Improvement in host metabolic homeostasis and alteration in gut microbiota in mice on the high-fat diet: A comparison of calcium supplements.

Despite the previously reported health benefits of calcium intake for the attenuation of metabolic disease, few studies have investigated the relationships among calcium intake, gut microbiota, and host metabolism. In this study, we assessed the effects of calcium supplementation on host microbial community composition and metabolic homeostasis. Mice were fed a high-fat diet with different calcium concentrations (4 and 12 g/kg) of 2 calcium supplements, calcium carbonate and calcium citrate.

Identification and characterisation of the novel endogenous promoter HASP1 and its signal peptide from Phaeodactylum tricornutum.

Although diatoms have been extensively studied as bioreactors, only a limited number of efficient gene promoters are available. Therefore, the development of new endogenous promoters is important for the heterologous production of a variety of recombinant proteins. Herein, we identified the most abundant secreted protein in Phaeodactylum tricornutum, designated 'highly abundant secreted protein 1' (HASP1), and characterised the activities of its promoter and signal peptide using green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter.

Assay for Phosphorylation and Microtubule Binding Along with Localization of Tau Protein in Colorectal Cancer Cells.

The microtubule-associated protein tau is a neuronal protein that localizes mostly in axons. Generally tau is essential for normal neuronal functioning because it is involved in microtubule assembly and stabilization. Besides neurons, tau is expressed in human breast, prostate, gastric, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers where it shows nearly similar structure and exerts similar functions as the neuronal tau.