Metabolic Syndrome, Gut Microbiome and Dietary Bioactive Peptides, an Unexplored Triad

The gut microbiome is a complex, biochemically rich and essential component of the human metabolic system. It has been our understanding for very long that the gut microbes are primarily there to digest the undigested food (mainly fibers), get nourishment, and in return release metabolites helping host cells — short-chain fatty acids produced by gut microbes are a great source of energy for the colonocytes. It is only in the last decade, with advancements of DNA sequencing platforms, that we are lettered about the association between the gut microbial composition and metabolic disorders such as obesity, dysglycemia, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases. This creates a momentum to understand the factors shaping the composition of the gut-microbiome, nature of dysbiosis (perturbation of gut microbial composition) associated with human health and ways to modulate the gut microbiome to achieve the desired health benefit

Exon-primed intron-crossing (EPIC) markers for non-model teleost fishes

Background: Exon-primed intron-crossing (EPIC) markers have three advantages over anonymous genomic sequences in studying evolution of natural populations. First, the universal primers designed in exon regions can be applied across a broad taxonomic range. Second, the homology of EPIC-amplified sequences can be easily determined by comparing either their exon or intron portion depending on the genetic distance between the taxa. Third, having both the exon and intron fragments could help in examining genetic variation at the intraspecific and interspecific level simultaneously, particularly helpful when studying species complex. However, the paucity of EPIC markers has hindered multilocus studies using nuclear gene sequences, particularly in teleost fishes. Results: We introduce a bioinformatics pipeline for developing EPIC markers by comparing the whole genome sequences between two or more species. By applying this approach on five teleost fishes whose genomes were available in the Ensembl database http://www.ensembl.org, we identified 210 EPIC markers that have single-copy and conserved exon regions with identity greater than 85% among the five teleost fishes. We tested 12 randomly chosen EPIC markers in nine teleost species having a wide phylogenetic range. The success rate of amplifying and sequencing those markers varied from 44% to 100% in different species. We analyzed the exon sequences of the 12 EPIC markers from 13 teleosts. The resulting phylogeny contains many traditionally well-supported clades, indicating the usefulness of the exon portion of EPIC markers in reconstructing species phylogeny, in addition to the value of the intron portion of EPIC markers in interrogating the population history. Conclusions: This study illustrated an effective approach to develop EPIC markers in a taxonomic group, where two or more genome sequences are available. The markers identified could be amplified across a broad taxonomic range of teleost fishes. The phylogenetic utility of individual markers varied according to intron size and amplifiability. The bioinformatics pipelines developed are readily adapted to other taxonomic groups

Synthesis, secretion, and perception of abscisic acid regulates stress responses in \u3ci\u3eChlorella sorokiniana\u3c/i\u3e

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a phytohormone that has been extensively characterized in higher plants for its roles in seed and bud dormancy, leaf abscission, and stress responses. Genomic studies have identified orthologs for ABA-related genes throughout the Viridiplantae, including in unicellular algae; however, the role of ABA in algal physiology has not been characterized, and the existence of such a role has been a matter of dispute. In this study, we demonstrate that ABA is involved in regulating algal stress responses. Chlorella sorokiniana strain UTEX 1230 contains genes orthologous to those of higher plants which are essential for ABA biosynthesis, sensing, and degradation. RNAseq-based transcriptomic studies reveal that treatment with ABA induces dramatic changes in gene expression profiles, including the induction of a subset of genes involved in DNA replication and repair, a phenomenon which has been demonstrated in higher plants. Pretreatment of C. sorokiniana cultures with ABA exerts a protective effect on cell viability in response to ultraviolet radiation. Additionally, C. sorokiniana produces and secretes biologically relevant amounts of both ABA and the oxylipin 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA) into the growth medium in response to abiotic stressors. Taken together, these phenomena suggest that ABA signaling evolved as an intercellular stress response signaling molecule in eukaryotic microalgae prior to the evolution of multicellularity and colonization of land

High-throughput screening of clinically approved drugs that prime polyethylenimine transfection reveals modulation of mitochondria dysfunction response improves gene transfer efficiencies

Nonviral gene delivery methods are advantageous over viral vectors in terms of safety, cost, and flexibility in design and application, but suffer from lower gene transfer efficiency. In addition to modifications to nucleic acid design and nonviral carriers, new tools are sought to enhance transfection. Priming is the pharmacological modulation of transfection efficiency and transgene expression, and has demonstrated transfection increase in several compounds, for example, chloroquine and glucocorticoids. To develop a library of transfection priming compounds, a highthroughput screen was performed of the NIH Clinical Collection (NCC) to identify clinical compounds that prime polyethylenimine (PEI) transfection. HEK293T cells were treated with priming compounds, then transfected with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-encoding plasmid by PEI. After 48-hr culture, primed and transfected cells were assayed for transfection, cell proliferation, and cell viability by fluorescence measurement of EGFP reporter, Hoechst 33342 nuclei stain, and resazurin metabolic assay. From the microscope image analysis and microplate measurements, transfection fold-changes were determined, and compounds resulting in statistically significant transfection fold-change were identified. NCC compounds were clustered using PubChem fingerprint similarity by Tanimoto coefficients in ChemmineTools. Fold-changes for each compound were linked to drug clusters, from which drug classes that prime transfection were identified. Among the identified drugs classes that primed transfection increases were antioxidants, GABAA receptor modulators, and glucocorticoids. Resveratrol and piceid, stilbenoid antioxidants found in grapes, and zolpidem, a GABAA modulator, increased transfection nearly three-fold. Literature indicate interaction of the identified transfection priming drug clusters with mitochondria, which may modulate mitochondrial dysfunction known to be associated with PEI transfection

Composting reduces the risks of resistome in beef cattle manure at the transcriptional level

Transcriptomic evidence is needed to determine whether composting is more effective than conventional stockpiling in mitigating the risk of resistome in livestock manure. The objective of this study is to compare composting and stockpiling for their effectiveness in reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance in beef cattle manure. Samples collected from the center and the surface of full-size manure stockpiling and composting piles were subject to metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses. While the distinctions in resistome between stockpiled and composted manure were not evident at the DNA level, the advantages of composting over stockpiling were evident at the transcriptomic level in terms of the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), the number of ARG subtypes, and the prevalence of high-risk ARGs (i.e., mobile ARGs associated with zoonotic pathogens). DNA and transcript contigs show that the pathogen hosts of high-risk ARGs included Escherichia coli O157:H7 and O25b:H4, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Salmonella enterica. Although the average daily temperatures for the entire composting pile exceeded 55°C throughout the field study, more ARG and ARG transcripts were removed at the center of the composting pile than at the surface. This work demonstrates the advantage of composting over stockpiling in reducing ARG risk in active populations in beef cattle manure

The use of crop growth models in agro-ecological zonation of rice.

This volume of the SARP Research Proceedings presents a framework for the use of crop growth models in agro-ecological characterization and zonation of ric

Osmotic Stress Induces Phosphorylation of Histone H3 at Threonine 3 in Pericentromeric Regions of \u3ci\u3eArabidopsis thaliana\u3c/i\u3e

Histone phosphorylation plays key roles in stress-induced transcriptional reprogramming in metazoans but its function(s) in land plants has remained relatively unexplored. Here we report that an Arabidopsis mutant defective in At3g03940 and At5g18190, encoding closely related Ser/Thr protein kinases, shows pleiotropic phenotypes including dwarfism and hypersensitivity to osmotic/salt stress. The double mutant has reduced global levels of phosphorylated histone H3 threonine 3 (H3T3ph), which are not enhanced, unlike the response in the wild type, by drought-like treatments. Genome-wide analyses revealed increased H3T3ph, slight enhancement in trimethylated histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3), and a modest decrease in histone H3 occupancy in pericentromeric/knob regions of wild-type plants under osmotic stress. However, despite these changes in heterochromatin, transposons and repeats remained transcriptionally repressed. In contrast, this reorganization of heterochromatin was mostly absent in the double mutant, which exhibited lower H3T3ph levels in pericentromeric regions even under normal environmental conditions. Interestingly, within actively transcribed protein-coding genes, H3T3ph density was minimal in 5′ genic regions, coincidental with a peak of H3K4me3 accumulation. This pattern was not affected in the double mutant, implying the existence of additional H3T3 protein kinases in Arabidopsis. Our results suggest that At3g03940 and At5g18190 are involved in the phosphorylation of H3T3 in pericentromeric/knob regions and that this repressive epigenetic mark may be important for maintaining proper heterochromatic organization and, possibly, chromosome function(s)

Effects of Nutrient Level and Growth Rate on the Conjugation Process That Transfers Mobile Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Continuous Cultures

Bacteria in the effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can transfer antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) to the bacteria in receiving water through conjugation; however, there is a lack of quantitative assessment of this phenomenon in continuous cultures. Our objective was to determine the effects of background nutrient levels in river water column and growth rates of bacteria on the conjugation frequency of ARGs from effluent bacteria to river bacteria, as well as on the resulting resistance level (i.e., MICs) of the river bacteria. Chemostats were employed to simulate the discharge points of WWTPs into rivers, where effluent bacteria (donor cells) meet river bacteria (recipient cells). Both donor and recipient cells were Escherichia coli cells, and the donor cells were constructed by filter mating with bacteria in the effluent of a local WWTP. Results showed that higher bacterial growth rate (0.45 h21 versus 0.15 h21) led to higher conjugation frequencies (1024 versus 1026 transconjugant per recipient). The nutrient level also significantly affected the conjugation frequency, albeit to a lesser extent than the growth rate. The MIC against tetracycline increased from 2 mg/L in the recipient to 64 to 128 mg/L in transconjugants. In comparison, the MIC only increased to as high as 8 mg/L in mutants. Whole-genome sequencing showed that the tet-containing plasmid in both the donor and the transconjugant cells also occur in other fecal bacterial genera. The quantitative information obtained from this study can inform hazard identification related to the proliferation of wastewater-associated ARGs in surface water

Metabolic Syndrome, Gut Microbiome and Dietary Bioactive Peptides, an Unexplored Triad

The gut microbiome is a complex, biochemically rich and essential component of the human metabolic system. It has been our understanding for very long that the gut microbes are primarily there to digest the undigested food (mainly fibers), get nourishment, and in return release metabolites helping host cells -- short-chain fatty acids produced by gut microbes are a great source of energy for the colonocytes. It is only in the last decade, with advancements of DNA sequencing platforms, that we are lettered about the association between the gut microbial composition and metabolic disorders such as obesity, dysglycemia, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases . This creates a momentum to understand the factors shaping the composition of the gut-microbiome, nature of dysbiosis (perturbation of gut microbial composition) associated with human health and ways to modulate the gut microbiome to achieve the desired health benefit