Resveratrol Butyrate Esters Reduce Hypertension in a Juvenile Rat Model of Chronic Kidney Disease Exacerbated by Microplastics.

Background: Resveratrol is recognized as a promising nutraceutical with antihypertensive and prebiotic properties; however, its bioavailability in vivo is limited. To enhance its bioactivity, we developed resveratrol butyrate esters (RBEs). This study investigates whether RBEs can mitigate hypertension induced by chronic kidney disease (CKD) and exacerbated by microplastics (MPs) exposure in juvenile rats.

Hydrophilic Metabolite Composition of Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia of Edible Mushroom Species (Agaricomycetes).

Mushrooms have two components, the fruiting body, which encompasses the stalk and the cap, and the mycelium, which supports the fruiting body underground. The part of the mushroom most commonly consumed is the fruiting body. Given that it is more time consuming to harvest the fruiting body versus simply the mycelia, we were interested in understanding the difference in metabolite content between the fruiting bodies and mycelia of four widely consumed mushrooms in Taiwan: Agrocybe cylindracea (AC), Coprinus comatus (CC), Hericium erinaceus (HE), and Hypsizygus marmoreus (HM).

Quality Evaluation of Shiitake Blanched and Centrifuged Broths as Functional Instant Drinks.

In the process of making mushrooms into vacuum-fried crisps, the resulting blanched broth (BB) and centrifuged broth (CB) are often discarded, thereby increasing the amount of wastewater and treatment costs. This study measured the proximate compositions, bioactive components, taste components, and minerals of freeze-dried BB and CB and then used functional indigestible dextrin (Fibersol-2) as a carrier to make these two broths into instant drinks. The solids of the BB and CB contained protein (16.

Phosphorylated nuclear DICER1 promotes open chromatin state and lineage plasticity of AT2 tumor cells in lung adenocarcinomas.

KRAS/ERK pathway phosphorylates DICER1, causing its nuclear translocation, and phosphomimetic contributes to tumorigenesis in mice. Mechanisms through which phospho-DICER1 regulates tumor progression remain undefined. While DICER1 canonically regulates microRNAs (miRNA) and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), we found that phosphorylated nuclear DICER1 (phospho-nuclear DICER1) promotes late-stage tumor progression in mice with oncogenic , independent of miRNAs and EMT.

Spatial single-cell sequencing of meiosis I arrested oocytes indicates acquisition of maternal transcripts from the soma.

Maternal RNAs are stored from minutes to decades in oocytes throughout meiosis I arrest in a transcriptionally quiescent state. Recent reports, however, propose a role for nascent transcription in arrested oocytes. Whether arrested oocytes launch nascent transcription in response to environmental or hormonal signals while maintaining the meiosis I arrest remains undetermined.

The essential roles of FXR in diet and age influenced metabolic changes and liver disease development: a multi-omics study.

Background: Aging and diet are risks for metabolic diseases. Bile acid receptor farnesoid X receptor (FXR) knockout (KO) mice develop metabolic liver diseases that progress into cancer as they age, which is accelerated by Western diet (WD) intake. The current study uncovers the molecular signatures for diet and age-linked metabolic liver disease development in an FXR-dependent manner.

Robust designation of meiotic crossover sites by CDK-2 through phosphorylation of the MutSγ complex.

Crossover formation is essential for proper segregation of homologous chromosomes during meiosis. Here, we show that Caenorhabditis elegans cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK-2) partners with cyclin-like protein COSA-1 to promote crossover formation by promoting conversion of meiotic double-strand breaks into crossover–specific recombination intermediates. Further, we identify MutSγ component MSH-5 as a CDK-2 phosphorylation target.

A Comparison of Serum and Plasma Blood Collection Tubes for the Integration of Epidemiological and Metabolomics Data.

Blood is a rich biological sample routinely collected in clinical and epidemiological studies. With advancements in high throughput -omics technology, such as metabolomics, epidemiology can now delve more deeply and comprehensively into biological mechanisms involved in the etiology of diseases. However, the impact of the blood collection tube matrix of samples collected needs to be carefully considered to obtain meaningful biological interpretations and understand how the metabolite signatures are affected by different tube types.

A Pilot Study Comparing the Effects of Consuming 100% Orange Juice or Sucrose-Sweetened Beverage on Risk Factors for Cardiometabolic Disease in Women.

Overconsumption of sugar-sweetened beverages increases risk factors associated with cardiometabolic disease, in part due to hepatic fructose overload. However, it is not clear whether consumption of beverages containing fructose as naturally occurring sugar produces equivalent metabolic dysregulation as beverages containing added sugars. We compared the effects of consuming naturally-sweetened orange juice (OJ) or sucrose-sweetened beverages (sucrose-SB) for two weeks on risk factors for cardiometabolic disease.

ERK phosphorylates chromosomal axis component HORMA domain protein HTP-1 to regulate oocyte numbers.

Oocyte numbers, a critical determinant of female reproductive fitness, are highly regulated, yet the mechanisms underlying this regulation remain largely undefined. In the gonad, RAS/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling regulates oocyte numbers; mechanisms are unknown. We show that the RAS/ERK pathway phosphorylates meiotic chromosome axis protein HTP-1 at serine-325 to control chromosome dynamics and regulate oocyte number.

Elucidation of two new corticosteroids, betamethasone dibutyrate and betamethasone tributyrate.

Corticosteroids were used normally as anti-inflammatory drugs. However, in some area certain corticosteroids might be illegally used as growth promoting agent in feed, and as prohibited doping substances in game and sport for human or/and animal performance-enhancing. Synthesized structural similar corticosteroids were popular in black market because they can pass routine drug screening.

Long-term effects of western diet consumption in male and female mice.

Long-term consumption of a diet with excessive fat and sucrose (Western diet, WD) leads to an elevated risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome in both males and females. However, there are sexual dimorphisms in metabolism which are apparent when considering the prevalence of complications of metabolic syndrome, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This study aimed to elucidate the impact of a WD on the metabolome and the gut microbiota of male and female mice at 5, 10, and 15 months to capture the dynamic and comprehensive changes brought about by diet at different stages of life.

Pilot study of probiotic/colostrum supplementation on gut function in children with autism and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Over half of all children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have gastrointestinal (GI) co-morbidities including chronic constipation, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome. The severity of these symptoms has been correlated with the degree of GI microbial dysbiosis. The study objective was to assess tolerability of a probiotic (Bifidobacterium infantis) in combination with a bovine colostrum product (BCP) as a source of prebiotic oligosaccharides and to evaluate GI, microbiome and immune factors in children with ASD and GI co-morbidities.

Sucrose metabolism alters Lactobacillus plantarum survival and interactions with the microbiota in the digestive tract.

We investigated whether sucrose metabolism by probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum influences the intestinal survival and microbial responses to this organism when administered to mice fed a sucrose-rich, Western diet. A L. plantarum mutant unable to metabolize sucrose was constructed by deleting scrB, coding for beta-fructofuranosidase, in a rifampicin-resistant strain of L.

GSK-3 promotes S-phase entry and progression in germline stem cells to maintain tissue output.

Adult germline stem cells (GSCs) and mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) exhibit a non-canonical cell cycle structure with an abbreviated G1 phase and phase-independent expression of Cdk2 and cyclin E. Mechanisms that promote the abbreviated cell cycle remain unknown, as do the consequences of not maintaining an abbreviated cell cycle in these tissues. In GSCs, we discovered that loss of results in reduced GSC proliferation without changes in differentiation or responsiveness to GLP-1/Notch signaling.

Effect of bovine milk fat globule membranes as a complementary food on the serum metabolome and immune markers of 6-11-month-old Peruvian infants.

This study builds on a previous study by this group in which 6-11-month-old Peruvian infants who were fed bovine milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) containing complementary food had significantly fewer episodes of infection-related bloody diarrhea relative to those consuming a control food (skim milk powder). Micronutrient deficiencies including zinc deficiency were prevalent in this study population. To understand the mechanism behind the health benefits of consuming MFGM, the serum metabolome and cytokine levels, as markers for systemic immune responses, were evaluated using H nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics and a multiplex system, respectively.

Bolus injections of novel thrombogenic site-targeted fusion proteins comprising annexin-V and Kunitz protease inhibitors attenuate intimal hyperplasia after balloon angioplasty.

Background: Systemic administrations of conventional antithrombotics reduce neointima formation after angioplasty in experimental animals. However, clinical translation of these results has not been successful due to high risk for bleeding.

Objectives: We sought to determine whether novel annexin-V (ANV)-Kunitz protease inhibitor fusion proteins, TAP-ANV and ANV-6L15, can specifically target to vascular injury site and limit neointima formation without inducing systemic hypo-coagulation in a rat carotid artery balloon angioplasty injury model.

Collaborative Control of Cell Cycle Progression by the RNA Exonuclease Dis3 and Ras Is Conserved Across Species.

Dis3 encodes a conserved RNase that degrades or processes all RNA species via an N-terminal PilT N terminus (PIN) domain and C-terminal RNB domain that harbor, respectively, endonuclease activity and 3'-5' exonuclease activity. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, dis3 mutations cause chromosome missegregation and failure in mitosis, suggesting dis3 promotes cell division. In humans, apparently hypomorphic dis3 mutations are found recurrently in multiple myeloma, suggesting dis3 opposes cell division.

Consumption of vitamin D2 enhanced mushrooms is associated with improved bone health.

Mushrooms are the best nonanimal food source of vitamin D2. Pulsed irradiation can enhance vitamin D2 in mushrooms quickly. We investigated the effect of supplementing high vitamin D2Pleurotus ferulae mushrooms in a mouse model of osteoporosis.

An NMR metabolomic study on the effect of alendronate in ovariectomized mice.

Alendronate sodium (Fosamax) is most widely used for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. It is a type of anti-resorptive agent that reduces the risk of fractures by changing bone turnover and bone mineral density. We investigated the effect of Fosamax on a mouse model of osteoporosis.

Identification of protein domains on major pilin MrkA that affects the mechanical properties of Klebsiella pneumoniae type 3 fimbriae.

The Klebsiella pneumoniae type 3 fimbriae are mainly composed of MrkA pilins that assemble into a helixlike filament. This study determined the biomechanical properties of the fimbriae and analyzed 11 site-directed MrkA mutants to identify domains that are critical for the properties. Escherichia coli strains expressing type 3 fimbriae with an Ala substitution at either F34, V45, C87, G189, T196, or Y197 resulted in a significant reduction in biofilm formation.

Comparative study of contents of several bioactive components in fruiting bodies and mycelia of culinary-medicinal mushrooms.

Mushrooms have been consumed for thousands of years, and several bioactive components were found therein, including lovastatin, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and ergothioneine. The study reported herein was to analyze these three bioactive components in 15 fruiting bodies and 9 mycelia of 19 species of mushrooms from genera Agaricus, Agrocybe, Auricularia, Boletus, Ganoderma, Hypsizygus, Inonotus, Lentinus, Morchella, Pleurotus, Tremella, Termitomyces, and Volvariella. The results show that Hypsizygus marmoreus contained the highest amount of lovastatin (628.

cDNA cloning and functional characterization of ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE 3 orthologs from Oncidium Gower Ramsey involved in flower cutting and pollinia cap dislodgement.

The cDNAs encoding ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE3 (EIN3) transcription factor, OgEIL1 and OgEIL2 of Oncidium were cloned, sequenced and characterized. The deduced amino acid sequences of OgEIL1 and OgEIL2 of identified cDNA clones contain all structural features found in the Arabidopsis EIN3, such as an amino terminal acidic domain, a proline-rich region, and five basic conserved domains. Complementation test for OgEIL1 in Arabidopsis ein3 mutant indicate that function of OgEIL1 is the same as Arabidopsis EIN3.