Cardiovascular progenitor cells cultured aboard the International Space Station exhibit altered developmental and functional properties

Spaceflight alters microRNA expression in neonatal and adult early CPCs. Neonatal (blue) and adult (red) CPC clones were screened for the co-expression of Isl1 and c-Kit, assessed for viability, and then ultimately selected for experiments based upon the co-expression of early developmental markers (Mesp1, PDGFRα, KDR, and SSEA1) along with the chemokine receptor CXCR4 a. Directed differentiation of these CPCs is able to induce cardiomyocytes b, endothelial cells c, and smooth muscle cells d. Neonatal and adult CPCs both exhibited significant alterations in microRNA expression following 12 days of culture aboard the ISS e. KEGG analysis (Table S1) indicated likely targeting of ECM interactions, membrane metabolism, and Hippo signaling by these microRNAs. n？=？3 unique clones per age per group for all miRs, except miR-99a and miR100, which were measured in biological and technical triplicates. Data are reported as the mean？±？SEM, *P？<？0.05, **P？<？0.01, ***P？<？0.00