Effects of Spaceflight on Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocyte Structure and Function

With extended stays aboard the International Space Station (ISS) becoming commonplace there is a need to better understand the effects of microgravity on cardiac function. We utilized human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) to study the effects of microgravity on cell-level cardiac function and gene expression. The hiPSC-CMs were cultured aboard the ISS for 5.5 weeks and their gene expression structure and functions were compared to ground control hiPSC-CMs. Exposure to microgravity on the ISS caused alterations in hiPSC-CM calcium handling. RNA-sequencing analysis demonstrated 2,635 genes were differentially expressed among flight post-flight and ground control samples including genes involved in mitochondrial metabolism. This study represents the first use of hiPSCs to model the effects of spaceflight on human cardiomyocyte structure and function.