Jump to content

Station Science 101: Epigenetics Research in Space


Recommended Posts

  • Publishers
Posted

A growing body of research suggests a link between epigenetic mechanisms and a wide variety of illnesses and behaviors, including cancer, cardiovascular and autoimmune illnesses, and cognitive dysfunction. Epigenetics also plays a role in the changes humans and other living things experience in space.

This phenomenon has become part of studies in a wide variety of fields, including microgravity research conducted aboard the International Space Station.

So just what is epigenetics? According to a paper from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, it includes any process that alters gene activity without changing the actual DNA sequence and that leads to modifications that can pass to offspring. Essentially, it involves information added to the DNA sequence of four bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T).

The sequence of these bases forms the genetic code for development and functioning – essentially the blueprint for every living thing. Epigenetics changes an organism by changing which genes are expressed – essentially turned on or off – without changing that basic blueprint. In other words, epigenetics results in a change through modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself.

Epigenetic changes can be caused by many outside stimuli, from chemicals to trauma to exercise. And unlike a genetic change or mutation, an epigenetic change can reverse if the stimulus is removed. Many epigenetic changes are positive, or even essential, but some cause serious adverse health and behavioral effects.

Years of analysis have shown that the spaceflight environment changes gene expression in every organism and cell type. Epigenetics could help scientists figure out how that happens and why. Studying epigenetics could reveal the pathway that cells use to adapt and survive in microgravity and reveal ways to control positive changes or prevent negative ones.

The Epigenetics investigation from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) looked at whether the round worm C. elegans experienced epigenetic changes and if those changes transmitted from one generation to another. Researchers did observe epigenetic changes and concluded that the expression of certain genes, including negative regulators of growth and development, is epigenetically fine-tuned to adapt to microgravity.1

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti prepares samples for the Epigenetics experiment. Credits: NASA Alt text: Cristoforetti wears a red short-sleeved shirt, olive green pants, and light blue gloves. She is holding a plastic pouch connected by a tube to a panel on the wall of the space station that has multiple cords and displays. The walls around her other devices, cords, and screens.
ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti prepares samples for the Epigenetics experiment.
NASA

JAXA’s Mouse Epigenetics studied altered gene expression patterns in mice and DNA changes in their offspring. The investigation identified genetic alterations that happen after exposure to the microgravity environment of space.

An Italian Space Agency study of the bone loss experienced by astronauts on extended missions is associated with epigenetic alterations. Role of the Endocannabinoid System in Pluripotent Human Stem Cell Reprogramming under Microgravity Conditions (SERISM) evaluated the formation of bone cells in microgravity using human blood-derived stem cells as a model. Researchers reported specific epigenetic changes that occurred in the cells in space.2

APEX-03 plates containing Arabidopsis thaliana plants. Credits: NASA Alt text: Plants with green leaves amid a tangle of white roots are visible inside a clear plastic box with an orange clip on each side. White labels can be seen through the box.
APEX-03 plates containing Arabidopsis thaliana plants.
NASA

One epigenetic process that researchers can detect is methylation, the addition or removal of a methyl group (CH3) into DNA bases, predominantly where cytosine or C bases occur consecutively. The APEX-03-1 and APEX-03-2 experiments examined DNA methylation and gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana plants grown from seeds aboard the space station and found widespread changes in patterns of gene expression.3 They also observed epigenetic changes, indicating that they play a role in a plant’s physiological adaptation to spaceflight.4

APEX-04 confirmed this finding. When investigators disrupted the ability of a plant to make those epigenetic changes, that plant struggled more in space.5 Plant Habitat-03 then examined whether these epigenetic changes pass to subsequent generations.

In general, this work showed that plants change gene expression patterns when they experience strange environments and use epigenetic processes to mark genes that help prepare the next generation for the same environment. Those markers show which genes are important for the plant to live in space. Researchers can use that information to breed plants better adapted to space and to harsh environments on Earth.

The MinION DNA sequencer in use on the space station. Credits: NASA Alt text: A blue-gloved hand holds a rectangular palm-sized device. The lid of the device is open revealing a small yellow cell and some labels. There is a USB  cord coming out of the end of the device.
The MinION DNA sequencer in use on the space station.
NASA

Expect to see more research on epigenetics on orbit now that more tools are available to provide the ability to immediately sequence DNA at the level that reveals epigenetic changes such as methylation. Traditional DNA sequencers do not provide that level of information without prior processing of the sample, but the space station’s MinION can. Scientists can use these tools to get real-time snapshots of changes as they are happening and potentially how they are passed to subsequent generations.

Melissa Gaskill

International Space Station Program Science Office
Johnson Space Center

Search this database of scientific experiments to learn more about those mentioned above.

Citations:

1 Higashitani A, Hashizume T, Takiura M, Higashitani N, Teranishi M, Oshima R, Yano S, Kuriyama K, Higashibata A. Histone deacetylase HDA-4-mediated epigenetic regulation in space-flown C. elegans. npj Microgravity. 2021 September 1; 7(1): 33. DOI: 10.1038/s41526-021-00163-7.PMID: 34471121.

2 Gambacurta A, Merlini G, Ruggiero C, Diedenhofen G, Battista N, Bari M, Balsamo M, Piccirillo S, Valentini G, Mascetti G, Maccarrone M. Human osteogenic differentiation in Space: proteomic and epigenetic clues to better understand osteoporosis. Scientific Reports. 2019 June 6; 9(1): 8343. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44593-6.PMID: 31171801.

3 Nakashima J, Pattathil S, Avci U, Chin S, Sparks JA, Hahn MG, Gilroy S, Blancaflor EB. Glycome profiling and immunohistochemistry uncover changes in cell walls of Arabidopsis thaliana roots during spaceflight. npj Microgravity. 2023 August 22; 9(1): 1-13. DOI: 10.1038/s41526-023-00312-0.

4 Zhou M, Sng NJ, LeFrois CE, Paul AL, Ferl RJ. Epigenomics in an extraterrestrial environment: Organ-specific alteration of DNA methylation and gene expression elicited by spaceflight in Arabidopsis thaliana. BMC Genomics. 2019 March 12; 20(1): 205. DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5554-z.

5 Paul AL, Haveman NJ, Califar B, Ferl RJ. Epigenomic regulators elongator complex subunit 2 and methyltransferase 1 differentially condition the spaceflight response in Arabidopsis. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2021 September 13; 12691790. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.691790.

View the full article

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Similar Topics

    • By NASA
      A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft is launched on NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 mission to the International Space Station on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025.Credit: NASA NASA is sending more science, technology demonstrations, and crew supplies to the International Space Station following the successful launch of the agency’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 mission, or Northrop Grumman CRS-23.
      The company’s Cygnus XL spacecraft, carrying more than 11,000 pounds of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, lifted off at 6:11 p.m. EDT Sunday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission is the first flight of the larger, more cargo-capable version of the solar-powered spacecraft. 
      Cygnus XL is scheduled to be captured at 6:35 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, by the Canadarm2 robotic arm, which NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will operate with assistance from NASA astronaut Zena Cardman. Following capture, the spacecraft will be installed to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port for cargo unloading.
      The resupply mission is carrying dozens of research experiments that will be conducted during Expedition 73, including materials to produce semiconductor crystals in space and equipment to develop improvements for cryogenic fuel tanks. The spacecraft also will deliver a specialized UV light system to prevent the growth of microbe communities that form in water systems and supplies to produce pharmaceutical crystals that could treat cancer and other diseases.
      These are just a sample of the hundreds of scientific investigations conducted aboard the station in the areas of biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, physical sciences, as well as technology development and demonstrations. For nearly 25 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, where astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time. The space station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including Artemis missions to the Moon and American astronaut missions to Mars.
      NASA’s arrival, capture, and installation coverage are as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
      Wednesday, Sept. 17
      5 a.m. – Arrival coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more.
      6:35 a.m. – Capture of Cygnus XL with the space station’s robotic arm.
      8 a.m. – Installation coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more.
      All coverage times are estimates and could be adjusted based on operations after launch. Follow the space station blog for the most up-to-date information.
      Cygnus XL is scheduled to remain at the orbiting laboratory until March 2026, before it departs and disposes of several thousand pounds of trash through its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, where it will harmlessly burn up. The spacecraft is named the S.S. William “Willie” C. McCool, in honor of the NASA astronaut who perished in 2003 during the space shuttle Columbia accident.
      Learn more about this NASA commercial resupply mission at:
      https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-northrop-grumman-crs-23/
      -end-
      Josh Finch / Jimi Russell
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1100
      joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov
      Steven Siceloff
      Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
      321-876-2468
      steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov
      Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
      Johnson Space Center, Houston
      281-483-5111
      sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Sep 14, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      International Space Station (ISS) Commercial Resupply ISS Research Johnson Space Center Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply View the full article
    • By Amazing Space
      Live Video from the International Space Station (Seen From The NASA ISS Live Stream)
    • By Amazing Space
      Live Video from the International Space Station (Seen From The NASA ISS Live Stream)
    • By NASA
      CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, alongside NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch, will launch on the Artemis II mission early next year. The crew will participate in human research studies to provide insights about how the body performs in deep space as part of this mission. Credit: (NASA/James Blair) A sweeping collection of astronaut health studies planned for NASA’s Artemis II mission around the Moon will soon provide agency researchers with a glimpse into how deep space travel influences the human body, mind, and behavior.
      During an approximately 10-day mission set to launch in 2026, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will collect and store their saliva, don wrist monitors that track movement and sleep, and offer other essential data for NASA’s Human Research Program and other agency science teams. 
      “The findings are expected to provide vital insights for future missions to destinations beyond low Earth orbit, including Mars,” said Laurie Abadie, an aerospace engineer for the program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, who strategizes about how to carry out studies on Artemis missions. “The lessons we learn from this crew will help us to more safely accomplish deep space missions and research,” she said.
      One study on the Artemis II mission, titled Immune Biomarkers, will explore how the immune system reacts to spaceflight. Another study, ARCHeR (Artemis Research for Crew Health and Readiness), will evaluate how crew members perform individually and as a team throughout the mission, including how easily they can move around within the confined space of their Orion spacecraft. Astronauts also will collect a standardized set of measurements spanning multiple physiological systems to provide a comprehensive snapshot of how spaceflight affects the human body as part of a third study called Artemis II Standard Measures. What’s more, radiation sensors placed inside the Orion capsule cells will collect additional information about radiation shielding functionality and organ-on-a-chip devices containing astronaut cells will study how deep space travel affects humans at a cellular level.
      “Artemis missions present unique opportunities, and challenges, for scientific research,” said Steven Platts, chief scientist for human research at NASA Johnson.
      Platts explained the mission will need to protect against challenges including exposure to higher radiation levels than on the International Space Station, since the crew will be farther from Earth.
      “Together, these studies will allow scientists to better understand how the immune system performs in deep space, teach us more about astronauts’ overall well-being ahead of a Mars mission, and help scientists develop ways to ensure the health and success of crew members,” he said.
      Another challenge is the relatively small quarters. The habitable volume inside Orion is about the size of a studio apartment, whereas the space station is larger than a six-bedroom house with six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, a gym, and a 360-degree view bay window. That limitation affects everything from exercise equipment selection to how to store saliva samples.
      Previous research has shown that spaceflight missions can weaken the immune system, reactivate dormant viruses in astronauts, and put the health of the crew at risk. Saliva samples from space-based missions have enabled scientists to assess various viruses, hormones, and proteins that reveal how well the immune system works throughout the mission.
      But refrigeration to store such samples will not be an option on this mission due to limited space. Instead, for the Immune Biomarkers study, crew members will supply liquid saliva on Earth and dry saliva samples in space and on Earth to assess changes over time. The dry sample process involves blotting saliva onto special paper that’s stored in pocket-sized booklets.
      “We store the samples in dry conditions before rehydrating and reconstituting them,” said Brian Crucian, an immunologist with NASA Johnson who’s leading the study. After landing, those samples will be analyzed by agency researchers.
      For the ARCHeR study, participating crew members will wear movement and sleep monitors, called actigraphy devices, before, during, and after the mission. The monitors will enable crew members and flight controllers in mission control to study real-time health and behavioral information for crew safety, and help scientists study how crew members’ sleep and activity patterns affect overall health and performance. Other data related to cognition, behavior, and team dynamics will also be gathered before and after the mission.
      “Artemis missions will be the farthest NASA astronauts have ventured into space since the Apollo era,” said Suzanne Bell, a NASA psychologist based at Johnson who is leading the investigation. “The study will help clarify key mission challenges, how astronauts work as a team and with mission control, and the usability of the new space vehicle system.” 
      Another human research study, Artemis II Standard Measures, will involve collecting survey and biological data before, during, and after the Artemis II mission, though blood collection will only occur before and after the mission. Collecting dry saliva samples, conducting psychological assessments, and testing head, eye, and body movements will also be part of the work. In addition, tasks will include exiting a capsule and conducting simulated moonwalk activities in a pressurized spacesuit shortly after return to Earth to investigate how quickly astronauts recover their sense of balance following a mission.
      Crew members will provide data for these Artemis II health studies beginning about six months before the mission and extending for about a month after they return to Earth.
      NASA also plans to use the Artemis II mission to help scientists characterize the radiation environment in deep space. Several CubeSats, shoe-box sized satellites that will be deployed into high-Earth orbit during Orion’s transit to the Moon, will probe the near-Earth and deep space radiation environment. Data gathered by these CubeSats will help scientists understand how best to shield crew and equipment from harmful space radiation at various distances from Earth.
      Crew members will also keep dosimeters in their pockets that measure radiation exposure in real time. Two additional radiation-sensing technologies will also be affixed to the inside of the Orion spacecraft. One type of device will monitor the radiation environment at different shielding locations and alert crew if they need to seek shelter, such as during a solar storm. A separate collection of four radiation monitors, enabled through a partnership with the German Space Agency DLR, will be placed at various points around the cabin by the crew after launch to gather further information.
      Other technologies also positioned inside the spacecraft will gather information about the potential biological effects of the deep space radiation environment. These will include devices called organ chips that house human cells derived from the Artemis II astronauts, through a project called AVATAR (A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response). After the Artemis II lands, scientists will analyze how these organ chips responded to deep space radiation and microgravity on a cellular level.
      Together, the insights from all the human research science collected through this mission will help keep future crews safe as humanity extends missions to the Moon and ventures onward to Mars.
      ____
      NASA’s Human Research Program
      NASA’s Human Research Program pursues methods and technologies to support safe, productive human space travel. Through science conducted in laboratories, ground-based analogs, commercial missions, the International Space Station and Artemis missions, the program scrutinizes how spaceflight affects human bodies and behaviors. Such research drives the program’s quest to innovate ways that keep astronauts healthy and mission ready as human space exploration expands to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
      Explore More
      9 min read Artemis II Crew Both Subjects and Scientists in NASA Deep Space Research
      Article 20 hours ago 5 min read NASA’s Northrop Grumman CRS-23 Infographics & Hardware
      Article 20 hours ago 4 min read NASA Uses Colorado Mountains for Simulated Artemis Moon Landing Course
      Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
      Living in Space
      Artemis
      Human Research Program
      Space Station Research and Technology
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      Ames Science Directorate’s Stars of the Month: September 2025

      The NASA Ames Science Directorate recognizes the outstanding contributions of (pictured left to right) Taejin Park, Lydia Schweitzer, and Rachel Morgan. Their commitment to the NASA mission represents the entrepreneurial spirit, technical expertise, and collaborative disposition needed to explore this world and beyond.
      Earth Science Star: Taejin Park
      Taejin Park is a NASA Earth eXchange (NEX) research scientist within the Biospheric Science Branch, for the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI). As the Project Scientist for the Wildfire, Ecosystem Resilience, & Risk Assessment (WERK) project, he has exhibited exemplary leadership and teamwork leading to this multi-year study with the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop tracking tools of statewide ecological condition, disturbance, and recovery efforts related to wildfires.
      Space Science and Astrobiology Star: Lydia Schweitzer
      Lydia Schweitzer is a research scientist within the Planetary Systems Branch for the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI) as a member of the Neutron Spectrometer System (NSS) team with broad contributions in instrumentation, robotic rovers and lunar exploration. Lydia is recognized for her leadership on a collaborative project to design and build a complex interface unit that is crucial for NSS to communicate with the Japanese Space Agency’s Lunar Polar eXploration rover mission (LUPEX). In addition, she is recognized for her role as an instrument scientist for the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) and MoonRanger missions.
      Space Science and Astrobiology Star: Rachel Morgan
      Rachel Morgan is an optical scientist in the Astrophysics Branch for the SETI Institute. As AstroPIC’s lead experimentalist and the driving force behind the recently commissioned photonic testbed at NASA Ames, this month she achieved a record 92 dB on-chip suppression on a single photonic-integrated chip (PIC) output channel. This advances critical coronagraph technology and is a significant milestone relevant to the Habitable Worlds Observatory.
      View the full article
  • Check out these Videos

×
×
  • Create New...