Integrative Molecular Phenotyping
INTEGRATIVE MOLECULAR
PHENOTYPING
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY

PubMed

Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic study unveils the gene regulatory mechanisms of sugarcane growth promotion during interaction with an endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
BMC Plant Biol. 2023 Jan 24;23(1):54. doi: 10.1186/s12870-023-04065-6.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: Sugarcane growth and yield are complex biological processes influenced by endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria, for which the molecular mechanisms involved are largely unknown. In this study, integrated metabolomic and RNA-seq were conducted to investigate the interaction between an endophytic bacterial strain, Burkholderia GXS16, and sugarcane tissue culture seedlings.RESULTS: During treatment, the colonization of GXS16 in sugarcane roots were determined, along with the enhanced activities of various antioxidant enzymes. Accordingly, 161, 113, and 37 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were found in the pairwise comparisons of adjacent stages. In addition, transcriptomic analyses obtained 1,371 (IN-vs-CN), 1,457 (KN-vs-IN), and 365 (LN-vs-KN) differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were mainly involved in the pathways of glutathione metabolism and carbon metabolism. We then assessed the pattern of metabolite accumulation and gene expression in sugarcane during GXS16 colonization. The results showed that both DAMs and DGEs in the upregulated expression profiles were involved in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. Overall, p-coumaroyl-CoA in sugarcane roots transferred into homoeriodictyol chalcone and 5-deoxyleucopelargonidin due to the upregulation of the expression of genes shikimate O-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT), chalcone synthase (CHS), and phlorizin synthase (PGT1).CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insights into the gene regulatory mechanisms involved in the interaction between GXS16 and sugarcane roots, which will facilitate future applications of endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria to promote crop growth.PMID:36694111 | DOI:10.1186/s12870-023-04065-6

A metabolic readout of the urine metabolome of COVID-19 patients

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Metabolomics. 2023 Jan 24;19(2):7. doi: 10.1007/s11306-023-01971-6.ABSTRACTAnalysis of urine samples from COVID-19 patients by 1H NMR reveals important metabolic alterations due to SAR-CoV-2 infection. Previous studies have identified biomarkers in urine that reflect metabolic alterations in COVID-19 patients. We have used 1H NMR to better define these metabolic alterations since this technique allows us to obtain a broad profile of the metabolites present in urine. This technique offers the advantage that sample preparation is very simple and gives us very complete information on the metabolites present. To detect these alterations, we have compared urine samples from COVID-19 patients (n = 35) with healthy people (n = 18). We used unsupervised (Robust PCA) and supervised (PLS-LDA) multivariate analysis methods to evaluate the differences between the two groups: COVID-19 and healthy controls. The differences focus on a group of metabolites related to energy metabolism (glucose, ketone bodies, glycine, creatinine, and citrate) and other processes related to bacterial flora (TMAO and formic acid) and detoxification (hippuric acid). The alterations in the urinary metabolome shown in this work indicate that SARS-CoV-2 causes a metabolic change from a normal situation of glucose consumption towards a gluconeogenic situation and possible insulin resistance.PMID:36694097 | DOI:10.1007/s11306-023-01971-6

Revealing charge heterogeneity of stressed trastuzumab at the subunit level

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Anal Bioanal Chem. 2023 Jan 25. doi: 10.1007/s00216-023-04547-4. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTTrastuzumab is known to be heterogeneous in terms of charge. Stressing trastuzumab under physiological conditions (pH 7.4 and 37 °C) increases charge heterogeneity further. Separation of charge variants of stressed trastuzumab at the intact protein level is challenging due to increasing complexity making it difficult to obtain pure charge variants for further characterization. Here we report an approach for revealing charge heterogeneity of stressed trastuzumab at the subunit level by pH gradient cation-exchange chromatography. Trastuzumab subunits were generated after limited proteolytic cleavage with papain, IdeS, and GingisKHAN®. The basic pI of Fab and F(ab)2 fragments allowed to use the same pH gradient for intact protein and subunit level analysis. Baseline separation of Fab subunits was obtained after GingisKHAN® and papain digestion and the corresponding modifications were determined by LC-MS/MS peptide mapping and middle-down MALDI-ISD FT-ICR MS. The described approach allows a comprehensive charge variant analysis of therapeutic antibodies that have two or more modification sites in the Fab region.PMID:36693954 | DOI:10.1007/s00216-023-04547-4

Comparison of phenomics and cfDNA in a large breast screening population: the Breast Screening and Monitoring Study (BSMS)

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Oncogene. 2023 Jan 24. doi: 10.1038/s41388-023-02591-z. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTTo assess their roles in breast cancer diagnostics, we aimed to compare plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) levels with the circulating metabolome in a large breast screening cohort of women recalled for mammography, including healthy women and women with mammographically detected breast diseases, ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive breast cancer: the Breast Screening and Monitoring Study (BSMS). In 999 women, plasma was analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS) and then processed to isolate and quantify total cfDNA. NMR and UPLC-MS results were compared with data for 186 healthy women derived from the AIRWAVE cohort. Results showed no significant differences between groups for all metabolites, whereas invasive cancers had significantly higher plasma cfDNA levels than all other groups. When stratified the supervised OPLS-DA analysis and total cfDNA concentration showed high discrimination accuracy between invasive cancers and the disease/medication-free subjects. Furthermore, comparison of OPLS-DA data for invasive breast cancers with the AIRWAVE cohort showed similar discrimination between breast cancers and healthy controls. This is the first report of agreement between metabolomics and plasma cfDNA levels for discriminating breast cancer from healthy subjects in a true screening population. It also emphasizes the importance of sample standardization. Follow on studies will involve analysis of candidate features in a larger validation series as well as comparing results with serial plasma samples taken at the next routine screening mammography appointment. The findings here help establish the role of plasma analysis in the diagnosis of breast cancer in a large real-world cohort.PMID:36693953 | DOI:10.1038/s41388-023-02591-z

The pseudokinase NRBP1 activates Rac1/Cdc42 via P-Rex1 to drive oncogenic signalling in triple-negative breast cancer

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Oncogene. 2023 Jan 24. doi: 10.1038/s41388-023-02594-w. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTWe have determined that expression of the pseudokinase NRBP1 positively associates with poor prognosis in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and is required for efficient migration, invasion and proliferation of TNBC cells in culture as well as growth of TNBC orthotopic xenografts and experimental metastasis. Application of BioID/MS profiling identified P-Rex1, a known guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rac1, as a NRBP1 binding partner. Importantly, NRBP1 overexpression enhanced levels of GTP-bound Rac1 and Cdc42 in a P-Rex1-dependent manner, while NRBP1 knockdown reduced their activation. In addition, NRBP1 associated with P-Rex1, Rac1 and Cdc42, suggesting a scaffolding function for this pseudokinase. NRBP1-mediated promotion of cell migration and invasion was P-Rex1-dependent, while constitutively-active Rac1 rescued the effect of NRBP1 knockdown on cell proliferation and invasion. Generation of reactive oxygen species via a NRBP1/P-Rex1 pathway was implicated in these oncogenic roles of NRBP1. Overall, these findings define a new function for NRBP1 and a novel oncogenic signalling pathway in TNBC that may be amenable to therapeutic intervention.PMID:36693952 | DOI:10.1038/s41388-023-02594-w

Polyamine metabolism impacts T cell dysfunction in the oral mucosa of people living with HIV

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Nat Commun. 2023 Jan 25;14(1):399. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-36163-2.ABSTRACTMetabolic changes in immune cells contribute to both physiological and pathophysiological outcomes of immune reactions. Here, by comparing protein expression, transcriptome, and salivary metabolome profiles of uninfected and HIV+ individuals, we found perturbations of polyamine metabolism in the oral mucosa of HIV+ patients. Mechanistic studies using an in vitro human tonsil organoid infection model revealed that HIV infection of T cells also resulted in increased polyamine synthesis, which was dependent on the activities of caspase-1, IL-1β, and ornithine decarboxylase-1. HIV-1 also led to a heightened expression of polyamine synthesis intermediates including ornithine decarboxylase-1 as well as an elevated dysfunctional regulatory T cell (TregDys)/T helper 17 (Th17) cell ratios. Blockade of caspase-1 and polyamine synthesis intermediates reversed the TregDys phenotype showing the direct role of polyamine pathway in altering T cell functions during HIV-1 infection. Lastly, oral mucosal TregDys/Th17 ratios and CD4 hyperactivation positively correlated with salivary putrescine levels, which were found to be elevated in the saliva of HIV+ patients. Thus, by revealing the role of aberrantly increased polyamine synthesis during HIV infection, our study unveils a mechanism by which chronic viral infections could drive distinct T cell effector programs and Treg dysfunction.PMID:36693889 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-023-36163-2

Metabolomic analysis reveals key metabolites alleviating green spots under exogenous sucrose spraying in air-curing cigar tobacco leaves

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Sci Rep. 2023 Jan 24;13(1):1311. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-27968-8.ABSTRACTCigar variety CX-010 tobacco leaves produce localized green spots during the air-curing period, and spraying exogenous sucrose effectively alleviates the occurrence of the green spots. To investigate the alleviation effect of exogenous sucrose spraying, the total water content and the number and size of green spots on tobacco leaves were investigated during the air-curing period under four treatments; CK (pure water), T1 (0.1 M sucrose), T2 (0.2 M sucrose) and T3 (0.4 M sucrose). The results showed that the total water content of tobacco leaves showed a trend of T3 < CK < T2 < T1 in the early air-curing stage, and the number and size of green spots showed a trend of T3 < T2 < T1 < CK. All sucrose treatments alleviated the green spot phenomenon, and T3 had the fewest green spots. Thus, the tobacco leaves of the T3 and CK treatments at two air-curing stages were used to perform metabolomics analysis with nontargeted liquid chromatography‒mass spectrometry to determine the physiological mechanism. A total of 259 and 178 differentially abundant metabolites (DAMs) between T3- and CK-treated tobacco leaves were identified in the early air-curing and the end of air-curing stages, respectively. These DAMs mainly included lipid and lipid-like molecules, carbohydrates, and organic acids and their derivatives. Based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, the T3 treatment significantly altered carbohydrate metabolism (pentose phosphate pathway, sucrose and starch metabolism and galactose metabolism) and amino acid metabolism (tyrosine metabolism and tryptophan metabolism) in air-curing tobacco leaves. Sucrose treatment alleviated green spots by altering DAMs that affected chlorophyll degradation, such as tyrosine and citric acid, to promote the normal degradation of chlorophyll.PMID:36693869 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-27968-8

Gut microbiota and microbiota-derived metabolites promotes endometriosis

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Cell Death Discov. 2023 Jan 25;9(1):28. doi: 10.1038/s41420-023-01309-0.ABSTRACTEndometriosis is a pathological condition of the female reproductive tract characterized by the existence of endometrium-like tissue at ectopic sites, affecting 10% of women between the age 15 and 49 in the USA. However, currently there is no reliable non-invasive method to detect the presence of endometriosis without surgery and many women find hormonal therapy and surgery as ineffective in avoiding the recurrences. There is a lack of knowledge on the etiology and the factors that contribute to the development of endometriosis. A growing body of recent evidence suggests an association between gut microbiota and endometriosis pathophysiology. However, the direct impact of microbiota and microbiota-derived metabolites on the endometriosis disease progression is largely unknown. To understand the causal role of gut microbiota and endometriosis, we have implemented a novel model using antibiotic-induced microbiota-depleted (MD) mice to investigate the endometriosis disease progression. Interestingly, we found that MD mice showed reduced endometriotic lesion growth and, the transplantation of gut microbiota by oral gavage of feces from mice with endometriosis rescued the endometriotic lesion growth. Additionally, using germ-free donor mice, we indicated that the uterine microbiota is dispensable for endometriotic lesion growth in mice. Furthermore, we showed that gut microbiota modulates immune cell populations in the peritoneum of lesions-bearing mice. Finally, we found a novel signature of microbiota-derived metabolites that were significantly altered in feces of mice with endometriosis. Finally, we found one the altered metabolite, quinic acid promoted the survival of endometriotic epithelial cells in vitro and lesion growth in vivo, suggesting the disease-promoting potential of microbiota-derived metabolites. In summary, these data suggest that gut microbiota and microbiota-derived metabolome contribute to lesion growth in mice, possibly through immune cell adaptations. Of translational significance, these findings will aid in designing non-invasive diagnostics using stool metabolites for endometriosis.PMID:36693853 | DOI:10.1038/s41420-023-01309-0

Transcriptomics and Metabolomics for Co-Exposure to a Cocktail of Neonicotinoids and the Synergist Piperonyl Butoxide

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Anal Chem. 2023 Jan 24. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c05754. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTHere, the transcriptomics and metabolomics on a model of exposure to a cocktail of neonicotinoids (Neo) containing seven commercial compounds and a synergist piperonyl butoxide (PBO) were established. The results showed that Neo and PBO disrupted mRNA and metabolite levels in a dose-dependent manner. Neo caused tryptophan pathway-related neurotoxicity, reduced lipolysis, and promoted fat mass accumulation in the liver, while PBO induced an increase in inflammatory factors and damage to intercellular membranes. Co-exposure enhanced Neo-induced liver steatosis, focal necrosis, and oxidative stress by inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Furthermore, diglycerides and metabolic biomarkers demonstrated that the activation of insulin signaling is associated with restricted OXPHOS, which commonly leads to a high risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) as the result of over-synthesis of lipids, low energy supply, and high thermogenesis. The study demonstrates that chronic disease can be induced by Neo and the synergist PBO at the molecular level.PMID:36693709 | DOI:10.1021/acs.analchem.2c05754

ProteomicsML: An Online Platform for Community-Curated Data sets and Tutorials for Machine Learning in Proteomics

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
J Proteome Res. 2023 Jan 24. doi: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.2c00629. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTData set acquisition and curation are often the most difficult and time-consuming parts of a machine learning endeavor. This is especially true for proteomics-based liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) data sets, due to the high levels of data reduction that occur between raw data and machine learning-ready data. Since predictive proteomics is an emerging field, when predicting peptide behavior in LC-MS setups, each lab often uses unique and complex data processing pipelines in order to maximize performance, at the cost of accessibility and reproducibility. For this reason we introduce ProteomicsML, an online resource for proteomics-based data sets and tutorials across most of the currently explored physicochemical peptide properties. This community-driven resource makes it simple to access data in easy-to-process formats, and contains easy-to-follow tutorials that allow new users to interact with even the most advanced algorithms in the field. ProteomicsML provides data sets that are useful for comparing state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms, as well as providing introductory material for teachers and newcomers to the field alike. The platform is freely available at https://www.proteomicsml.org/, and we welcome the entire proteomics community to contribute to the project at https://github.com/ProteomicsML/ProteomicsML.PMID:36693629 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jproteome.2c00629

NMR-based metabolomics applied to ecotoxicology with zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a prominent model for metabolic profiling and biomarker discovery: Overviewing the most recent approaches

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Jan 21:161737. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161737. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTMetabolomics is an innovative approach used in the medical, toxicological, and biological sciences. As an interdisciplinary topic, metabolomics and its relation with the environment and toxicological research are extensive. The use of substances, such as drugs and pesticides, contributes to the continuous releasing of xenobiotics into the environment, harming organisms and their habitats. In this context, fish are important bioindicators of the environmental condition and have often been used as model species. Among them, zebrafish (Danio rerio) presents itself as a versatile and straightforward option due to its unique attributes for research. Zebrafish proves to be a valuable model for toxicity assays and also for metabolomics profiling by analytical tools. Thus, NMR-based metabolomics associated with statistical analysis can reasonably assist researchers in critical factors related to discovering and validating biomarkers through accurate diagnosis. Therefore, this review aimed to report the studies that applied zebrafish as a model for toxicological assays and essentially utilized NMR-based metabolomics analysis to assess the biochemical profile and thus suggest the potential biological marker.PMID:36693575 | DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161737

Could Metabolomics Be the Key to Unlocking Precision Dosing in the Clinic?

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2023 Feb;113(2):207-209. doi: 10.1002/cpt.2811.NO ABSTRACTPMID:36693112 | DOI:10.1002/cpt.2811

Torularhodin-Loaded Bilosomes Ameliorate Lipid Accumulation and Amino Acid Metabolism in Hypercholesterolemic Mice

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
J Agric Food Chem. 2023 Jan 24. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c06483. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTSCOPE: Hypercholesterolemia is a cause of cardiovascular disease. Torularhodin is a carotenoid, and its entrapment in bilosomes helps to improve its bioavailability.METHODS AND RESULTS: The effects of torularhodin-loaded bilosomes on lipid accumulation, inflammatory response, and serum metabolic profiles in hypercholesterolemic ApoE-/- C57BL/6J mice were investigated by feeding a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet (HFHCD) for 20 weeks. At the same time, mice were gavaged with torularhodin-loaded bilosomes for 10 weeks. The results showed that torularhodin successfully alleviated weight gain and insulin resistance in mice and could also lower blood lipids. Meanwhile, torularhodin improved liver lipid accumulation in mice and modulated inflammatory factors in the "blood-liver-ileum." Nontargeted metabolomics revealed that torularhodin significantly increased the concentrations of l-tryptophan, glyceraldehyde, hypotaurine, pyrophosphate, and niacinamide in serum (p < 0.01). In addition, targeted amino acid metabolomics verification found that torularhodin promoted the metabolism of serum amino acids in mice, particularly for branched-chain amino acids, thereby helping to improve hypercholesterolemia in mice. Finally, interaction network bioinformatics was used to demonstrate that amino acid metabolism represented an important mechanism by which torularhodin improves lipid accumulation and inflammatory response in mice.CONCLUSIONS: Torularhodin can improve hypercholesterolemia in HFHCD-fed mice, thereby supporting the feasibility of its usage in food applications for cardiovascular disease prevention.PMID:36693047 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jafc.2c06483

Multi-omics assisted breeding for biotic stress resistance in soybean

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Mol Biol Rep. 2023 Jan 24. doi: 10.1007/s11033-023-08260-4. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTBiotic stress is a critical factor limiting soybean growth and development. Soybean responses to biotic stresses such as insects, nematodes, fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens are governed by complex regulatory and defense mechanisms. Next-generation sequencing has availed research techniques and strategies in genomics and post-genomics. This review summarizes the available information on marker resources, quantitative trait loci, and marker-trait associations involved in regulating biotic stress responses in soybean. We discuss the differential expression of related genes and proteins reported in different transcriptomics and proteomics studies and the role of signaling pathways and metabolites reported in metabolomic studies. Recent advances in omics technologies offer opportunities to reshape and improve biotic stress resistance in soybean by altering gene regulation and/or other regulatory networks. We suggest using 'integrated omics' to precisely understand how soybean responds to different biotic stresses. We also discuss the potential challenges of integrating multi-omics for the functional analysis of genes and their regulatory networks and the development of biotic stress-resistant cultivars. This review will help direct soybean breeding programs to develop resistance against different biotic stresses.PMID:36692674 | DOI:10.1007/s11033-023-08260-4

Identifying Serum Metabolites and Gut Bacterial Species Associated with Nephrotoxicity Caused by Arsenic and Fluoride Exposure

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2023 Jan 24. doi: 10.1007/s12011-023-03568-5. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTCo-contamination of arsenic (As) and fluoride (F) is widely distributed in groundwater, which are known risk factors for the nephrotoxicity. Emerging evidence has linked environmentally associated nephrotoxicity with the disturbance of gut microbiota and blood metabolites. In this study, we generated gut microbiota and blood metabolomic profile and identified multiple serum metabolites and gut bacteria species, which were associated with kidney injury on rat model exposed to As and F alone or combined. Combined As and F exposure significantly increased creatinine level. Abnormal autophagosomes and lysosome were observed, and the autophagic genes were enhanced in kidney tissue after single and combined As and F exposure. The metabolome data showed that single and combined As and F exposure remarkably altered the serum metabolites associated with the proximal tubule reabsorption function pathway, with glutamine and alpha-ketoglutarate level decreased in all exposed group. Furthermore, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), the key contributor of autophagosomes, was decreased significantly in As and F + As exposed groups during the screen of autophagy-animal pathway. Multiple altered gut bacterial microbiota at phylum and species levels post As and F exposure were associated with targeted kidney injury, including p_Bacteroidetes, s_Chromohalobacter_unclassified, s_Halomonas_unclassified, s_Ignatzschineria_unclassified, s_Bacillus_subtilis, and s_Brevundimonas_sp._NA6. Meanwhile, our analysis indicated that As and F co-exposure possessed an interactive influence on gut microbiota. In conclusion, single or combined As and F exposure leads to the disruption of serum metabolic and gut microbiota profiles. Multiple metabolites and bacterial species are identified and associated with nephrotoxicity, which have potential to be developed as biomarkers of As and/or F-induced kidney damage.PMID:36692655 | DOI:10.1007/s12011-023-03568-5

Developing future heat-resilient vegetable crops

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Funct Integr Genomics. 2023 Jan 24;23(1):47. doi: 10.1007/s10142-023-00967-8.ABSTRACTClimate change seriously impacts global agriculture, with rising temperatures directly affecting the yield. Vegetables are an essential part of daily human consumption and thus have importance among all agricultural crops. The human population is increasing daily, so there is a need for alternative ways which can be helpful in maximizing the harvestable yield of vegetables. The increase in temperature directly affects the plants' biochemical and molecular processes; having a significant impact on quality and yield. Breeding for climate-resilient crops with good yields takes a long time and lots of breeding efforts. However, with the advent of new omics technologies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, the efficiency and efficacy of unearthing information on pathways associated with high-temperature stress resilience has improved in many of the vegetable crops. Besides omics, the use of genomics-assisted breeding and new breeding approaches such as gene editing and speed breeding allow creation of modern vegetable cultivars that are more resilient to high temperatures. Collectively, these approaches will shorten the time to create and release novel vegetable varieties to meet growing demands for productivity and quality. This review discusses the effects of heat stress on vegetables and highlights recent research with a focus on how omics and genome editing can produce temperature-resilient vegetables more efficiently and faster.PMID:36692535 | DOI:10.1007/s10142-023-00967-8

The kidney drug transporter OAT1 regulates gut microbiome-dependent host metabolism

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
JCI Insight. 2023 Jan 24;8(2):e160437. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.160437.ABSTRACTOrganic anion transporter 1 (OAT1/SLC22A6, NKT) is a multispecific drug transporter in the kidney with numerous substrates, including pharmaceuticals, endogenous metabolites, natural products, and uremic toxins. Here, we show that OAT1 regulates levels of gut microbiome-derived metabolites. We depleted the gut microbiome of Oat1-KO and WT mice and performed metabolomics to analyze the effects of genotype (KO versus WT) and microbiome depletion. OAT1 is an in vivo intermediary between the host and the microbes, with 40 of the 162 metabolites dependent on the gut microbiome also impacted by loss of Oat1. Chemoinformatic analysis revealed that the altered metabolites (e.g., indoxyl sulfate, p-cresol sulfate, deoxycholate) had more ring structures and sulfate groups. This indicates a pathway from gut microbes to liver phase II metabolism, to renal OAT1-mediated transport. The idea that multiple gut-derived metabolites directly interact with OAT1 was confirmed by in vitro transport and magnetic bead binding assays. We show that gut microbiome-derived metabolites dependent on OAT1 are impacted in a chronic kidney disease (CKD) model and human drug-metabolite interactions. Consistent with the Remote Sensing and Signaling Theory, our results support the view that drug transporters (e.g., OAT1, OAT3, OATP1B1, OATP1B3, MRP2, MRP4, ABCG2) play a central role in regulating gut microbe-dependent metabolism, as well as interorganismal communication between the host and microbiome.PMID:36692015 | DOI:10.1172/jci.insight.160437

Maternal Western diet is associated with distinct preclinical pediatric NAFLD phenotypes in juvenile nonhuman primate offspring

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Hepatol Commun. 2023 Jan 18;7(2):e0014. doi: 10.1097/HC9.0000000000000014. eCollection 2023 Feb 1.ABSTRACTPediatric NAFLD has distinct and variable pathology, yet causation remains unclear. We have shown that maternal Western-style diet (mWSD) compared with maternal chow diet (CD) consumption in nonhuman primates produces hepatic injury and steatosis in fetal offspring. Here, we define the role of mWSD and postweaning Western-style diet (pwWSD) exposures on molecular mechanisms linked to NAFLD development in a cohort of 3-year-old juvenile nonhuman primates offspring exposed to maternal CD or mWSD followed by CD or Western-style diet after weaning. We used histologic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses to identify hepatic pathways regulating NAFLD. Offspring exposed to mWSD showed increased hepatic periportal collagen deposition but unchanged hepatic triglyceride levels and body weight. mWSD was associated with a downregulation of gene expression pathways underlying HNF4α activity and protein, and downregulation of antioxidant signaling, mitochondrial biogenesis, and PPAR signaling pathways. In offspring exposed to both mWSD and pwWSD, liver RNA profiles showed upregulation of pathways promoting fibrosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress and increased BiP protein expression with pwWSD. pwWSD increased acylcarnitines and decreased anti-inflammatory fatty acids, which was more pronounced when coupled with mWSD exposure. Further, mWSD shifted liver metabolites towards decreased purine catabolism in favor of synthesis, suggesting a mitochondrial DNA repair response. Our findings demonstrate that 3-year-old offspring exposed to mWSD but weaned to a CD have periportal collagen deposition, with transcriptional and metabolic pathways underlying hepatic oxidative stress, compromised mitochondrial lipid sensing, and decreased antioxidant response. Exposure to pwWSD worsens these phenotypes, triggers endoplasmic reticulum stress, and increases fibrosis. Overall, mWSD exposure is associated with altered expression of candidate genes and metabolites related to NAFLD that persist in juvenile offspring preceding clinical presentation of NAFLD.PMID:36691970 | DOI:10.1097/HC9.0000000000000014

Acute heat stress amplifies exercise-induced metabolomic perturbations and reveals variation in circulating amino acids in endurance-trained males

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Exp Physiol. 2023 Jan 24. doi: 10.1113/EP090911. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTNEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Whole-body substrate utilisation is altered during exercise in hot environments, characterised by increased glycolytic metabolism: does heat stress alter the serum metabolome in response to high intensity exercise? What are the main finding and its importance? Alongside increases in glycolytic metabolite abundance, circulating amino acid concentrations are reduced following exercise under heat stress. Prior research has overlooked the impact of heat stress on protein metabolism during exercise, raising important practical implications for protein intake recommendations in the heat.ABSTRACT: Using untargeted metabolomics, we aimed to characterise the systemic impact of environmental heat stress during exercise. Twenty-three trained male triathletes ( V ̇ O 2 peak ${\dot V_{{{\rm{O}}_2}{\rm{peak}}}}$ = 64.8 ± 9.2 ml kg min-1 ) completed a 30-min exercise test in hot (35°C) and temperate (21°C) conditions. Venous blood samples were collected immediately pre- and post-exercise, and the serum fraction was assessed via untargeted 1 H-NMR metabolomics. Data were analysed via uni- and multivariate analyses to identify differences between conditions. Mean power output was higher in temperate (231 ± 36 W) versus hot (223 ± 31 W) conditions (P < 0.001). Mean heart rate (temperate, 162 ± 10 beats min-1 , hot, 167 ± 9 beats min-1 , P < 0.001), peak core temperature (Trec ), core temperature change (ΔTrec ) (P < 0.001) and peak rating of perceived exertion (P = 0.005) were higher in hot versus temperate conditions. Change in metabolite abundance following exercise revealed distinct clustering following multivariate analysis. Six metabolites increased (2-hydroxyvaleric acid, acetate, alanine, glucarate, glucose, lactate) in hot relative to temperate (P < 0.05) conditions. Leucine and lysine decreased in both conditions but to a greater extent in temperate conditions (P < 0.05). Citrate (P = 0.04) was greater in temperate conditions whilst creatinine decreased in hot conditions only (P > 0.05). Environmental heat stress increased glycolytic metabolite abundance and led to distinct alterations in the circulating amino acid availability, including increased alanine, glutamine, leucine and isoleucine. The data highlight the need for additional exercise nutrition and metabolism research, specifically focusing on protein requirements for exercise under heat stress.PMID:36691850 | DOI:10.1113/EP090911

Multi-omics analysis of the effects of dietary changes and probiotics on diet-induced obesity

Tue, 24/01/2023 - 12:00
Curr Res Food Sci. 2023 Jan 6;6:100435. doi: 10.1016/j.crfs.2023.100435. eCollection 2023.ABSTRACTThe consumption of a healthy diet is critical for maintaining and promoting human health. In the context of the rapid transformation from a high-fat diet (HFD) to a Mediterranean diet (MD) leading to major systemic changes, we explored the necessity of a transitional standard diet (TSD) between these two varied diets and the adjuvant effect of probiotics. HFD-fed mice were used for studying the changes and benefits of a dietary intervention and probiotic treatment. By measuring multiple systemic alterations such as weight (group B vs. group E, P < 0.05), liver function (AST, group C vs. group E, P < 0.001), and histopathology, we found that an MD, TSD and Bifidobacterium longum all contribute to alleviating lipid deposition and liver injury. The downregulation of IL-17 (group B vs. group E, P < 0.01) and MIP-1α (group B vs. group E, P < 0.001) also demonstrated the anti-inflammatory effects of the TSD. Moreover, we performed multi-omics analysis combined with the 16S sequencing, transcriptome and metabolome results and found that the TSD increased the abundance of the Lactobacillus genus (group C vs. group E, P < 0.01) and effectively lowered lipid accumulation and systemic inflammation. Furthermore, B. longum played an important role in the synergistic effect. The results showed that a TSD might be useful for HFD-induced obesity before drastic dietary changes, and probiotics were also beneficial.PMID:36691590 | PMC:PMC9860293 | DOI:10.1016/j.crfs.2023.100435

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