RRRM-2: Bulk and Spatial RNA Sequencing of Mouse Cerebellums After Spaceflight

The Rodent Research Reference Mission-2 (RRRM-2) involved 160 female C57BL/6NTac mice flown on the International Space Station in 2026. This dataset from NASA includes bulk RNA sequencing and spatially resolved transcriptional profiling data from the cerebellums of a subset of these mice, comparing flight animals to ground, basal, and vivarium controls. Data was generated from cryosections of the right cerebellar hemisphere.

Use Cases

• Identify gene expression changes in the cerebellum due to spaceflight based on bulk RNA-seq data.
• Analyze spatially resolved transcriptional patterns in cerebellar tissue sections from flight and control animals.
• Compare the effects of spaceflight on young versus old mice based on the age-stratified experimental design.
• Study the long-term recovery from spaceflight effects based on data from the Live Animal Return (LAR) cohort.

Strengths

• Includes data from a controlled spaceflight experiment with 160 mice and multiple control groups (ground, basal, vivarium).
• Provides both bulk RNA-seq and spatially resolved transcriptomics data from the same tissue type.
• Experimental design directly compares outcomes due to age (12-week-old vs. 29-week-old mice) and mission duration (ISS Terminal vs. Live Animal Return).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data availability varies between groups (e.g., 2-5 animals per group for sequencing).

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Bulk RNA sequencing and spatially resolved transcriptional profiling performed on cryosections of mouse cerebellums.

Time Range

Data from the RRRM-2 mission, with animal sacrifice occurring after 55-58 days on-orbit or after a 24-day recovery on Earth.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 19:51:48.819504; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Samples from mice flown on the International Space Station.