Associations of Plasma Gut Microbiota-Derived TMAO and Precursors in Early Pregnancy with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Risk: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Gut microbiota-derived metabolites-trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and its precursors choline, betaine, and carnitine-have been linked to various health outcomes. However, their role in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) remains unclear due to inconsistent findings. This study aims to investigate the associations between maternal plasma concentrations of these metabolites during early pregnancy and the risk of GDM.

Renalase inhibition defends against acute and chronic β cell stress by regulating cell metabolism.

Renalase (Rnls), annotated as an oxidase enzyme, is a GWAS gene associated with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) risk. We previously discovered that Rnls inhibition delays diabetes onset in mouse models of T1D in vivo, and protects pancreatic β cells against autoimmune killing, ER and oxidative stress in vitro. The molecular biochemistry and functions of Rnls are largely uncharted.

Induced cuproptosis by targeting the ESCRT-III complex potentiates copper-based control of smut diseases.

Sporisorium scitamineum, the fungal pathogen causing sugarcane smut, employs a unique copper detoxification mechanism to evade cuproptosis, a copper-dependent cell death pathway recently highlighted in anticancer research. This study reveals its copper tolerance through a novel cuproptosis evasion strategy. Through fluorescence tracing of the SsCtr3 transporter and copper ions combined with elesclomol induction, we found that the ESCRT pathway mediates SsCtr3 to sequester excess copper into vacuoles under high‑copper stress.

Widely Targeted Metabolomics Analyses Provide Insights into the Transformation of Active Ingredients During Drying and the Mechanisms of Color Change for Forest Ginseng ( C. A. Mey. cv. Sativi-nemoralis).

In this study, we investigated the mechanism of conversion of active components as well as the color change of forest ginseng (FG) during the drying process with the self-developed negative-pressure circulating airflow-assisted desiccator (PCAD) drying method, using a widely targeted metabolomics analytical method based on ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). During the drying process, a total of 1862 metabolites were identified in FG, along with 748 differential abundant metabolites (DAMs). Further analysis of the types and metabolic pathways of the DAMs revealed that both primary and secondary metabolites changed by 50-70% moisture content (MC); secondary metabolites dominated with a 30-50% MC, and primary metabolites dominated with a 10-30% MC, which revealed the differences in the transformation of the active ingredients in the drying process.

Bidirectional Association of Gut Microbiota-Derived Trimethylamine N-Oxide and its Precursors with Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate: A Cross-Lagged Cohort Study.

Background: It is unclear whether trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and its precursors are bidirectionally associated with kidney dysfunction.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate whether increased TMAO and its precursors are linked to decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and whether reduced eGFR is associated with elevated TMAO and its precursors.

Methods: Our study consists of participants with creatinine, TMAO, and its precursors (choline, carnitine, and betaine) repeatedly measured from the Fuxin rural cohort.