《生命科学》 2026, 38(8): 1379-1399
微重力环境下生命系统多尺度响应与适应机制研究进展
摘 要：
生命是在地球重力场环境下起源与演化的，具有与其生存环境相适应的结构和功能。微重力环境是人类进入太空面临的全新挑战，引发生命体从分子、细胞到整体生理水平的响应和适应性改变。认识生命体在微重力环境下的响应机制与调控规律，对于深入理解引力这一自然界基本力对生命系统的影响，开发航天员失重防护和地面相关疾病诊疗技术，以及发展空间生物技术至关重要。本文围绕微重力响应和调控的核心科学问题，从生命体对微重力的感知、转导和调控等方面对相关研究进展进行系统梳理，针对研究领域存在的问题和挑战提出思考并进行展望，以期为未来相关领域研究提供参考。
通讯作者：李莹辉 , Email:Yinghuidd@vip.sina.com
Abstract:
Life on Earth originated and evolved under the influence of gravity, endowing organisms with structures and functions adapted to their living environment. As a fundamental physical force, gravity profoundly influences diverse biological processes, ranging from cellular function, tissue organization, to physiological function. The microgravity environment presents a novel challenge for human space exploration, triggering responses and adaptive changes in organisms from the molecular and cellular levels to the overall physiological level. Elucidating the underlying mechanisms is essential not only for understanding gravity’s role in living systems, but also for developing countermeasures against weightlessness for astronauts, advancing diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for related diseases, and promoting innovations in space biotechnology. This review systematically synthesizes advances in microgravity biology, focusing on how life systems sense, transduce, respond and regulate under microgravity environment. Microgravity alters the mechanical stress state of living organisms and changes fluid behavior, thereby triggering a cascade of physicochemical changes that lead to multiscale biological effects. The reduction in mechanical loading and the redistribution of human body fluids exert ultidimensional effects from the systemic physiological level down to the cellular level. Key alterations include bone loss, muscle atrophy, cardiovascular dysfunction, immune dysfunction, structural and functional changes of the nervous system, spaceflightassociated neuro-ocular syndrome, and vestibular dysfunction. Cellularly, the altered stress state in cells and extracellular matrix, along with the loss of hydrostatic pressure and decreased fluid shear stress, fundamentally reshape the mechanical microenvironment. These changes influence diverse cellular processes such as metabolism, proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis. Potential mechanosensory elements involved in gravity sensing include the cytoskeleton, integrinfocal adhesions, mechanosensitive ion channels, and certain G protein-coupled receptors, which collectively convert mechanical cues into biochemical signals. Key downstream signaling transduction pathways implicated in microgravity responses—including Ca2+, RhoA/ROCK, YAP/TAZ, MAPK, PI3K/Akt, NF-κB, and Wnt/β-catenin—are discussed, noting the sophisticated crosstalk that forms interconnected regulatory networks. Through such sensing and transduction, microgravity signals modulate protein activity and ultimately gene expression and epigenetic reprogramming, including transcriptomic changes, DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA regulation. By affecting the synthesis,
modification, localization, and degradation of proteins such as transcription factors, cytokines, enzymes, and structural components, microgravity remodels molecular networks and cellular functions. Despite considerable progress, challenges remain due to limited access to space experiments, inherent limitations of ground-based analogues, and fragmented research approaches. Many fundamental and forward-looking questions remain unresolved. Future research should leverage emerging technologies and novel paradigms—such as multi-omics, organ-on-a-chip models, and artificial intelligence—to advance a more integrated understanding of life in space.
Communication Author：LI Ying-Hui , Email:Yinghuidd@vip.sina.com
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