4 research outputs found
Examining the immunoepigenetic-gut microbiome axis in the context of self-esteem among Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders
Introduction: Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (NHPI) populations experience higher rates of immunometabolic diseases compared to other racial-ethnic groups in Hawaii. As annual NHPI mortality rates for suicide and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) exceed those of the state as a whole, understanding the social and biological mechanisms underlying these disparities are urgently needed to enable preventive strategies.Methods: A community-based approach was used to investigate the immunoepigenetic-gut microbiome axis in an NHPI-enriched cohort of Oahu residents (N = 68). Self-esteem (SE) data was collected using a modified Rosenberg self-esteem (SE) assessment as a proxy measure for mental wellbeing in consideration for cultural competency. T2DM status was evaluated using point-of-care A1c (%) tests. Stool samples were collected for 16s-based metagenomic sequencing analyses. Plasma from blood samples were isolated by density-gradient centrifugation. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from the same samples and enriched for monocytes using negative selection techniques. Flow-cytometry was used for immunoprofiling assays. Monocyte DNA was extracted for Illumina EPIC array-based methylation analysis.Results: Compared to individuals with normal SE (NSE), those with low SE (LSE) exhibited significantly higher plasma concentrations (pg/ml) of proinflammatory cytokines IL-8 (p = 0.051) and TNF-α (p = 0.011). Metagenomic analysis revealed that the relative abundance (%) of specific gut bacteria significantly differed between SE groups - some of which directly correlated with SE scores. Gene ontology analysis revealed that 104 significantly differentially methylated loci (DML) between SE groups were preferentially located at genes involved in immunometabolic processes. Horvath clock analyses indicated epigenetic age (Epi-Age) deceleration in individuals with LSE and acceleration in individuals with NSE (p = 0.042), yet was not reproduced by other clocks.Discussion: These data reveal novel differences in the immunoepigenetic-gut microbiome axis with respect to SE, warranting further investigation into its relationship to brain activity and mental health in NHPI. Unexpected results from Epi-Age analyses warrant further investigation into the relationship between biological age and disparate health outcomes among the NHPI population. The modifiable component of epigenetic processes and the gut microbiome makes this axis an attractive target for potential therapeutics, biomarker discovery, and novel prevention strategies
Investigating the Interactions Between the Gut Microbiome and Inflammation During Pregnancy in a Multiethnic Cohort
M.S
Examining the immunoepigenetic-gut microbiome axis in the context of self-esteem among Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders
There are two parts of the dataset:
 - Metadata consists of demographic variables used in the analysis
 - OTU file consists of the absolute abundance of each sample
sn is a participant number matching between the metadata and OTU file</p
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Cephalopod-omics: Emerging Fields and Technologies in Cephalopod Biology.
Few animal groups can claim the level of wonder that cephalopods instill in the minds of researchers and the general public. Much of cephalopod biology, however, remains unexplored: the largest invertebrate brain, difficult husbandry conditions, and complex (meta-)genomes, among many other things, have hindered progress in addressing key questions. However, recent technological advancements in sequencing, imaging, and genetic manipulation have opened new avenues for exploring the biology of these extraordinary animals. The cephalopod molecular biology community is thus experiencing a large influx of researchers, emerging from different fields, accelerating the pace of research in this clade. In the first post-pandemic event at the Cephalopod International Advisory Council (CIAC) conference in April 2022, over 40 participants from all over the world met and discussed key challenges and perspectives for current cephalopod molecular biology and evolution. Our particular focus was on the fields of comparative and regulatory genomics, gene manipulation, single-cell transcriptomics, metagenomics, and microbial interactions. This article is a result of this joint effort, summarizing the latest insights from these emerging fields, their bottlenecks, and potential solutions. The article highlights the interdisciplinary nature of the cephalopod-omics community and provides an emphasis on continuous consolidation of efforts and collaboration in this rapidly evolving field