maintains an -acetyl homoserine lactone quorum sensing system that consists of two LuxR proteins, VjbR and BabR, as well as two signals, dodecanoyl (C12 AHL) and 3-oxododecanoyl (3-OXO-C12 AHL) homoserine lactone. This system regulates major virulence factors that influence the bacteria's survival during infection. We generated the first strain that lacks both LuxR proteins and found a synergistic interaction for survival in the chronic infection C57BL/6 mouse model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/objectives: The gene variant results in a thermolabile MTHFR enzyme associated with elevated plasma homocysteine in TT individuals. Health risks associated with the TT genotype may be modified by dietary and supplemental folate intake. Supplementation with methyltetrahydrofolate (methylTHF) may be preferable to folic acid because it is the MTHFR product, and does not require reduction by DHFR to enter one-carbon folate metabolism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: The aim was to investigate mechanisms by which betaine improves hepatic insulin signaling in a dietary mouse model of insulin resistance and fatty liver.
Methods: C57BL 6J mice were fed a standard diet (SF), a standard diet with betaine (SFB), a nutritionally complete high fat (HF) diet, or a high fat diet with betaine (HFB) for 14 weeks. In a separate experiment, mice were fed high fat diet for 18 weeks, half of whom received betaine for the final 4 weeks.