High-fat diet determines the composition of the murine gut microbiome independently of obesity.

Background & Aims: The composition of the gut microbiome is affected by host phenotype, genotype, immune function, and diet. Here, we used the phenotype of RELMbeta knockout (KO) mice to assess the influence of these factors.

Methods: Both wild-type and RELMbeta KO mice were lean on a standard chow diet, but, upon switching to a high-fat diet, wild-type mice became obese, whereas RELMbeta KO mice remained comparatively lean.

Divergent metabolic adaptations to intestinal parasitic nematode infection in mice susceptible or resistant to obesity.

Background & Aims: Diet-induced obesity results from increased ingestion of energy-dense food and sedentary lifestyle in genetically susceptible individuals. An environmental factor that may have shaped our energy homeostasis throughout evolution is parasitic nematode infection.

Methods: To test the hypothesis that a metabolically "thrifty phenotype" is advantageous during intestinal nematode infection, we compared the responses to Heligmosomoides polygyrus infection between 2 mouse strains: obesity-prone C57Bl/6J vs obesity-resistant SWR/J.

Lack of association between variations in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene and temporal lobe epilepsy.

Recently, an association between the C240T polymorphism in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene and partial epilepsy was demonstrated in a Japanese population. In this study we attempted to replicate the initial finding in a patient-control population of European ancestry and in addition tested whether the functional Val66Met polymorphism is associated with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Genotypes of 151 TLE patients and 189 controls did not differ significantly for either of the variations.