Gut microbes modulate the effects of the flavonoid quercetin on atherosclerosis.

Gut bacterial metabolism of dietary flavonoids results in the production of a variety of phenolic acids, whose contributions to health remain poorly understood. Here, we show that supplementation with the commonly consumed flavonoid quercetin impacted gut microbiome composition and resulted in a significant reduction in atherosclerosis burden in conventionally raised (ConvR) Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) knockout (KO) mice but not in germ-free (GF) ApoE KO mice. Metabolomic analysis revealed that consumption of quercetin significantly increased plasma levels of benzoylglutamic acid, 3,4 dihydroxybenzoic acid (3,4-DHBA) and its sulfate-conjugated form in ConvR mice, but not in GF mice supplemented with the flavonoid.

Deletion of metal transporter Zip14 reduces major histocompatibility complex II expression in murine small intestinal epithelial cells.

Documented worldwide, impaired immunity is a cardinal signature resulting from loss of dietary zinc, an essential micronutrient. A steady supply of zinc to meet cellular requirements is regulated by an array of zinc transporters. Deletion of the transporter Zip14 (Slc39a14) in mice produced intestinal inflammation.

Comparison of mucosal microbiota populations across the gastrointestinal tract of healthy dogs.

The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota plays a crucial role in host health and disease in dogs, but the knowledge regarding the mucosal associated microbiota along the GI tract is limited in dogs. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the phylogeny and predicted functional capacity of microbiota residing on the gut mucosa across five GI regions of healthy young adult and geriatric dogs fed different diets. Twelve weanling (8 weeks old) and 12 senior (11.

CrgA Forms a Dimeric Structure with Its Transmembrane Domain Sandwiched between Cytoplasmic and Periplasmic β-Sheets, Enabling Multiple Interactions with Other Divisome Proteins.

CrgA is a key transmembrane (TM) protein in the cell division process of (), the pathogen responsible for tuberculosis. While many of the divisome proteins have been identified, their structures and interactions remain largely unknown. Previous studies of CrgA using oriented-sample solid-state NMR have defined the tilt and rotation of the TM helices, but the cytoplasmic and periplasmic domains and even the oligomeric state were uncharacterized.