Genome-wide fitness profiling reveals limited modeled microgravity-specific gene requirements in Vibrio fischeri

Limited microgravity-specific gene requirements were found in Vibrio fischeri, with only a few genes showing differential effects under modeled microgravity versus gravity.

• Why it matters: Understanding microbial gene requirements in space is essential for maintaining host health and enabling in-space biomanufacturing during long-duration space missions, yet little is known about how microgravity influences bacterial gene essentiality.
• What they did: Using transposon insertion sequencing (INSeq) and RNA-seq, the study compared gene fitness and expression in Vibrio fischeri under modeled microgravity and normal gravity, identifying dozens of genes with fitness defects but few microgravity-specific genes.
• The result: The findings suggest microgravity has minimal impact on gene requirements during growth in media, indicating engineered V. fischeri strains may need little genetic adaptation for spaceflight biomanufacturing applications.