Comparison of Omentum and Subcutis as Implant Sites for Device-Encapsulated Human iPSC-Derived Pancreatic Endoderm in Nude Rats.

Subcutaneous implants of device-encapsulated stem cell-derived pancreatic endoderm (PE) can establish a functional beta cell mass (FBM) with metabolic control in immune-compromised mice. In a study with human-induced pluripotent stem cell-PE, this outcome was favored by a preformed pouch which allowed lesion-free insertion of devices in a pre-vascularized site. This was not reproduced in nude rats, known to exhibit a higher innate reactivity than mice and therefore relevant as preclinical model: a dense fibrotic capsule formed around subcutis (SC) implants with virtually no FBM formation.

Metabolic implications of organelle-mitochondria communication.

Cellular organelles are not static but show dynamism-a property that is likely relevant for their function. In addition, they interact with other organelles in a highly dynamic manner. In this review, we analyze the proteins involved in the interaction between mitochondria and other cellular organelles, especially the endoplasmic reticulum, lipid droplets, and lysosomes.

Mitochondrial stress management: a dynamic journey.

Mitochondria undergo continuous challenges in the course of their life, from their generation to their degradation. These challenges include the management of reactive oxygen species, the proper assembly of mitochondrial respiratory complexes and the need to balance potential mutations in the mitochondrial DNA. The detection of damage and the ability to keep it under control is critical to fine-tune mitochondrial function to the organismal energy needs.

Publisher Correction: Menstrual cycle rhythmicity: metabolic patterns in healthy women.

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Vegan and Animal Meal Composition and Timing Influence Glucose and Lipid Related Postprandial Metabolic Profiles.

Scope: Flexitarian dieting is increasingly associated with health benefits. The study of postprandial metabolic response to vegan and animal diets is essential to decipher how specific diet components may mediate metabolic changes.

Methods And Results: A randomized, crossover, controlled vegan versus animal diet challenge is conducted on 21 healthy participants.

Menstrual cycle rhythmicity: metabolic patterns in healthy women.

The menstrual cycle is an essential life rhythm governed by interacting levels of progesterone, estradiol, follicular stimulating, and luteinizing hormones. To study metabolic changes, biofluids were collected at four timepoints in the menstrual cycle from 34 healthy, premenopausal women. Serum hormones, urinary luteinizing hormone and self-reported menstrual cycle timing were used for a 5-phase cycle classification.

Metabotypes Related to Meat and Vegetable Intake Reflect Microbial, Lipid and Amino Acid Metabolism in Healthy People.

Scope: The objective of this study is to develop a new methodology to identify the relationship between dietary patterns and metabolites indicative of food intake and metabolism.

Methods And Results: Plasma and urine samples from healthy Swiss subjects (n = 89) collected over two time points are analyzed for a panel of host-microbial metabolites using GC- and LC-MS. Dietary intake is evaluated using a validated food frequency questionnaire.

Mitochondrial Dynamics: Shaping Metabolic Adaptation.

Despite their classic bean-shaped depiction, mitochondria have very different aspects in each cell type. From long filamentous structures to punctuated small round organelles. These shapes can dynamically change in response to nutrients and in situations of metabolic disease.

Coordination of GPR40 and Ketogenesis Signaling by Medium Chain Fatty Acids Regulates Beta Cell Function.

Diabetes prevalence increases with age, and β-cell dysfunction contributes to the incidence of the disease. Dietary lipids have been recognized as contributory factors in the development and progression of the disease. Unlike long chain triglycerides, medium chain triglycerides (MCT) increase fat burning in animal and human subjects as well as serum C-peptide in type 2 diabetes patients.

Satellite Cell Self-Renewal.

Adult skeletal muscle is endowed with regenerative potential through partially recapitulating the embryonic developmental program. Upon acute injury or in pathological conditions, quiescent muscle-resident stem cells, called satellite cells, become activated and give rise to myogenic progenitors that massively proliferate, differentiate, and fuse to form new myofibers and restore tissue functionality. In addition, a proportion of activated cells returns back to quiescence and replenish the pool of satellite cells in order to maintain the ability of skeletal muscle tissue to repair.

A 48-Hour Vegan Diet Challenge in Healthy Women and Men Induces a BRANCH-Chain Amino Acid Related, Health Associated, Metabolic Signature.

Scope: Research is limited on diet challenges to improve health. A short-term, vegan protein diet regimen nutritionally balanced in macronutrient composition compared to an omnivorous diet is hypothesized to improve metabolic measurements of blood sugar regulation, blood lipids, and amino acid metabolism.

Methods And Results: This randomized, cross-over, controlled vegan versus animal diet challenge is conducted on 21 (11 female,10 male) healthy participants.

Nicotinamide riboside kinases display redundancy in mediating nicotinamide mononucleotide and nicotinamide riboside metabolism in skeletal muscle cells.

Objective: Augmenting nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) availability may protect skeletal muscle from age-related metabolic decline. Dietary supplementation of NAD precursors nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and nicotinamide riboside (NR) appear efficacious in elevating muscle NAD. Here we sought to identify the pathways skeletal muscle cells utilize to synthesize NAD from NMN and NR and provide insight into mechanisms of muscle metabolic homeostasis.

Development of a Virtual Cell Model to Predict Cell Response to Substrate Topography.

Cells can sense and respond to changes in the topographical, chemical, and mechanical information in their environment. Engineered substrates are increasingly being developed that exploit these physical attributes to direct cell responses (most notably mesenchymal stem cells) and therefore control cell behavior toward desired applications. However, there are very few methods available for robust and accurate modeling that can predict cell behavior prior to experimental evaluations, and this typically means that many cell test iterations are needed to identify best material features.

NRK1 controls nicotinamide mononucleotide and nicotinamide riboside metabolism in mammalian cells.

NAD is a vital redox cofactor and a substrate required for activity of various enzyme families, including sirtuins and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases. Supplementation with NAD precursors, such as nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) or nicotinamide riboside (NR), protects against metabolic disease, neurodegenerative disorders and age-related physiological decline in mammals. Here we show that nicotinamide riboside kinase 1 (NRK1) is necessary and rate-limiting for the use of exogenous NR and NMN for NAD synthesis.

SIRT1 Gain of Function Does Not Mimic or Enhance the Adaptations to Intermittent Fasting.

Caloric restriction (CR) has been shown to prevent the onset of insulin resistance and to delay age-related physiological decline in mammalian organisms. SIRT1, a NAD(+)-dependent deacetylase enzyme, has been suggested to mediate the adaptive responses to CR, leading to the speculation that SIRT1 activation could be therapeutically used as a CR-mimetic strategy. Here, we used a mouse model of moderate SIRT1 overexpression to test whether SIRT1 gain of function could mimic or boost the metabolic benefits induced by every-other-day feeding (EODF).

SIRT1 enhances glucose tolerance by potentiating brown adipose tissue function.

Objective: SIRT1 has been proposed to be a key signaling node linking changes in energy metabolism to transcriptional adaptations. Although SIRT1 overexpression is protective against diverse metabolic complications, especially in response to high-fat diets, studies aiming to understand the etiology of such benefits are scarce. Here, we aimed to identify the key tissues and mechanisms implicated in the beneficial effects of SIRT1 on glucose homeostasis.

Translational genomics.

The term "Translational Genomics" reflects both title and mission of this new journal. "Translational" has traditionally been understood as "applied research" or "development", different from or even opposed to "basic research". Recent scientific and societal developments have triggered a re-assessment of the connotation that "translational" and "basic" are either/or activities: translational research nowadays aims at feeding the best science into applications and solutions for human society.

Proteomics and circadian rhythms: it's all about signaling!

Proteomic technologies using MS offer new perspectives in circadian biology, in particular the possibility to study PTMs. To date, only very few studies have been carried out to decipher the rhythmicity of protein expression in mammals with large-scale proteomics. Although signaling has been shown to be of high relevance, comprehensive characterization studies of PTMs are even more rare.