Different Fecal Microbiotas and Volatile Organic Compounds in Treated and Untreated Children with Celiac Disease

This study aimed at investigating the fecal microbiotas of children with celiac disease (CD) before (U-CD) and after (T-CD) they were fed a gluten-free diet and of healthy children (HC). Brothers or sisters of T-CD were enrolled as HC. Each group consisted of seven children. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis with V3 universal primers revealed a unique profile for each fecal sample. PCR-DGGE analysis with group- or genus-specific 16S rRNA gene primers showed that the Lactobacillus community of U-CD changed significantly, while the diversity of the Lactobacillus community of T-CD was quite comparable to that of HC. Compared to HC, the ratio of cultivable lactic acid bacteria and Bifidobacterium to Bacteroides and enterobacteria was lower in T-CD and even lower in U-CD. The percentages of strains identified as lactobacilli differed as follows: HC (ca. 38%) > T-CD (ca. 17%) > U-CD (ca. 10%). Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus rossiae, and Lactobacillus pentosus were identified only in fecal samples from T-CD and HC. Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, and Lactobacillus gasseri were identified only in several fecal samples from HC. Compared to HC, the composition of Bifidobacterium species of T-CD varied, and it varied even more for U-CD. Forty-seven volatile organic compounds (VOCs) belonging to different chemical classes were identified using gas-chromatography mass spectrometry-solid-phase microextraction analysis. The median concentrations varied markedly for HC, T-CD, and U-CD. Overall, the r² values for VOC data for brothers and sisters were equal to or lower than those for unrelated HC and T-CD. This study shows the effect of CD pathology on the fecal microbiotas of children.The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a complex ecosystem containing up to 10¹⁴ total bacteria. These microorganisms belong to more than 500 different bacterial species, even though 99% of the total community consists of only 30 to 40 species. The GI microbiota plays a key role in health and disease (11, 23). The health effects are direct, due to a stable microbiota resistant to incoming potential pathogenic microbes, and/or indirect, due to cross talk with the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (1). The GI microbiota metabolizes nutrients and activates both innate and adaptive immunity (27). Specific strains of the GI microbiota and/or supplied probiotics decrease intestinal inflammation and normalize dysfunction of the GI mucosa (39). The GI microbiota is also involved in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and other immunity-related disorders (42). Overall, IBD patients have altered densities of mucosa-associated bacteria compared to healthy subjects. In particular, the numbers of protective Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus cells are lower, while the numbers of harmful Bacteroides and Escherichia coli cells are higher (42). Recently, microbial infections and especially imbalances in the composition of the GI microbiota were associated with the presentation of celiac disease (CD) (3, 41).CD is an inflammatory disorder of the small intestine that affects genetically predisposed individuals when they ingest gluten from any Triticum species and similar proteins of barley and rye and their crossbred varieties. CD is associated with maldigestion and malabsorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Epidemiological studies in Europe and the United States have indicated that the incidence of CD is increasing and that CD affects approximately 1% of the general population (31). The pathogenesis of CD involves interactions between genetic, immunological, and environmental factors. HLA-DQ2/DQ8 molecules of antigen-presenting cells bind and present gluten peptides to the lamina propria of CD4⁺ T cells, triggering a T helper 1-based immune response, along with the synthesis of gamma interferon. Frequently, gamma interferon enhances the synthesis of tumor necrosis factor alpha and plays a crucial role in damaging the intestinal mucosa (3, 29). Events leading to CD also involve activation of the innate immunity mediated by interleukin-15 and are characterized by expansion of intraepithelial T-cell receptor γ/δ⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell receptor α/β⁺ lymphocytes. These lymphocytes are cytotoxic and also contribute to tissue damage (10). Currently, the only treatment for CD consists of a life-long gluten-free diet. Complete removal of gluten from the diet of CD patients results in symptomatic, serological, and histological remission in the majority of cases (32). With strict dietary control, antibody levels may revert to normal levels within 6 to 12 months, while complete histological resolution may take up to 2 years (31). Nevertheless, in some pathological conditions, such as lactose malabsorption and refractory sprue, symptoms may persist. Such pathological conditions are also characterized by small intestine bacterial overgrowth (44).The role of bacteria during development and treatment of CD should be elucidated (29, 38). The inflammatory milieu caused by gluten antigens could lead to imbalances in the GI microbiota of CD patients. Compared to healthy individuals, CD patients seem to be characterized by higher numbers of gram-negative bacteria and lower numbers gram-positive bacteria (3). Overall, gram-negative bacteria could activate proinflammatory pathways, while gram-positive bacteria, such as lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, could inhibit toxic effects induced by other GI species (26) or gluten antigens (5, 19).This study aimed at investigating the differences in the fecal microbiota between treated children with CD (T-CD), untreated children with CD (U-CD), and healthy children (HC). HC belonging to the same family unit as T-CD were enrolled to avoid interference due to genetic factors and dietary components. The fecal microbiota was characterized by using an integrate approach involving culture-independent and culture-dependent methods and analysis of the fecal volatile organic compounds (VOCs).     

Stability of intramolecular quadruplexes: sequence effects in the central loop

Hundreds of thousands of putative quadruplex sequences have been found in the human genome. It is important to understand the rules that govern the stability of these intramolecular structures. In this report, we analysed sequence effects in a 3-base-long central loop, keeping the rest of the quadruplex unchanged. A first series of 36 different sequences were compared; they correspond to the general formula GGGTTTGGGHNHGGGTTTGGG. One clear rule emerged from the comparison of all sequence motifs: the presence of an adenine at the first position of the loop was significantly detrimental to stability. In contrast, adenines have no detrimental effect when present at the second or third position of the loop. Cytosines may either have a stabilizing or destabilizing effect depending on their position. In general, the correlation between the T_m or ΔG° in sodium and potassium was weak. To determine if these sequence effects could be generalized to different quadruplexes, specific loops were tested in different sequence contexts. Analysis of 26 extra sequences confirmed the general destabilizing effect of adenine as the first base of the loop(s). Finally, analysis of some of the sequences by microcalorimetry (DSC) confirmed the differences found between the sequence motifs.     

Repeated fed-batch cultivation of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis using urea as nitrogen source

Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis (Nordstedt) Gomont was autotrophically cultivated for biomass production in repeated fed-batch process using urea as nitrogen source, with the aim of making large-scale production easier, increasing cell productivity and then reducing the production costs. It was investigated the influence of the ratio of renewed volume to total volume (R), the urea feeding time (t_f) and the number of successive repeated fed-batch cycles on the maximum cell concentration (X_m), cell productivity (P_x), nitrogen-to-cell conversion yield (Y_x/n), maximum specific growth rate (μ_m) and protein content of dry biomass. The experimental results demonstrated that R = 0.80 and t_f = 6 d were the best cultivation conditions, being able to simultaneously ensure, throughout the three fed-batch cycles, the highest average values of three of the five responses (X_m = 2101 ± 113 mg L^?1, P_x = 219 ± 13 mg L^?1 d^?1 and Y_x/n = 10.3 ± 0.8 g g^?1).     

Hesperidin Gastroresistant Microparticles by Spray-Drying: Preparation, Characterization, and Dissolution Profiles

Gastroresistant microparticles for oral administration of hesperidin (Hd) were produced by spray-drying using cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP) as enteric polymer in different polymer/Hd weight ratio (1:1, 3:1, and 5:1), and a series of enhancers of the dissolution rate, such as sodium carboxymethylcellulose crosslinked (CMC), sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS), or Tween85. The raw materials and the microparticles were investigated by differential-scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and imaged using scanning electron and fluorescence microscopy. In vitro dissolution tests were conducted using a pH-change method to investigate the influence of formulative parameters on the dissolution/release properties of the drug. CAP/Hd microparticles showed a good gastro-resistance but incomplete drug dissolution in the simulated intestinal fluid (SIF). The presence of the enhancers in the formulation produced well-formed microparticles with different size and morphology, containing the drug well coated by the polymer. All the enhancers were able to increase the dissolution rate of Hd in the simulated intestinal environment without altering CAP ability to protect Hd in the acidic fluid. The spray-drying technique and process conditions selected were effective in microencapsulating and stabilizing the flavonoid giving satisfactory encapsulation efficiency, product yield, and microparticles morphology, and a complete drug release in the intestine.     

Isolation and expansion of equine umbilical cord-derived matrix cells (EUCMCs)

Stem cells from extra-embryonic sources can be obtained by non-invasive procedures. We have standardized a method for the expansion of equine umbilical cord-derived matrix cells (EUCMCs) for potential therapy.EUCMCs were isolated from the umbilical cord of five mares immediately after delivery. For expansion, cells were grown in α-MEM and MSCBM. Moreover, to measure the effect of growth factor supplementation, epidermal growth factor (EGF) was added to α-MEM.α-MEM and MSCBM media performed similarly in terms of population doubling and CFU number value. EGF supplementation of α-MEM determined a significant increase of the population doubling value. EGF supplementation did not affect the adipogenic and chondrogenic differentiation while bone nodule sizes an increased with the osteogenic protocol.Both α-MEM and MSCBM can be used to cultivate EUCMCs. α-MEM supplemented with EGF might represent an advantage for EUCMCs expansion. The results could be useful in choosing the culture medium since α-MEM is more cost-effective than MSCBM.     

Dopamine quinones interact with α-synuclein to form unstructured adducts

α-Synuclein (αsyn) fibril formation is considered a central event in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). In recent years, it has been proposed that prefibrillar annular oligomeric β-sheet-rich species, called protofibrils, rather than fibrils themselves, may be the neurotoxic species. The oxidation products of dopamine (DAQ) can inhibit αsyn fibril formation supporting the idea that DAQ might stabilize αsyn protofibrils.In the present work, through different biochemical and biophysical techniques, we isolated and structurally characterized αsyn/DAQ adducts. Contrary to protofibrils, we demonstrated that αsyn/DAQ adducts retain an unfolded conformation. We then investigated the nature of the modifications induced on αsyn by DAQ. Our results indicate that only a small fraction of αsyn interacts with DAQ in a covalent way, so that non-covalent interaction appears to be the major modification induced by DAQ on αsyn.     

In Vivo Accumulation of Helicobacter pylori Products,NOD1, Ubiquitinated Proteins and Proteasome in a Novel Cytoplasmic Structure

Cell internalization and intracellular fate of H. pylori products/virulence factors in vivo by human gastric epithelium, the main target of H. pylori-induced pathologies (i.e., peptic ulcer and cancer), are still largely unknown. Investigating gastric endoscopic biopsies from dyspeptic patients by means of ultrastructural immunocytochemistry, here we show that, in human superficial-foveolar epithelium and its metaplastic or dysplastic foci, H. pylori virulence factors accumulated in a discrete cytoplasmic structure characterized by 13-nm-thick cylindrical particles of regular punctate-linear substructure resembling the proteasome complex in size and structure. Inside this particle-rich cytoplasmic structure (PaCS) we observed colocalization of VacA, CagA, urease and outer membrane proteins with NOD1 receptor, ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1, polyubiquitinated proteins, proteasome components and potentially oncogenic proteins like SHP2 and ERKs in human gastric epithelium. By means of electron and confocal microscopy, we demonstrate that the in vivo findings were reproduced in vitro by incubating human epithelial cell lines with H. pylori products/virulence factors. PaCSs differed from VacA-induced vacuoles, phagosomes, aggresomes or related bodies. Our data suggest that PaCS is a novel, proteasome-enriched structure arising in ribosome-rich cytoplasm at sites of H. pylori products accumulation. As a site of selective concentration of bacterial virulence factors, the ubiquitin-proteasome system and interactive proteins, PaCS is likely to modulate immune-inflammatory and proliferative responses of the gastric epithelium of potential pathologic relevance.     

Associative learning in ants: Conditioning of the maxilla-labium extension response in Camponotus aethiops

Associative learning has been studied in many vertebrates and invertebrates. In social insects, the proboscis extension response conditioning of honey bees has been widely used for several decades. However, a similar paradigm has not been developed for ants, which are advanced social insects showing different morphological castes and a plethora of life histories. Here we present a novel conditioning protocol using Camponotus aethiops. When the antennae of a harnessed ant are stimulated with sucrose solution, the ant extends its maxilla-labium to absorb the sucrose. We term this the “maxilla-labium extension response” (MaLER). MaLER could be conditioned by forward pairing an odour (conditioned stimulus) with sucrose (unconditioned stimulus) in the course of six conditioning trials (absolute conditioning). In non-rewarded tests following conditioning, ants gave significantly higher specific responses to the conditioned stimulus than to a novel odour. When trained for differential conditioning, ants discriminated between the odour forward-paired with sucrose and an odour forward-paired with quinine (a putative aversive stimulus). In both absolute and differential conditioning, memory lasted for at least 1 h. MaLER conditioning allows full control of the stimulation sequence, inter-stimulus and inter-trial intervals and satiety, which is crucial for any further study on associative learning in ants.     

Simultaneous Protein Expression and Modification: An Efficient Approach for Production of Unphosphorylated and Biotinylated Receptor Tyrosine Kinases by Triple Infection in the Baculovirus Expression System

Protein kinases can adopt multiple protein conformations depending on their activation status. Recently, in drug discovery, a paradigm shift has been initiated, moving from inhibition of fully activated, phosphorylated kinases to targeting the inactive, unphosphorylated forms. For identification and characterization of putative inhibitors, also interacting with the latent kinase conformation outside of the kinase domain, highly purified and homogeneous protein preparations of unphosphorylated kinases are essential. The kinetic parameters of nonphosphorylated kinases cannot be assessed easily by standard kinase enzyme assays as a result of their intrinsic autophosphorylation activity. Kinetic binding rate constants of inhibitor-protein interactions can be measured by biophysical means upon protein immobilization on chips. Protein immobilization can be achieved under mild conditions by binding biotinylated proteins to streptavidin-coated chips, exploiting the strong and highly specific streptavidin–biotin interaction. In the work reported here, the cytoplasmic domains of insulin receptor and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor fused to a biotin ligase recognition sequence were coexpressed individually with the phosphatase YopH and the biotin-protein ligase BirA upon triple infection in insect cells. Tandem affinity purification yielded pure cytoplasmic kinase domains as judged by gel electrophoresis and HPLC. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed the absence of any protein phosphorylation. Coexpression of BirA led to quantitative and site-specific biotinylation of the kinases, which had no influence on the catalytic activity of the kinases, as demonstrated by the identical phosphorylation pattern upon autoactivation and by enzymatic assay. This coexpression approach should be applicable to other protein kinases as well and should greatly facilitate the production of protein kinases in their phosphorylated and unphosphorylated state suitable for enzymatic and biophysical studies.