Prediction Models for BMI and NAFLD

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely associated with obesity. Disulfide bond‐forming oxidoreductase A‐like protein (DsbA‐L) is known to be a key molecule in protection against obesity and obesity‐induced inflammation. In the present study, we used a modeling and simulation approach in an attempt to develop body mass index (BMI) and BMI‐based NAFLD prediction models incorporating the DsbA‐L polymorphism to predict the BMI and NAFLD in 341 elderly subjects. A nonlinear mixed‐effect model best represented the sigmoidal relationship between the BMI and the logit function of the probability of NAFLD prevalence. The final models for BMI and NAFLD showed that DsbA‐L rs1917760 polymorphism, age, and gender were associated with the BMI, whereas gender, patatin‐like phospholipase 3 rs738409 polymorphism, HbA1c, and high‐density and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were associated with the risk of NAFLD. This information may aid in the genetic‐based prevention of obesity and NAFLD in the general elderly population

Identification and characterization of endo-α-, exo-α-, and exo-β-d-arabinofuranosidases degrading lipoarabinomannan and arabinogalactan of mycobacteria

Abstract The cell walls of pathogenic and acidophilic bacteria, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae, contain lipoarabinomannan and arabinogalactan. These components are composed of d-arabinose, the enantiomer of the typical l-arabinose found in plants. The unique glycan structures of mycobacteria contribute to their ability to evade mammalian immune responses. In this study, we identified four enzymes (two GH183 endo-d-arabinanases, GH172 exo-α-d-arabinofuranosidase, and GH116 exo-β-d-arabinofuranosidase) from Microbacterium arabinogalactanolyticum. These enzymes completely degraded the complex d-arabinan core structure of lipoarabinomannan and arabinogalactan in a concerted manner. Furthermore, through biochemical characterization using synthetic substrates and X-ray crystallography, we elucidated the mechanisms of substrate recognition and anomer-retaining hydrolysis for the α- and β-d-arabinofuranosidic bonds in both endo- and exo-mode reactions. The discovery of these d-arabinan-degrading enzymes, along with the understanding of their structural basis for substrate specificity, provides valuable resources for investigating the intricate glycan architecture of mycobacterial cell wall polysaccharides and their contribution to pathogenicity