RR-23: Mouse Muscle Transcriptional Profiling After 38 Days in Space

NASA's Rodent Research-23 mission collected tibialis anterior muscle samples from 60 C57BL/6J mice after a 38-day spaceflight on the International Space Station. The dataset features 27 sequenced samples (9 each from Flight, Habitat Ground Control, and Vivarium Ground Control groups) from mice euthanized in January 2021. RNA was extracted and sequenced to a target of 60 million clusters per sample.

Use Cases

• Identify gene expression changes in muscle tissue based on the comparison of Flight, Habitat Ground Control, and Vivarium Ground Control groups.
• Analyze the impact of 38-day spaceflight on biological pathways based on transcriptional profiling data.
• Model the effects of microgravity versus ground-based housing conditions on musculoskeletal systems.
• Validate biomarkers for spaceflight-induced physiological changes based on RNA sequencing data.

Strengths

• Includes three distinct control groups (Flight, HGC, VGC) for robust comparison.
• Samples were sequenced to a target depth of 60 million clusters per sample.
• Experimental timeline and procedures, including 38-day spaceflight duration, are explicitly documented.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect the specific bias of a single mouse strain (C57BL/6J) and sex (male).

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

RNA extracted from mouse muscle tissue after spaceflight mission, sequenced to generate libraries.

Time Range

Sample collection and euthanasia occurred in January 2021.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 19:53:44.883379; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Samples originated from mice flown on the International Space Station and processed at Texas A&M University.