Telomeric RNA (TERRA) increases in response to spaceflight and high-altitude climbing

This research study looked at how a specific type of RNA, called Telomeric RNA (TERRA), behaves in our bodies when we're exposed to different conditions like gravity and radiation - things that can happen during space travel or medical treatments. The scientists found out something interesting: even though astronauts experience less gravitational pull up there than down here on Earth, it doesn't seem to make TERRA levels in our blood go higher when they simulate what zero-gravity feels like back home using special equipment and tests. On the other hand, if cells are exposed to radiation - which can happen during certain medical treatments or even natural disasters involving nuclear accidents - it causes damage that makes more TERRA foci appear in our cell nuclei (the control center of a cell). This is because when DNA gets damaged by things like X-rays, cells try to repair themselves and one way they do this involves the creation of these special RNA structures.

In this study, the authors investigated the response of Telomeric RNA (TERRA) to simulated microgravity conditions using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The research aimed to understand how TERRA levels and sequence motif abundance are affected by changes in gravitational forces, which is particularly relevant for long-duration space missions. Methodology: Two healthy donors provided PBMC samples that were subjected to Earth gravity (1g) experiments as well as simulated microgravity conditions using a clinostat device and magnetic levitation techniques respectively. TERRA levels, along with the abundance of specific sequence motifs such as 5’-UUAGGG-3’ in RNA sequencing data (RNA-seq), were quantified through droplet digital PCR after treatment with Actinomycin D to assess transcriptional activity. Additionally, TERRA foci formation was analyzed using three-dimensional image analyses following riboprobe hybridization for the RNA sequences of interest (TERRA).