The advent of civilian spaceflight challenges scientists to precisely describe the effects of spaceflight on human physiology, particularly at the molecular and cellular level. Newer, nanopore-based sequencing technologies can quantitatively map changes in chemical structure and expression at single molecule resolution across entire isoforms. We perform long-read, direct RNA nanopore sequencing, as well as Ultima high-coverage RNA-sequencing, of whole blood sampled longitudinally from four SpaceX Inspiration4 astronauts at seven timepoints, spanning pre-flight, day of return, and post-flight recovery. We report key genetic pathways, including changes in erythrocyte regulation, stress induction, and immune changes affected by spaceflight. We also present the first m6A methylation profiles for a human space mission, suggesting a significant spike in m6A levels immediately post-flight. These data and results represent the first longitudinal long-read RNA profiles and RNA modification maps for each gene for astronauts, improving our understanding of the human transcriptome's dynamic response to spaceflight.
© 2024. The Author(s).