Oligodendrocyte Progenitors Display Enhanced Proliferation and Autophagy after Space Flight

Intracranial hypertension (ICP) and visual impairment intracranial pressure (VIIP) are some of the consequences of long-term space missions. Here we examined the behavior of oligodendrocyte progenitors (OLPs) after space flight using time-lapse microscopy. We show that most OLPs divided more than ground control (GC) counterparts did. Nonetheless, a subpopulation of OLPs flown to space presented a significant increase in autophagic cell death. Examination of the proteomic profile of the secretome of space flown OLPs (SPC-OLPs) revealed that the stress protein heat shock protein-90 beta “HSP-90β” was the 5(th) most enriched (6.8 times) and the secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine “SPARC” was the 7(th) most enriched (5.2 times), with respect to ground control cells. SPARC induces endoplasmic reticulum stress, which leads to autophagy. Given the roles and importance of these two proteins in mammalian cells’ metabolism, their upregulation may hold the key to modulating cell proliferation and autophagy, in order to mitigate ICP and VIIP during and after space missions.