Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Culturing Lymphocytes in Simulated Microgravity Using a Rotary Cell Culture System
Published on: August 25, 2022
Host-microbe interactions in microgravity: assessment and implications
Jamie S Foster1, Raymond M Wheeler2, Regine Pamphile3
1Space Life Science Lab, University of Florida, 505 Odyssey Way, Merritt Island, FL 32953, USA. jfoster@ufl.edu.
Abstract:
Spaceflight imposes several unique stresses on biological life that together can have a profound impact on the homeostasis between eukaryotes and their associated microbes. One such stressor, microgravity, has been shown to alter host-microbe interactions at the genetic and physiological levels. Recent sequencing of the microbiomes associated with plants and animals have shown that these interactions are essential for maintaining host health through the regulation of several metabolic and immune responses. Disruptions to various environmental parameters or community characteristics may impact the resiliency of the microbiome, thus potentially driving host-microbe associations towards disease. In this review, we discuss our current understanding of host-microbe interactions in microgravity and assess the impact of this unique environmental stress on the normal physiological and genetic responses of both pathogenic and mutualistic associations. As humans move beyond our biosphere and undergo longer duration space flights, it will be essential to more fully understand microbial fitness in microgravity conditions in order to maintain a healthy homeostasis between humans, plants and their respective microbiomes.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Introduction to the Human Microbiota
Microenvironments
Microbial Interactions: Mutualism
Microbiota of the Stomach and Small Intestine
Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns
Development of Human Microbiota

