Archives of Advances in Biosciences

Vol. 17 No. 1 (2026)

Time-Dependent Expression Alterations of CDK1, MCM6, FBXO5, and EXO1 Cell Cycle Genes in a Colon Cancer Cell Line Under Simulated Microgravity

Archives of Advances in Biosciences, Vol. 17 No. 1 (2026), 28 April 2026 , Page 1-7
https://doi.org/10.22037/aab.v17i1.52561

Abstract

Background and Aim: Microgravity can affect gene expression in tumor cells. The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in gene expression under simulated microgravity in the LS180 colon cancer cell line.

Methods: The human cell line LS180 was incubated in control and simulated microgravity conditions in two time points – 24 hours and 72 hours. After RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis, expression of CDK1, MCM6, FBXO5, and EXO1 was analyzed using real-time PCR.GAPDH served as a reference gene. All reported gene expression changes were statistically analyzed.

Results: Our results demonstrated clear differences in gene expression in simulated microgravity compared to control conditions between the 24- and 72-hour incubation periods. There were upregulations (2.16-fold) of CDK1 at 24 hrs, and downregulations (0.08, 0.06, and 0.09-fold respectively) of MCM6, FBXO5, and EXO1 (P<0.05). At 72 hrs, CDK1, MCM6, and FBXO5 all had increased levels of expression (P<0.05), with MCM6 and FBXO5 having the highest levels of upregulation (3.53). However, EXO1 remained downregulated (0.63-fold) at both time points (P<0.05).

Conclusion:  Microgravity has time-dependent effects on cell cycle and DNA replication genes expression in LS180 colon cancer cells. At 24 hours, the down regulation of MCM6 and FBXO5 would indicate an initial proliferative shock, and the subsequent up regulation of these two genes would indicate that cells are beginning to engage in compensatory adaptive responses at 72 hours. The continuation of EXO1 being downregulated could lead to potential increases in genomic instability. These results may provide new insight into cancer cell behavior under microgravity conditions.

Keywords:
  • Simulated Microgravity
  • Colon Cancer
  • Gene Expression
  • Cell Cycle
  • Real time PCR

How to Cite

Solgi, L., Forghanifard, M. M., Hashemi, M., Zarrinpour, V., & Hajebrahimi, Z. (2026). Time-Dependent Expression Alterations of CDK1, MCM6, FBXO5, and EXO1 Cell Cycle Genes in a Colon Cancer Cell Line Under Simulated Microgravity. Archives of Advances in Biosciences, 17(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.22037/aab.v17i1.52561

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