E. coli Nissle 1917 modulates host glucose metabolism without directly acting on glucose.

Managing postprandial glycemic response, or the increase in blood sugar following a meal, is a crucial component to maintaining healthy blood sugar in patients with diabetes. To test whether oral probiotics can impact postprandial glycemic response, E. coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) was evaluated in an oral glucose tolerance test.

Meta-omics analysis of elite athletes identifies a performance-enhancing microbe that functions via lactate metabolism.

The human gut microbiome is linked to many states of human health and disease. The metabolic repertoire of the gut microbiome is vast, but the health implications of these bacterial pathways are poorly understood. In this study, we identify a link between members of the genus Veillonella and exercise performance.

Genetics of the glutamate-mediated methylamine utilization pathway in the facultative methylotrophic beta-proteobacterium Methyloversatilis universalis FAM5.

The ability of some microbial species to oxidize monomethylamine via glutamate-mediated pathways was proposed in the 1960s; however, genetic determinants of the pathways have never been described. In the present study we describe a gene cluster essential for operation of the N-methylglutamate pathway in the methylotrophic beta-proteobacterium Methyloversatilis universalis FAM5. Four major polypeptides from protein fractions displaying high activities of N-methylglutamate synthetase, N-methylglutamate dehydrogenase and gamma-glutamylmethylamide synthetase were selected for mass spectrometry-based identification.

Social defeat stress-induced behavioral responses are mediated by the endogenous kappa opioid system.

Previous studies have demonstrated that repeated forced-swim stress-induced behaviors (including analgesia, immobility, and increased drug reward) were mediated by the release of endogenous prodynorphin-derived opioid peptides and subsequent activation of the kappa opioid receptor (KOR). We tested the generality of these effects using a different type of stressful situation: repeated social defeat. C57Bl/6 mice subjected to social defeat stress (SDS) over 3 days showed a characteristic stress-induced immobility and defeated-postural response, as well as stress-induced analgesia (SIA).