Human Cell Transcriptional Response to Space Radiation and Gamma Rays

NASA's dataset compares gene expression in human lymphoblastoid TK6 cells after exposure to simulated space radiation (1.67 Gy HZE iron ions) or 2.5 Gy gamma rays versus mock irradiation. Transcriptional profiling was performed with RNA harvested 24 hours post-exposure, using three independent biological replicates per condition. The data was generated at the NASA Space Research Laboratory (NSRL) of Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Use Cases

• Identify differentially expressed genes based on radiation type and dose mentioned in the description
• Compare transcriptional pathways activated by HZE particles versus gamma rays
• Build predictive models for cellular damage from space radiation
• Validate biological replicates for radiation response studies

Strengths

• Three independent biological replicates per condition, enhancing statistical reliability
• Direct comparison of two distinct radiation types (HZE iron ions and gamma rays) at specified doses
• Data produced by NASA at a specialized facility (NSRL at Brookhaven National Laboratory)

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data format is listed as BIN, which may require specialized tools for access and analysis

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Transcriptional profiling via microarray, with cells independently grown and harvested during three different runs at the NSRL

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:16:01.077113; freshness should be verified

Geography

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