Propionate functions as a feeding state-dependent regulatory metabolite to counter proinflammatory signaling linked to nutrient load and obesity.

Generally, fasting and refeeding confer anti- and proinflammatory effects, respectively. In humans, these caloric-load interventions function, in part, via regulation of CD4+ T cell biology. However, mechanisms orchestrating this regulation remain incomplete.

Identification and Validation of Nutrient State-Dependent Serum Protein Mediators of Human CD4 T Cell Responsiveness.

Intermittent fasting and fasting mimetic diets ameliorate inflammation. Similarly, serum extracted from fasted healthy and asthmatic subjects' blunt inflammation in vitro, implicating serum components in this immunomodulation. To identify the proteins orchestrating these effects, SOMAScan technology was employed to evaluate serum protein levels in healthy subjects following an overnight, 24-h fast and 3 h after refeeding.

Fasting-induced FOXO4 blunts human CD4 T helper cell responsiveness.

Intermittent fasting blunts inflammation in asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, suggesting that fasting may be exploited as an immune-modulatory intervention. However, the mechanisms underpinning the anti-inflammatory effects of fasting are poorly characterized. Here, we show that fasting in humans is sufficient to blunt CD4 T helper cell responsiveness.

A Spatial Interactome Reveals the Protein Organization of the Algal CO-Concentrating Mechanism.

Approximately one-third of global CO fixation is performed by eukaryotic algae. Nearly all algae enhance their carbon assimilation by operating a CO-concentrating mechanism (CCM) built around an organelle called the pyrenoid, whose protein composition is largely unknown. Here, we developed tools in the model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to determine the localizations of 135 candidate CCM proteins and physical interactors of 38 of these proteins.