Food2Learn: Effect of 1 year krill oil supplementation on mental well-being in typically developing Dutch adolescents

Poster presentation at: International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids. Sep. 5-9, 2016, Cape Town, South Africa

Cell-cycle-dependent trafficking in the endocytic pathway

In the endocytic pathway, many components are degraded. This is essential for cells in many ways, like uptake of nutrients, defense against pathogens, receptor downregulation, and antigen processing. In interphase, the endocytic pathway is highly dynamic and receives components both from the plasma membrane and from the trans-Golgi network. In mitosis, many cellular processes are downregulated. Secretion is arrested in mitosis, and both the Endoplasmatic Reticulum and the Golgi complex fragments. Little is known about the organelles in the endocytic pathway in mitosis, the endosomes and lysosomes. During this project we have studied endosomes and lysosomes both in interphase and mitosis. We have specially focused on the early endosomal tethering factor, EEA1, which is an important molecule that brings early endosomes in close proximity to facilitate SNARE assembly with a following fusion. EEA1 is a molecule that cycles between early endosomes and cytosol. This on/off cycling we have found to be rapid and highly variable, and these changes in on/off cycling we suggest make EEA1 a sensitive regulator for tethering prior to fusion

Oligomerized, filamentous surface presentation of RANTES/CCL5 on vascular endothelial cells

Vascular endothelial cells present luminal chemokines that arrest rolling leukocytes by activating integrins. It appears that several chemokines must form higher-order oligomers to elicit proper in vivo effects, as mutants restricted to forming dimers have lost the ability to recruit leukocytes to sites of inflammation. Here, we show for the first time that the chemokine RANTES/CCL5 binds to the surface of human endothelial cells in a regular filamentous pattern. Furthermore, the filaments bound to the surface in a heparan sulfate-dependent manner. By electron microscopy we observed labeling for RANTES on membrane projections as well as on the remaining plasma membrane. Mutant constructs of RANTES restricted either in binding to heparin, or in forming dimers or tetramers, appeared either in a granular, non-filamentous pattern or were not detectable on the cell surface. The RANTES filaments were also present after exposure to flow, suggesting that they can be present in vivo. Taken together with the lacking in vivo or in vitro effects of RANTES mutants, we suggest that the filamentous structures of RANTES may be of physiological importance in leukocyte recruitment

Krill oil supplementation's effect on school grades in typically developing adolescents

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) are important for brain development and functioning and with that, possibly school performance. Several cross-sectional studies have shown significant positive associations between fish consumption, an important source of LCPUFA and school grades in adolescents. The effect of LCPUFA supplementation on school grades in adolescents has not been investigated yet. The goal of the current study was to investigate (I) the associations between the Omega-3 Index (O3I) at baseline and after 12 months respectively and school grades and (II) the effect of one year krill oil supplementation (source of LCPUFA) on school grades in adolescents with a low O3I at baseline. A double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial with repeated measurements was executed. Participants received either 400 mg eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) per day for the first three months in Cohort 1 and the nine months thereafter 800 mg EPA + DHA per day, Cohort 2 started immediately with 800 mg EPA + DHA per day,or a placebo. The O3I was monitored with a finger prick at baseline, three, six and twelve months. Subject grades for English, Dutch and math were collected, a standardised mathematics test was executed at baseline and at 12 months. Data was analysed with (I) explorative linear regressions to investigate associations at baseline and follow-up and (II) mixed model analyses separately for each of the subject grades and the standardised mathematics test to investigate the effect of supplementation after 12 months. The krill oil group had a small significant increase in the mean O3I at all time points. However, very few participants achieved the intended target O3I range of 8–11%. At baseline a significant association between baseline O3I and English grade was show, additionally a trend for an association with Dutch grade was shown. After 12 months no significant associations were found. Additionally, there was no significant effect of krill oil supplementation on subject grades or standardised mathematics test score. In this study, no significant effect of krill oil supplementation on subject grades or standardised mathematics test performance was found. However, as many participants dropped out and/or were non-adherent, results should be interpreted with caution

Effect of 1 year krill oil supplementation on cognitive achievement in typically developing Dutch adolescents: Preliminary results

Presentation at: International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids. Sep. 5-9, 2016, Cape Town, South Africa

Results of Food2Learn: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled krill oil supplementation study in adolescents with a low baseline Omega-3 Index

Oral presentation at International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids conference. May 27-31, 2018, Las Vegas, USA