Maintenance of Gastrointestinal Glucose Homeostasis by the Gut-Brain Axis.

Gastrointestinal homeostasis is a dynamic balance under the interaction between the host, GI tract, nutrition and energy metabolism. Glucose is the main energy source in living cells. Thus, glucose metabolic disorders can impair normal cellular function and endanger organisms' health.

Discovery of Novel Genes Mediating Glucose and Lipid Metabolisms.

Glucose and lipid are the major energy sources, and pivotal components of organic metabolism in mammals. Inappropriate diet directly influences the metabolic rate, and can alter the body's homeostasis. The underlying changes in energy storage and utilization would manifest as metabolic syndrome including obesity and high blood pressure, and high blood glucose, which are predisposing factors that significantly increase the risk for cardiovascular diseases and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D).

Metabolites of Dietary Protein and Peptides by Intestinal Microbes and their Impacts on Gut.

Dietary protein is a vital nutrient for humans and animals, which is primarily digested into peptides and free amino acids (FAAs) in the upper gastrointestine with the help of proteases. The products are absorbed by the enterocytes and are metabolized in different organs of body. Dietary protein, peptides and FAAs that escape digestion and absorption of the small intestine will enter the large intestine for further fermentation by the vast gut microbiota.

An ontology for microbial phenotypes.

Background: Phenotypic data are routinely used to elucidate gene function in organisms amenable to genetic manipulation. However, previous to this work, there was no generalizable system in place for the structured storage and retrieval of phenotypic information for bacteria.

Results: The Ontology of Microbial Phenotypes (OMP) has been created to standardize the capture of such phenotypic information from microbes.