Publications by authors named "Peter J Walter"

Metabolic incorporation of chemically tagged monosaccharides is a facile means of tagging cellular glycoproteins and glycolipids. However, since the monosaccharide precursors are often shared by several pathways, selectivity has been difficult to attain. For example, N-linked glycosylation is a chemically complex and ubiquitous posttranslational modification, with three distinct classes of GlcNAc-containing N-glycan structures: oligomannose, hybrid and complex.

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In mammals, nitric oxide (NO) is generated either by the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) enzymes from arginine or by the reduction of nitrate to nitrite by tissue xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) and the microbiome and further reducing nitrite to NO by XOR or several heme proteins. Previously, we reported that skeletal muscle acts as a large nitrate reservoir in mammals, and this nitrate reservoir is systemically, as well as locally, used to generate nitrite and NO. Here, we report identifying two additional nitrate storage organs-bone and skin.

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Background: Low-calorie sweetener (LCS) consumption is prevalent among lactating mothers, yet infants' exposure to LCS in human milk is not well-characterized.

Objectives: Conduct a pharmacokinetic study of sucralose and acesulfame-potassium (ace-K) in mothers' milk and plasma over 72 h and in infants' plasma.

Methods: Following baseline blood and milk collection, mothers (n = 40) consumed 20 oz of diet cranberry juice containing sucralose and ace-K.

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Nitrate (NO) obtained from the diet is converted to nitrite (NO) and subsequently to nitric oxide (NO) within the body. Previously, we showed that porcine eye components contain substantial amounts of nitrate and nitrite that are similar to those in blood. Notably, cornea and sclera exhibited the capability to reduce nitrate to nitrite.

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Objective: Elevated rates of gluconeogenesis are an early pathogenic feature of youth-onset type 2 diabetes (Y-T2D), but targeted first-line therapies are suboptimal, especially in African American (AA) youth. We evaluated glucose-lowering mechanisms of metformin and liraglutide by measuring rates of gluconeogenesis and β-cell function after therapy in AA Y-T2D.

Methods: In this parallel randomized clinical trial, 22 youth with Y-T2D-age 15.

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Sucralose and acesulfame-potassium consumption alters gut microbiota in rodents, with unclear effects in humans. We examined effects of three-times daily sucralose- and acesulfame-potassium-containing diet soda consumption for 1 ( = 17) or 8 ( = 8) weeks on gut microbiota composition in young adults. After 8 weeks of diet soda consumption, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, specifically , increased; and, increased abundance of two Proteobacteria taxa was also observed after 1 week of diet soda consumption compared with sparkling water.

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Low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) are commonly consumed by children with type 1 diabetes (T1D), yet their role in cardiometabolic health is unclear. This study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of 12 weeks of LCS restriction among children with T1D. Children ( = 31) with T1D completed a two-week run-in ( = 28) and were randomly assigned to avoid LCS (LCS restriction, = 15) or continue their usual LCS intake ( = 13).

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The reduction pathway of nitrate (NO) and nitrite (NO) to nitric oxide (NO) contributes to regulating many physiological processes. To examine the rate and extent of dietary nitrate absorption and its reduction to nitrite, we supplemented rat diets with NaNO-containing water (1 g/L) and collected plasma, urine and several tissue samples. We found that plasma and urine showed 8.

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Aim: Dietary nitrate (NO ) supplementation increases nitric oxide bioavailability and can enhance exercise performance. We investigated the distribution and metabolic fate of ingested NO at rest and during exercise with a focus on skeletal muscle.

Methods: In a randomized, crossover study, 10 healthy volunteers consumed 12.

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The gut and liver are connected via the portal vein, and this relationship, which includes the gut microbiome, is described as the gut-liver axis. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) can infect the liver and cause fibrosis with chronic infection. HCV has been associated with an altered gut microbiome; however, how these changes impact metabolism across the gut-liver axis and how this varies with disease severity and time is unclear.

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Background: CD20 expression is a controversial issue regarding response prediction to anti-CD20 therapy in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Methods: Median fluorescence intensities (MFIs) of standard fluorescence beads from the daily calibration of flow cytometers according to EuroFlow protocols were used to establish a normalization approach to study CD20 expression on CLL cells. CD20 MFI was retrospectively assessed prior to and during treatment from flow cytometric measurements of peripheral blood in patients with different depths of molecular response in the four phase-II CLL2-BXX trials (BIG; BAG; BIO; BCG; = 194) administering either Obinutuzumab or Ofatumumab in combination with targeted agents.

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This study compared accelerometer-measured physical activity by body placement to daily total energy expenditure (TEE) and activity energy expenditure (AEE) measured using doubly labeled water (DLW). Forty-nine adult participants wore accelerometers placed on the nondominant wrist, dominant wrist, and chest while also undergoing DLW assessments. In adjusted models, wrist-measured physical activity ( < 0.

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Background: Multiple studies of tissue and cell samples from patients and preclinical models of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease report abnormal mitochondrial function and morphology and suggest metabolic reprogramming is an intrinsic feature of this disease. Peroxisomes interact with mitochondria physically and functionally, and congenital peroxisome biogenesis disorders can cause various phenotypes, including mitochondrial defects, metabolic abnormalities, and renal cysts. We hypothesized that a peroxisomal defect might contribute to the metabolic and mitochondrial impairments observed in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates how hepatic energy metabolism reacts to meals in individuals with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), suggesting unique post-meal changes in lipid metabolism compared to healthy individuals.
  • They found a significant increase in diacylglycerol (DAG) levels in the blood of NAFLD patients after eating, which was not seen in healthy controls, indicating a specific metabolic response related to the disease.
  • The research emphasizes the need to explore NAFLD's effects beyond fasting, as increased postprandial DAGs may lead to potential cardiovascular risks due to their lipotoxic properties.
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Objective: This study aimed to investigate human fetal exposure to non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) by analyzing amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood.

Study Design: Concentrations of four NNS (acesulfame-potassium [ace-K], saccharin, steviol glucuronide, and sucralose) were measured in amniotic fluid ( = 13) and cord blood samples ( = 15) using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Amniotic fluid samples were obtained for research purposes at the time of term elective cesarean birth or clinically indicated third trimester amnioreduction at Mercy Hospital for Women (Melbourne, Australia).

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Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an increasing cause of chronic liver disease that accompanies obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Excess fructose consumption can initiate or exacerbate NAFLD in part due to a consequence of impaired hepatic fructose metabolism. Preclinical data emphasized that fructose-induced altered gut microbiome, increased gut permeability, and endotoxemia play an important role in NAFLD, but human studies are sparse.

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The antifungal agent 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) is used for the treatment of several mycoses, but is unsuitable for monotherapy due to the rapid development of resistance. Here, we show that cryptococci develop resistance to 5-FC at a high frequency when exposed to concentrations several fold above the minimal inhibitory concentration. The genomes of resistant clones contain alterations in genes relevant as well as irrelevant for 5-FC resistance, suggesting that 5-FC may be mutagenic at moderate concentrations.

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Oxidative stress (OS) in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) promotes liver injury and inflammation. Treatment with vitamin E (α-tocopherol, αT), a lipid-soluble antioxidant, improves liver injury but also decreases steatosis, thought to be upstream of OS, through an unknown mechanism. To elucidate the mechanism, we combined a mechanistic human trial interrogating pathways of intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) accumulation and in vitro experiments.

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Aims/hypothesis: Metformin is the only approved oral agent for youth with type 2 diabetes but its mechanism of action remains controversial. Recent data in adults suggest a primary role for the enteroinsular pathway, but there are no data in youth, in whom metformin efficacy is only ~50%. Our objectives were to compare incretin concentrations and rates of glucose production and gluconeogenesis in youth with type 2 diabetes before and after short-term metformin therapy compared with peers with normal glucose tolerance (NGT).

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De novo lipogenesis (DNL) plays a role in the development of hepatic steatosis. In humans with lipodystrophy, reduced adipose tissue causes lower plasma leptin, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and ectopic triglyceride (TG) accumulation. We hypothesized that recombinant leptin (metreleptin) for 6 months in 11 patients with lipodystrophy would reduce DNL by decreasing insulin resistance and glycemia, thus reducing circulating TG and hepatic TG.

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Scope: Low-calorie sweetener (LCS) consumption is associated with metabolic disease in observational studies. However, physiologic mechanisms underlying LCS-induced metabolic impairments in humans are unclear. This study is aimed at identifying molecular pathways in adipose impacted by LCSs.

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BACKGROUNDPostreceptor insulin resistance (IR) is associated with hyperglycemia and hepatic steatosis. However, receptor-level IR (e.g.

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BACKGROUNDMirabegron is a β3-adrenergic receptor (β3-AR) agonist approved only for the treatment of overactive bladder. Encouraging preclinical results suggest that β3-AR agonists could also improve obesity-related metabolic disease by increasing brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis, white adipose tissue (WAT) lipolysis, and insulin sensitivity.METHODSWe treated 14 healthy women of diverse ethnicities (27.

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We found a novel role of Myo5, a type I myosin (myosin-I), and its fortuitous association with d-amino acid utilization in Myo5 colocalized with actin cortical patches and was required for endocytosis. Interestingly, the mutant accumulated high levels of d-proline and d-alanine which caused toxicity in cells. The mutant also accumulated a large set of substrates, such as membrane-permeant as well as non-membrane-permeant dyes, l-proline, l-alanine, and flucytosine intracellularly.

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