RRRM-2: Single-Cell RNA Sequencing of Mouse PBMCs from Spaceflight

Single-cell transcriptional profiling data from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 16 mice flown on the International Space Station's Rodent Research Reference Mission-2 (RRRM-2). The data includes samples from 4 young and 4 old flight animals that returned live to Earth, along with matched ground controls, to assess spaceflight effects. The data was collected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Identify gene expression changes in immune cells based on exposure to spaceflight conditions.
• Compare transcriptional profiles based on the age of the mice (young vs. old) mentioned in the study design.
• Analyze the effects of spaceflight recovery by comparing Live Animal Return (LAR) samples to on-orbit sacrifice groups described in the mission.
• Benchmark computational pipelines for single-cell RNA-seq analysis using data from a controlled spaceflight experiment.

Strengths

• Data originates from a controlled NASA spaceflight mission (RRRM-2) with a detailed experimental design.
• Includes matched ground controls, basal controls, and vivarium controls for robust comparison, as described for the full 160-mouse study.
• Focuses on a specific, biologically relevant cell type: peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The available dataset subset includes only 16 mice from the LAR group, not the full mission cohort.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Single-cell RNA sequencing of PBMCs from mice flown on the International Space Station's RRRM-2 mission.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 19:45:01.239167; freshness should be verified.