Biotransformation of caffeoyl quinic acids from green coffee extracts by Lactobacillus johnsonii NCC 533

Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to Nicole Page-Zoerkler and Olivier Mauroux for their technical assistant. We thank David Pridmore and Kimo Makkinen for critical reading of this manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Extravascular lipid deposition and morphology of atherosclerosis in heterozygous WHHL rabbits fed vegetable (n-6) and marine (11-3) oils

The aim of this experiment was to test the cholesterol-fed heterozugous WHHL rabbit as a model for investigation of atherogenicity of different fats. Twentytwo rabbits of both sexes, 8—9.5 months old were randomized in 3 groups, and fed 100 g diet daily: cholesterol enriched standard diet (group I, n=8), cholesterol enriched diet with added vegetable (group II, n=7). or marine (group III, n=7) oils during 14 weeks. The vegetable oil (n-6 = 33 %, n—3 less than 1 %) and a marine oil(n-6 = 18 %, n-3 = 17 %) were adjusted to contain equal amounts of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. One percent cholesterol in the diet caused a pronounced hypercholesterolemia which was significantly enhanced by addition of oils.The increase in total cholesterol was especially reflected in the increase in the VLDL concentration. The blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels were comparable between the two of fed groups apart from a transitory lowering in the marine oilfed rabbits. The atherosclerotie lesions caused by 1 % cholesterol in the diet were fibrous plaques and plaques with foam cells. The added oils aggravated the atherosclerosis caused by cholesterol. Based on morphological appearance of the aorticand coronary atherosclerosis the marine oil was more atherogcnic than the vegetable oil. In pulmonary arteries, however, the less severe atherosclerotic changes were found in the marine oil group. In this group no lipid infiltrations were seen in the myocardium but very severe infiltrations were seen in the liver. In the vegetable oil group these infiltrations were severe in the myocardium and less pronounced in the liver. The massive hypereholesterolemia and extravascular lipid deposition in different parenchymatous organs suggest that lower doses of dietary cholesterol should be used when the cholesterol-fed heterozygous WHHL rabbit is chosen to study the ellect ot'van'ous fats on blood lipids and developmentof atherosclerosis

CYP83B1 Is the Oxime-metabolizing Enzyme in the Glucosinolate Pathway in \u3ci\u3eArabidopsis\u3c/i\u3e

CYP83B1 from Arabidopsis thaliana has been identified as the oxime-metabolizing enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of glucosinolates. Biosynthetically active microsomes isolated from Sinapis alba converted p-hydroxyphenylacetaldoxime and cysteine into S-alkylated p-hydroxyphenylacetothiohydroximate, S-(p-hydroxyphenylacetohydroximoyl)-L-cysteine, the next proposed intermediate in the glucosinolate pathway. The production was shown to be dependent on a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase. We searched the genome of A. thaliana for homologues of CYP71E1 (P450ox), the only known oxime-metabolizing enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of the evolutionarily related cyanogenic glucosides. By a combined use of bioinformatics, published expression data, and knock-out phenotypes, we identified the cytochrome P450 CYP83B1 as the oxime-metabolizing enzyme in the glucosinolate pathway as evidenced by characterization of the recombinant protein expressed in Escherichia coli. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the oxime-metabolizing enzyme in the cyanogenic pathway (P450ox) was mutated into a “P450mox” that converted oximes into toxic compounds that the plant detoxified into glucosinolates

Demographic history has shaped the strongly differentiated corkwing wrasse populations in Northern Europe

Understanding the biological processes involved in genetic differentiation and divergence between populations within species is a pivotal aim in evolutionary biology. One particular phenomenon that requires clarification is the maintenance of genetic barriers despite the high potential for gene flow in the marine environment. Such patterns have been attributed to limited dispersal or local adaptation, and to a lesser extent to the demographic history of the species. The corkwing wrasse (Symphodus melops) is an example of a marine fish species where regions of particular strong divergence are observed. One such genetic break occurred at a surprisingly small spatial scale (FST ~0.1), over a short coastline (<60 km) in the North Sea‐Skagerrak transition area in southwestern Norway. Here, we investigate the observed divergence and purported reproductive isolation using genome resequencing. Our results suggest that historical events during the post‐glacial recolonization route can explain the present population structure of the corkwing wrasse in the northeast Atlantic. While the divergence across the break is strong, we detected ongoing gene flow between populations over the break suggesting recent contact or negative selection against hybrids. Moreover, we found few outlier loci and no clear genomic regions potentially being under selection. We concluded that neutral processes and random genetic drift e.g., due to founder events during colonization have shaped the population structure in this species in Northern Europe. Our findings underline the need to take into account the demographic process in studies of divergence processes

Milk Diets Influence Doxorubicin-Induced Intestinal Toxicity in Piglets

Chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity is a common adverse effect of cancer treatment. We used preweaned piglets as models to test our hypothesis that the immunomodulatory and GI trophic effects of bovine colostrum would reduce the severity of GI complications associated with doxorubicin (DOX) treatment. Five-day-old pigs were administered DOX (1 × 100 mg/m2) or an equivalent volume of saline (SAL) and either fed formula (DOX-Form, n = 9, or SAL-Form, n = 7) or bovine colostrum (DOX-Colos, n = 9, or SAL-Colos, n = 7). Pigs were euthanized 5 days after initiation of chemotherapy to assess markers of small intestinal function and inflammation. All DOX-treated animals developed diarrhea, growth deficits, and leukopenia. However, the intestines of DOX-Colos pigs had lower intestinal permeability, longer intestinal villi with higher activities of brush border enzymes, and lower tissue IL-8 levels compared with DOX-Form (all P &lt; 0.05). DOX-Form pigs, but not DOX-Colos pigs, had significantly higher plasma C-reactive protein, compared with SAL-Form. Plasma citrulline was not affected by DOX treatment or diet. Thus a single dose of DOX induces intestinal toxicity in preweaned pigs and may lead to a systemic inflammatory response. The toxicity is affected by type of enteral nutrition with more pronounced GI toxicity when formula is fed compared with bovine colostrum. The results indicate that bovine colostrum may be a beneficial supplementary diet for children subjected to chemotherapy and subsequent intestinal toxicity. </jats:p

Vanillin formation from ferulic acid in <em>Vanilla planifolia</em> is catalysed by a single enzyme

Vanillin is a popular and valuable flavour compound. It is the key constituent of the natural vanilla flavour obtained from cured vanilla pods. Here we show that a single hydratase/lyase type enzyme designated vanillin synthase (VpVAN) catalyses direct conversion of ferulic acid and its glucoside into vanillin and its glucoside, respectively. The enzyme shows high sequence similarity to cysteine proteinases and is specific to the substitution pattern at the aromatic ring and does not metabolize caffeic acid and p-coumaric acid as demonstrated by coupled transcription/translation assays. VpVAN localizes to the inner part of the vanilla pod and high transcript levels are found in single cells located a few cell layers from the inner epidermis. Transient expression of VpVAN in tobacco and stable expression in barley in combination with the action of endogenous alcohol dehydrogenases and UDP-glucosyltransferases result in vanillyl alcohol glucoside formation from endogenous ferulic acid. A gene encoding an enzyme showing 71% sequence identity to VpVAN was identified in another vanillin-producing plant species Glechoma hederacea and was also shown to be a vanillin synthase as demonstrated by transient expression in tobacco. (Résumé d'auteur

Combining population genomics with demographic analyses highlights habitat patchiness and larval dispersal as determinants of connectivity in coastal fish species

Gene flow shapes spatial genetic structure and the potential for local adaptation. Among marine animals with nonmigratory adults, the presence or absence of a pelagic larval stage is thought to be a key determinant in shaping gene flow and the genetic structure of populations. In addition, the spatial distribution of suitable habitats is expected to influence the distribution of biological populations and their connectivity patterns. We used whole genome sequencing to study demographic history and reduced representation (double-digest restriction associated DNA) sequencing data to analyse spatial genetic structure in broadnosed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle). Its main habitat is eelgrass beds, which are patchily distributed along the study area in southern Norway. Demographic connectivity among populations was inferred from long-term (~30-year) population counts that uncovered a rapid decline in spatial correlations in abundance with distance as short as ~2 km. These findings were contrasted with data for two other fish species that have a pelagic larval stage (corkwing wrasse, Symphodus melops; black goby, Gobius niger). For these latter species, we found wider spatial scales of connectivity and weaker genetic isolation-by-distance patterns, except where both species experienced a strong barrier to gene flow, seemingly due to lack of suitable habitat. Our findings verify expectations that a fragmented habitat and absence of a pelagic larval stage promote genetic structure, while presence of a pelagic larvae stage increases demographic connectivity and gene flow, except perhaps over extensive habitat gaps.publishedVersio