A diet defined by its content of bovine milk exosomes and their RNA cargos has moderate effects on gene expression, amino acid profiles and grip strength in skeletal muscle in C57BL/6 mice.

Exosomes are nanoparticles that transfer cargos from donor cells to recipient cells where they elicit changes in gene expression and metabolism. Evidence suggests that exosomes and their cargos are also absorbed from dietary sources such as bovine milk, and bovine exosomes promote the growth of myofibers in murine C2C12 myotube cell cultures. The aim of the current study was to determine whether the dietary intake of bovine milk exosomes alters strength, gene expression and amino acid profiles in murine skeletal muscles.

High-throughput mutation, selection, and phenotype screening of mutant methanogenic archaea.

Bacterial and archaeal genomes can contain 30% or more hypothetical genes with no predicted function. Phylogenetically deep-branching microbes, such as methane-producing archaea (methanogens), contain up to 50% genes with unknown function. In order to formulate hypotheses about the function of hypothetical gene functions in the strict anaerobe, Methanosarcina acetivorans, we have developed high-throughput anaerobic techniques to UV mutagenize, screen, and select for mutant strains in 96-well plates.

Methods for Detecting Microbial Methane Production and Consumption by Gas Chromatography.

Methane is an energy-dense fuel but is also a greenhouse gas 25 times more detrimental to the environment than CO. Methane can be produced abiotically by serpentinization, chemically by Sabatier or Fisher-Tropsh chemistry, or biotically by microbes (Berndt , 1996; Horita and Berndt, 1999; Dry, 2002; Wolfe, 1982; Thauer, 1998; Metcalf , 2002). Methanogens are anaerobic archaea that grow by producing methane gas as a metabolic byproduct (Wolfe, 1982; Thauer, 1998).

Glucose Metabolism and AMPK Signaling Regulate Dopaminergic Cell Death Induced by Gene (α-Synuclein)-Environment (Paraquat) Interactions.

While environmental exposures are not the single cause of Parkinson's disease (PD), their interaction with genetic alterations is thought to contribute to neuronal dopaminergic degeneration. However, the mechanisms involved in dopaminergic cell death induced by gene-environment interactions remain unclear. In this work, we have revealed for the first time the role of central carbon metabolism and metabolic dysfunction in dopaminergic cell death induced by the paraquat (PQ)-α-synuclein interaction.

Genetic methods for methanosarcina species.

Unlike most methanogenic microorganisms, Methanosarcina species are capable of utilizing a variety of growth substrates, a trait that greatly simplifies genetic analysis of the methanogenic process. The genetic tools and techniques discussed in this chapter form the basis for all genetic experiments in Methanosarcina acetivorans C2A and Methanosarcina barkeri Fusaro, two methanogens that are routinely used as model organisms for genetic experiments. Based on a number of reports, it is likely that they are portable to other Methanosarcina species, and perhaps to other methanogens as well.