Lemon Polyphenols Suppress Diet-induced Obesity by Up-Regulation of mRNA Levels of the Enzymes Involved in β-Oxidation in Mouse White Adipose Tissue

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary lemon polyphenols on high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice, and on the regulation of the expression of the genes involved in lipid metabolism to elucidate the mechanisms. Mice were divided into three groups and fed either a low fat diet (LF) or a high fat diet (HF) or a high fat diet supplemented with 0.5% w/w lemon polyphenols (LP) extracted from lemon peel for 12 weeks. Body weight gain, fat pad accumulation, the development of hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance were significantly suppressed by lemon polyphenols. Supplementation with lemon polyphenols also significantly up-regulated the mRNA level of the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-α (PPARα) compared to the LF and HF groups in the liver. Furthermore, the mRNA level of acyl-CoA oxidase (ACO) was up-regulated in the LP group compared to the LF group, but not HF group in the liver, and was also significantly increased in the epididymal white adipose tissue. Thus, feeding with lemon polyphenols suppressed body weight gain and body fat accumulation by increasing peroxisomal β-oxidation through up-regulation of the mRNA level of ACO in the liver and white adipose tissue, which was likely mediated via up-regulation of the mRNA levels of PPARα

Comparative genomics of Fructobacillus spp. and Leuconostoc spp. reveals niche-specific evolution of Fructobacillus spp.

Background: Fructobacillus spp. in fructose-rich niches belong to the family Leuconostocaceae. They were originally classified as Leuconostoc spp., but were later grouped into a novel genus, Fructobacillus, based on their phylogenetic position, morphology and specific biochemical characteristics. The unique characters, so called fructophilic characteristics, had not been reported in the group of lactic acid bacteria, suggesting unique evolution at the genome level. Here we studied four draft genome sequences of Fructobacillus spp. and compared their metabolic properties against those of Leuconostoc spp.Results: Fructobacillus species possess significantly less protein coding sequences in their small genomes. The number of genes was significantly smaller in carbohydrate transport and metabolism. Several other metabolic pathways, including TCA cycle, ubiquinone and other terpenoid-quinone biosynthesis and phosphotransferase systems, were characterized as discriminative pathways between the two genera. The adhE gene for bifunctional acetaldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase, and genes for subunits of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex were absent in Fructobacillus spp. The two genera also show different levels of GC contents, which are mainly due to the different GC contents at the third codon position.Conclusion: The present genome characteristics in Fructobacillus spp. suggest reductive evolution that took place to adapt to specific niches

ツシマ デントウ ハッコウ ショクヒン 「センダンゴ」 ノ カク チイキ ニ オケル セイゾウ ホウホウ

長崎県対馬市は南北に長い島であり,対馬のそれぞれの農家ではサツマイモを原料とした固有の伝統保存食品である『せんだんご』を小規模に製造している。 せんだんごは,水で戻し,捏ねた生地を麺状に加工して茹であげ『ろくべえ麺』として食される。 ろくべえは,原料であるサツマイモ単体では生じ得ない食感を有していることから,せんだんごの製造工程に着目した。 せんだんごの製造には,"芋を腐らせる(発酵させる)"工程,それを丸めて数ヶ月に及ぶ軒下での"寒晒し"の工程があることから,島内各地域の「せんだんご製造農家」を訪問し,製造方法の調査を行った。 その結果,これら両工程にはカビなどの微生物が繁殖しており,黒色カビが繁殖した場合は味が悪くなるという理由からその部位が破棄され,白色や青色カビが繁殖した部位の製造が続行される。 このことから微生物の働きがあってせんだんごとなり,さらにろくべえ麺特有の食感が与えられると推察した。 さらに,せんだんご製造に重要な働きをすると考えられる微生物を特定するにあたり,数年にわたり島内の調査を重ねた結果,基本的にはせんだんご製造工程には3段階の発酵工程(発酵1(浸漬),発酵2(棚板に広げて発酵),発酵3(ソフトボール大の塊で発酵))と洗浄・成型工程の2工程4区分に分けられることが確認された。Sendango is an indigenous preserved food derived from sweet potato that is traditionally made in Tsushima, Japan located between the Korean Peninsula and Kyushu. The local people process a noodle called Rokube from Sendango and eat it with soup, fish or chicken. Rokube has a unique texture similar to konyaku, and unlike that of cooked sweet potato. There are two or three fermentation processes involved in Sendango production; therefore, we inferred that the unique texture of Rokube may result from the fermentation process. Sendango is manufactured in several farmhouses on the island ; however, the manufacturing process varies among districts. We investigated each local Sendango manufacturing process and determined the microorganisms involved in fermentation. The investigation of Sendango manufacturing procedures was carried out in three towns, Toyotama, Izuhara, and Mitsushima, by interviews and observations between December and February each year from 2008 to 2011. The processes consist of three main fermentations. In Fermentation-1 (F1), sliced or smashed sweet potatoes were soaked in cold water for 7-10 days. Gas production and film formation were observed during F1. In Fermentation-2 (F2), the soaked sweet potato pieces were piled to a thickness of 5-20cm for 20-30 days. Intense propagation of filamentous fungi was observed during F2. In fermentation-3 (F3), softball-sized lumps were formed on the sticky sweet potato by fungi. The sweet potatoes were left outside for approximately 1 month. The lumps gradually hardened by drying. Many fungal mycelia were observed on the surface of potatoes and inside the lumps during F3. The three aforementioned fermentation processes were used for Sendango production in two towns (Toyotama and Izuhara). In Izuhara, smashed sweet potatoes were placed in sandbags knit with plastic strings, and the bags were soaked in the flowing river water. The sandbags collected from the river water were left on the river bank for 20 days. F2 was carried out in sandbags. In Mitsushima, Sendango production consisted of two fermentation processes, F1 and F3. The fermentation process occurs over a long time period. The propagation of filamentous fungi was particularly intense during F2 and F3. It is thought that filamentous fungi are indispensable for Sendango production. We characterized the microorganisms participating in Sendango production based on this investigation

黒ゴマ発酵食品チャブクの微生物

Cabuk was local javanese fermented food used with black sesame pressed cake as raw material in Indonesia. The chemical components of three kind samples were moisture 11.0-12.4%, crude protein 25.2-26.0%, crude fat 21.3-22.2%, Carbohydrate 37.7-37.9%, crude fiber 3.0-3.4, and ash 0.05-0.1%. The microorganisms isolated were aerobic, endospore-formig and gram positive rods, were identified Bacillus subtilis. These B.subtilis were consistented with the properties of type strain of B. subtilis

A comprehensive validation of very early rule-out strategies for non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in emergency departments:protocol for a multicentre prospective cohort study

Introduction: Recent advances in troponin sensitivity enabled early and accurate judgement of ruling-out myocardial infarction, especially non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) in emergency departments (EDs) with development of various prediction-rules and high-sensitive-troponin-based strategies (hs-troponin). Reliance on clinical impression, however, is still common, and it remains unknown which of these strategies is superior. Therefore, our objective in this prospective cohort study is to comprehensively validate the diagnostic accuracy of clinical impression-based strategies, prediction-rules and hs-troponin-based strategies for ruling-out NSTEMIs. Methods and analysis: In total, 1500 consecutive adult patients with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome will be prospectively recruited from five EDs in two tertiary-level, two secondary-level community hospitals and one university hospital in Japan. The study has begun in July 2018, and recruitment period will be about 1 year. A board-certified emergency physician will complete standardised case report forms, and independently perform a clinical impression-based risk estimation of NSTEMI. Index strategies to be compared will include the clinical impression-based strategy; prediction rules and hs-troponin-based strategies for the following types of troponin (Roche Elecsys hs-troponin T; Abbott ARCHITECT hs-troponin I; Siemens ADVIA Centaur hs-troponin I; Siemens ADVIA Centaur sensitive-troponin I). The reference standard will be the composite of type 1 MI and cardiac death within 30 days after admission to the ED. Outcome measures will be negative predictive value, sensitivity and effectiveness, defined as the proportion of patients categorised as low risk for NSTEMI. We will also evaluate inter-rater reliability of the clinical impression-based risk estimation. Ethics and dissemination: The study is approved by the Ethics Committees of the Kyoto University Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine and of the five hospitals where we will recruit patients. We will disseminate the study results through conference presentations and peer-reviewed journals

WDR55 Is a Nucleolar Modulator of Ribosomal RNA Synthesis, Cell Cycle Progression, and Teleost Organ Development

The thymus is a vertebrate-specific organ where T lymphocytes are generated. Genetic programs that lead to thymus development are incompletely understood. We previously screened ethylnitrosourea-induced medaka mutants for recessive defects in thymus development. Here we report that one of those mutants is caused by a missense mutation in a gene encoding the previously uncharacterized protein WDR55 carrying the tryptophan-aspartate-repeat motif. We find that WDR55 is a novel nucleolar protein involved in the production of ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Defects in WDR55 cause aberrant accumulation of rRNA intermediates and cell cycle arrest. A mutation in WDR55 in zebrafish also leads to analogous defects in thymus development, whereas WDR55-null mice are lethal before implantation. These results indicate that WDR55 is a nuclear modulator of rRNA synthesis, cell cycle progression, and embryonic organogenesis including teleost thymus development