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Achilles tendon exhibits distinct transcriptomic changes with increased mitochondrial energy production under lunar gravity

GSE291860 Homo sapiens (human) RNA-seq (gene expression) 18 samples Submitted 2026/05/01 Platform GPL24676
At a glance

RNA-seq (gene expression) · human · 18 samples

What it is
RNA-seq (gene expression)Gene activity measured by sequencing. The summary does not mention single-cell work, so this is most likely bulk: one average per sample, the usual starting point for comparing groups.
Organism
Homo sapiens (human)
Samples
18 samples: 6 conditions, mostly in triplicateGroups are read from the sample names, not from the paper. Check the list below.
Data you can get
A processed table (series matrix) and supplementary files from NCBI; the raw sequencing reads from ENA. Which of these hold counts depends on the study, so check the file list.
Paper
Achilles tendon exhibits distinct transcriptomic changes with increased mitochondrial energy production under lunar gravityNPJ microgravity · 2026
Summary (written by the submitters)
Gravity plays a fundamental role in maintaining the structure and function of biological tissues, particularly within the musculoskeletal system. In space, the absence or reduction of gravitational forces leads to musculoskeletal deterioration, posing significant challenges for astronauts and individuals experiencing prolonged immobilization.
Read the full summary ↓
Consequently, the effects of microgravity on muscle and bone have been extensively studied. Recent research highlights the crucial role of tendons in force transmission and mechanical stability; however, their transcriptomic response to reduced gravity remains largely unexplored. Here, we examined the adaptations of the Achilles tendons to lunar gravity (1/6 of Earth gravity) using RNA sequencing of tissue samples obtained from mice reared in the International Space Station for 25-26 days. Compared to quadriceps femoris muscles and brown adipose tissue, a greater number of genes were upregulated in the Achilles tendons under reduced gravity. Enrichment analyses revealed a significant upregulation of mitochondrial energy production in the Achilles tendons exposed to reduced gravity. Meanwhile, genes associated with extracellular matrix organization and collagen integrity were downregulated. Although histological examination showed no obvious structural differences between the lunar and Earth gravity groups, the expression of Atp5b, a subunit of ATP synthase, was enhanced in the lunar gravity group. Our findings suggest that mechanical loading regulates tendons by influencing mitochondrial energy production and extracellular matrix composition. These insights may contribute to therapeutic strategies for tendon degeneration associated with aging and disuse-related conditions.
Published in
Achilles tendon exhibits distinct transcriptomic changes with increased mitochondrial energy production under lunar gravity
Kasai T, Tsubaki T, Matsumoto T et al. · NPJ microgravity 2026 · PMID 41957386 · doi:10.1038/s41526-026-00597-x
This dataset
Open GSE291860 in finder → Find more human RNA-seq datasets →
Download · which file do I need?

Direct links to NCBI and ENA, no account and no request form. Pick by what you want to do: take the small processed table to look, the supplementary files to re-analyse, or the original raw data to start over.

1 · Just have a look

Processed table

The series matrix: one table of values per sample as the submitters processed it. The smallest download, and it opens in Excel or R. Start here to see what the data look like.

Series matrix ↓
2 · Re-analyse it

Supplementary files

The count tables and other files the authors uploaded. Take only the samples you need, or the whole study as GSE291860_RAW.tar (it can run to tens of gigabytes).

All supplementary files ↗ Whole study · RAW.tar ↓
3 · Start from the raw reads

Raw sequencing reads

The original FASTQ files, straight from the sequencer, held at ENA. Large, and you align them yourself, so only choose this if you need to re-process the study from scratch.

Raw reads on ENA ↗

What the files usually look like: For RNA-seq the counts are usually a table among the supplementary files (look for 'counts', 'expression', 'FPKM' or 'TPM' in the file name). The series matrix of a sequencing study is sometimes nearly empty.

Also filed as BioProject PRJNA1235662 and SRA study SRP570225. Searching any of these in the dataset finder brings you back here.

NCBI GEO page ↗ Paper (PMID 41957386) ↗
Study design
6 conditions, mostly in triplicate
Achilles tendon_luna ×3 Achilles tendon_earth ×3 Quadriceps muscle_luna ×3 Quadriceps muscle_earth ×3 Brown adipose tissue_luna ×3 Brown adipose tissue_earth ×3

Supports a between-group comparison across 18 samples.

How we read this: 6 replicated groups read from 18 sample titles; they account for 18 of them. These groups are guessed from the sample names, not taken from the paper, so check them against the sample list below before relying on them.

Samples in this study
Datasets on a similar topic

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