About this Research Topic
During space flight, living organisms is inevitably exposed to a prolonged state of microgravity and cosmic radiation, which can trigger a series of adverse responses for the growth and development of life at various levels from molecular to cell and the individual. Despite some advances in understanding mammalian and plant growth and development in space, very little of them have focused on the regulating mechanisms that mediate the development, growth, and metabolism under microgravity and radiation conditions in space or ground-based simulated experimental platform. These studies are not only important for understanding whether the development and reproduction of life can occur in space, but also how the development, growth, and metabolism are affected by microgravity and radiation on earth, which have the potential to elucidate the regulating mechanisms driven these effects.
This Research Topic is dedicated to investigating the impact of space environment as well as ground-based microgravity simulation and radiation exposure on the development, growth, and metabolism of living organisms from cell to individual, with a focus on the molecular mechanisms by which these organisms response and adapt to the extreme environment. The underlying transcriptomic, proteomic, epigenetic, metabolomic, and microbiomics profiles, etc, under space environmental stresses are especially encouraged to submit to this topic. In addition, some new methods and technologies, perspectives, and reviews with a contribution to the researches of the development, growth, and metabolism in space are also welcome. Interdisciplinary research provides powerful means to answer questions related to the space exploration and can provide new insights into advancing our understanding of mechanically driven the development, growth, and metabolism in space.
The aim of the current Research Topic is to cover promising, recent, and original research trends in the field of space biology and medicine. Preferred topics include, but are not limited to:
· Potential effects and adaption responses of spaceflight and/or microgravity simulation and radiation exposure on the development, growth, and metabolism of living organisms at the molecular/cellular/ individual scale.
· Evaluation and investigation of key biological process and signalling pathways related to the development, growth, and metabolism in space or ground-based simulated conditions.
· The transcriptomic, proteomic, epigenetic, metabolomic, and microbiomics profiles in response to extreme environmental stresses,including space environment.
· New bioinformatics methods or technologies for analysis of the omics data for revealing the regulating mechanisms of the development, growth, and metabolism in space or ground-based simulated conditions.
Keywords: development, cell growth, metabolism, microgravity, radiation, space environment
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.