Genetic Control of Obesity and Gut Microbiota Composition in Response to High-Fat,High-Sucrose Diet in Mice

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Highlights? Detailed analysis of diet-induced obesity in more than 100 inbred mouse strains ? Identification of 11 genetic loci associated with obesity and dietary responsiveness ? Significant overlap between mouse loci with human GWAS loci for obesity ? Strain-specific shifts in gut microbiota composition in response to dietary intervention     

Isolation and functional characterization of a delta 6-desaturase gene from the pike eel (Muraenesox cinereus)

Stearidonic acid (STA; 18:4n-3) and γ-linolenic acid (GLA; 18:3n-6) are significant intermediates in the biosynthetic pathway for the very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and arachidonic acid (ARA; 20:4n-6), respectively. To develop a sustainable system for the production of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids, we focused on the action of the enzyme delta 6-desaturase (D6DES) on the essential acids, linoleic acid (LA; 18:2n-6) and α-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n-3). A 1,335-bp full-length cDNA encoding D6DES (McD6DES) was cloned from Muraenesox cinereus using degenerate PCR and RACE-PCR methods. To investigate the enzymatic activity of McD6DES in the production of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids, a recombinant plasmid expressing McD6DES (pYES-McD6DES) was transformed into and expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The exogenously expressed McD6DES produced GLA and STA at conversion rates of 14.2% and 45.9%, respectively, from the exogenous LA and ALA substrates. These results indicate that McD6DES is essentially a delta 6-desaturase involved in very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid synthesis.     

Vitamin D-binding protein interacts with Aβ and suppresses Aβ-mediated pathology

The level of vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) is increased in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer''s disease (AD), suggesting a relationship with its pathogenesis. In this study, we investigated whether and how DBP is related to AD using several different approaches. A pull-down assay and a surface plasmon resonance binding assay indicated direct interactions between purified DBP and amyloid beta (Aβ), which was confirmed in the brain of AD patients and transgenic AD model mice by immunoprecipitation assay and immunohistochemical double-staining method. Moreover, atomic force microscopic examination revealed that DBP reduced Aβ aggregation in vitro. DBP also prevented Aβ-mediated death in cultured mouse hippocampal HT22 cell line. Finally, DBP decreased Aβ-induced synaptic loss in the hippocampus and rescued memory deficits in mice after injection of Aβ into the lateral ventricle. These results provide converging evidence that DBP attenuates the harmful effects of Aβ by a direct interaction, and suggest that DBP is a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of AD.     

Next-generation sequencing-based transcriptome analysis of l-lysine-producing Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 21300 strain

In the present study, 151 genes showed a significant change in their expression levels in Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 21300 compared with those of C. glutamicum ATCC 13032. Of these 151 genes, 56 genes (2%) were up-regulated and 95 genes (3%) were down-regulated. RNA sequencing analysis also revealed that 11 genes, involved in the L-lysine biosynthetic pathway of C. glutamicum, were up- or down-regulated compared with those of C. glutamicum ATCC 13032. Of the 151 genes, 10 genes were identified to have mutations including SNP (9 genes) and InDel (1 gene). This information will be useful for genome breeding of C. glutamicum to develop an industrial amino acid-producing strain with minimal mutation.     

Volatile fatty acid production from lignocellulosic biomass by lime pretreatment and its applications to industrial biotechnology

Lignocellulosic biomass was pretreated with lime, and used for the production of VFA (volatile fatty acid) through batch anaerobic digestion. About 0.34 g VFA yield was obtained using 10 g/L reed, after 3 days of fermentation with lime treatment; however, a higher VFA yield (more than 0.5 g/g biomass) was achieved with a modified lime treatment. Overall, our study showed that that the modified lime treatment is better suited for VFA production. VFAs can be widely used in platforms for fuels and chemicals from biomass.     

Implementation of batchwise bioscouring of cotton knits

The examination of critical factors determining the performance of bioscouring showed that a short treatment of the fabric at greater than 80°C after pectinase treatment at 60°C was essential for removal of waxes from the fabric as demonstrated by diminished intensities of methylene peaks in FT-IR measurements. Batch-wise bioscouring of cotton knits was carried out several times with post-treatment at 80°C using a rapid dyeing machine. The dye-ability of bioscoured knits was as good as the company's alkaline scoured ones with slightly higher K/S values. Water pollution caused by effluents of bioscouring and alkaline processes were estimated, as well as that due to the input of chemicals and enzymes. Higher BOD:COD_Cr ratios for enzymes indicated their biodegradable character. After calculation of energy consumption using a simulation program, an economic evaluation of the two processes was done on the basis of one ton production by considering the costs of chemicals and enzyme, water usage, energy consumption and waste water treatment charge.     

Anti‐adipogenic Effects of αAL14 Mediated by Modulation of PI3K/Akt Pathways in 3T3-L1 Cells

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - A model peptide, αAL14, was designed from the primary structure of a novel antimicrobial peptide purified form the abalone....