20 research outputs found
Maximizing efficiency of rumen microbial protein production.
Rumen microbes produce cellular protein inefficiently partly because they do not direct all ATP toward growth. They direct some ATP toward maintenance functions, as long-recognized, but they also direct ATP toward reserve carbohydrate synthesis and energy spilling (futile cycles that dissipate heat). Rumen microbes expend ATP by vacillating between (1) accumulation of reserve carbohydrate after feeding (during carbohydrate excess) and (2) mobilization of that carbohydrate thereafter (during carbohydrate limitation). Protozoa account for most accumulation of reserve carbohydrate, and in competition experiments, protozoa accumulated nearly 35-fold more reserve carbohydrate than bacteria. Some pure cultures of bacteria spill energy, but only recently have mixed rumen communities been recognized as capable of the same. When these communities were dosed glucose in vitro, energy spilling could account for nearly 40% of heat production. We suspect that cycling of glycogen (a major reserve carbohydrate) is a major mechanism of spilling; such cycling has already been observed in single-species cultures of protozoa and bacteria. Interconversions of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) may also expend ATP and depress efficiency of microbial protein production. These interconversions may involve extensive cycling of intermediates, such as cycling of acetate during butyrate production in certain butyrivibrios. We speculate this cycling may expend ATP directly or indirectly. By further quantifying the impact of reserve carbohydrate accumulation, energy spilling, and SCFA interconversions on growth efficiency, we can improve prediction of microbial protein production and guide efforts to improve efficiency of microbial protein production in the rumen
The Experiences of Late-diagnosed Women with Autism Spectrum Conditions: An Investigation of the Female Autism Phenotype
Field surveys reveal the presence of anti-androgens in an effluent-receiving river using stickleback-specific biomarkers
This study was designed to assess whether the removal of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and other substances from a Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) effluent (receiving water: R. Ray, Swindon, UK) by granular activated carbon (GAC) affected biomarkers of exposure to EDCs [vitellogenin (VTG) and spiggin] in male and female three-spined sticklebacks in the receiving water. A nearby river (R. Ock), with a negligible effluent loading, was used as a control. On each river fish were sampled from four sites on five occasions both before and after remediation of the WWTW effluent. The results show for the first time in a UK field study a clear seasonality of blood VTG concentrations in wild male fish, following closely the VTG profile in female fish from both rivers. VTG levels in male fish from the R. Ray were significantly reduced after the GAC installation. However, VTG levels in males from the control sites also varied significantly across the same period, reducing the significance of this finding. A laboratory exposure to oestradiol (using site-specific lower and upper levels of oestrogenic activity) failed to elevate VTG concentrations in male sticklebacks suggesting that concentrations in the effluent, even prior to remediation, may not have exceeded a critical sensitivity threshold. Most importantly, a significant increase in female kidney spiggin content (a highly specific biomarker of xeno-androgen exposure) occurred in fish in the R. Ray after the GAC installation to levels comparable with those in fish from the control river. The significance of this finding is strengthened by the fact that during the pre-remediation period in the R. Ray, female spiggin levels increased with increasing distance from the WWTW. Our results provide the first in vivo evidence of the presence of anti-androgens in a U.K. WWTW effluent. To our knowledge this is the first U.K.-based comprehensive field study on the effects of a WWTW upgrade on biomarkers of EDC exposure using a sentinel fish species and our findings confirm the value of the stickleback as a model species for studying EDCs both in the laboratory and in the wild
Whole kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and bean hull reduce the total serum cholesterol, modulate the gut microbiota and affect the caecal fermentation in rats
Contribution of gut microbiota to metabolism of dietary glycine betaine in mice and in vitro colonic fermentation
Background: Accumulating evidence is supporting the protective effect of whole grains against several chronic diseases. Simultaneously, our knowledge is increasing on the impact of gut microbiota on our health and on how diet can modify the composition of our bacterial cohabitants. Herein, we studied C57BL/6 J mice fed with diets enriched with rye bran and wheat aleurone, conventional and germ-free C57BL/6NTac mice on a basal diet, and the colonic fermentation of rye bran in an in vitro model of the human gastrointestinal system. We performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metabolomics on the study samples to determine the effect of bran-enriched diets on the gut microbial composition and the potential contribution of microbiota to the metabolism of a novel group of betainized compounds. Results: The bran-enriched study diets elevated the levels of betainized compounds in the colon contents of C57BL/6 J mice. The composition of microbiota changed, and the bran-enriched diets induced an increase in the relative abundance of several bacterial taxa, including Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium, Coriobacteriaceae, Lactobacillus, Parasutterella, and Ruminococcus, many of which are associated with improved health status or the metabolism of plant-based molecules. The levels of betainized compounds in the gut tissues of germ-free mice were significantly lower compared to conventional mice. In the in vitro model of the human gut, the production of betainized compounds was observed throughout the incubation, while the levels of glycine betaine decreased. In cereal samples, only low levels or trace amounts of other betaines than glycine betaine were observed. Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence that the bacterial taxa increased in relative abundance by the bran-based diet are also involved in the metabolism of glycine betaine into other betainized compounds, adding another potential compound group acting as a mediator of the synergistic metabolic effect of diet and colonic microbiota.</p