Urine proteome changes associated with autonomic regulation of heart rate in cosmonauts.

The space flight induced urine proteome changes are significantly different in the groups identified by heart rate autonomic regulation peculiarities before space flight. All these proteins regulate the associated biological processes which affect the stiffness of the vascular wall, blood pressure level, the severity of atherosclerotic changes, the rate and degree of age-related involution of elastin and fibulin, age-related increase in collagen stiffness, genetically determined features of elastin fibers. The increased vascular rigidity (including the aorta) and of myocardium may be regarded as a universal response to various extreme factors. Significant differences in the semi-quantitative analysis of signal proteins between groups with different types of autonomic regulation are explained by a common goal: to ensure optimal adaptation regardless of age and of the genetically determined type of responses to the extreme environmental factors effects.