) on the skeletal muscle mass and myofiber constitution in mice. All mice survived and returned to Earth, and skeletal muscle was collected two days after landing. We observed that microgravity-induced soleus muscle atrophy was prevented by lunar gravity. However, lunar gravity failed to prevent the slow-to-fast myofiber transition in the soleus muscle in space. These results suggest that lunar gravity is enough to maintain proteostasis, but a greater gravitational force is required to prevent the myofiber type transition. Our study proposes that different gravitational thresholds may be required for skeletal muscle adaptation.
