Journal Article

Rotifers in space: transcriptomic response of the bdelloid rotifer Adineta vaga aboard the International Space Station

Coos, Richard, Moris, Victoria C., Baselet, Bjorn, Berthe, Jérémy, Penninckx, Sébastien, Tortora, Alexandra, Van Doninck, Karine, Parmitano, Luca, Baatout, Sarah, Bruneau, Lucie, Caplin, Nicol, Hespeels, Boris, Tabury, Kevin, Krause, Jutta, Herova, Magdalena, Demets, René, Zuijderduijn, Lobke, Heuskin, Anne-Catherine

2025

Overview

Background The biological effects of spaceflight remain incompletely understood, even in humans ( Homo sapiens ), and are largely unexplored in non-traditional models such as bdelloid rotifers. Results This study analyzes the transcriptomic changes experienced by Adineta vaga , a bdelloid rotifer aboard the International Space Station (ISS), using RNA sequencing. The aim was to investigate the overall effect of spaceflight in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on these organisms. To this end, new hardware was developed to enable autonomous culturing of rotifers with minimal astronaut intervention. The study revealed significant transcriptomic changes, with 18.61% of genes showing differential expression in response to microgravity and radiation. These changes included upregulation of genes involved in protein synthesis, RNA metabolic processes, and DNA repair. Notably, the study also found a significant enrichment of foreign genes (Horizontal Gene Transfers: HGTs) among the genes that were either over- or under-expressed during spaceflight, suggesting that HGTs play a role in bdelloids’ adaptability to new and potentially atypical environments. Conclusions This research not only enhances our understanding of how organisms respond to microgravity but also proposes A. vaga as a valuable model for future studies in space biology.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Adaptability / Adaptation / Adineta vaga / Analysis / Animals / Astrobiology / Bdelloid rotifers / Biological effects / Biomedical and Life Sciences / DNA damage / DNA repair / Earth orbits / Experiments / Gene expression / Gene sequencing / Genes / Health aspects / International Space Station / ISS / Life Sciences / Low earth orbits / Males / Microgravity / Organisms / Oxidative stress / Protein biosynthesis / Protein synthesis / Radiation / Radiation, Background / Ribonucleic acid / RNA / RNA sequencing / Rotifera / Rotifera - genetics / Rotifera - physiology / Rotifera - radiation effects / Space / Space Flight / Space stations / Transcription / Transcriptome / Transcriptomics / Weightlessness