Effects of a Longitudinal Training Program on Responses to Exercise in Overweight Men

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine how training modifies metabolic responses and lipid oxidation in overweight young male subjects. Research Methods and Procedures: Eleven overweight subjects were selected for a 4‐month endurance training program. Before and after the training period, they cycled for 60 minutes at 50% of their Vo ₂max after an overnight fast or 3 hours after eating a standardized meal. Various metabolic and endocrine parameters, and respiratory exchange ratio values were evaluated. Results: Exercise‐induced plasma norepinephrine concentration increases were similar before and after training in fasted or fed conditions. After food intake, exercise promoted a decrease in plasma glucose and a higher increase in epinephrine than in fasting conditions. The increase in epinephrine after the meal was more marked after training (264 ± 32 vs. 195 ± 35 pg/mL). Training lowered the resting plasma nonesterified fatty acids. During exercise, changes in glycerol were similar to those found before training. Lipid oxidation during exercise was higher in fasting than in fed conditions (15.5 ± 1.4 vs. 22.3 ± 1.7 g/h). Training did not significantly increase fat oxidation when exercise was performed in fed conditions, but it did in fasting conditions (18.6 ± 1.4 vs. 27.2 ± 1.8 g/h). Discussion: Endurance training decreased plasma nonesterified fatty acids, cholesterol, and insulin concentrations. Training increased lipid oxidation during exercise, in fasting conditions, and not when exercise was performed after the meal. During exercise in overweight subjects, the fasting condition seems more suited to oxidizing fat and maintaining glucose homeostasis than a 3‐hour wait after a standard meal.     

Activation of alpha2-adrenergic receptors blunts epinephrine-induced lipolysis in subcutaneous adipose tissue during a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp in men

The aim of this study was to investigate whether hyperinsulinemia modifies adrenergic control of lipolysis, with particular attention paid to the involvement of antilipolytic alpha2-adrenergic receptors (AR). Eight healthy male subjects (age: 23.9 +/- 0.9 yr; body mass index: 23.8 +/- 1.9) were investigated during a 6-h euglycemichyperinsulinemic clamp and in control conditions. Before and during the clamp, the effect of graded perfusions of isoproterenol (0.1 and 1 microM) or epinephrine (1 and 10 microM) on the extracellular glycerol concentration in subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue was evaluated by using the microdialysis method. Both isoproterenol and epinephrine induced a dose-dependent increase in extracellular glycerol concentration when infused for 60 min through the microdialysis probes before and during hours 3 and 6 of the clamp. The catecholamine-induced increase was significantly lower during the clamp than before it, with the inhibition being more pronounced in hour 6 of the clamp. Isoproterenol (1 microM)-induced lipolysis was reduced by 28 and 44% during hours 3 and 6 of the clamp, respectively, whereas the reduction of epinephrine (100 microM)-induced lipolysis was significantly greater (by 63 and 70%, P < 0.01 and P < 0.04, respectively) during the same time intervals. When epinephrine was infused in combination with 100 microM phentolamine (a nonselective alpha-AR antagonist), the inhibition of epinephrine (10 microM)-induced lipolysis was only of 19 and 40% during hours 3 and 6 of the clamp, respectively. The results demonstrate that, in situ, insulin counteracts the epinephrine-induced lipolysis in adipose tissue. The effect involves 1) reduction of lipolysis stimulation mediated by the beta-adrenergic pathway and 2) the antilipolytic component of epinephrine action mediated by alpha2-ARs.     

HPLC-analysis of algal pigments: comparison of columns,column properties and eluents

The effects of columns (Nucleosil C₁₈ODS, MZ-PAH, YMC-PACK C₃₀), column properties (inner diameters of 4 mm, 3 mm and 2 mm, pore-width 10 nm and 30 nm) and eluents (methanol, acetonitrile, acetone, water) were tested on the separation of algal pigments. The length of columns was 250 mm and particle size was 5 μm. Flow rates and gradients were adjusted to optimize peak separation; remaining chromatographic conditions were kept constant. The resolution of chromatographic systems was tested with pigment standards and various algal cultures. Total flow rate and retention times decreased with decreasing inner diameter, whereas pressure, sensitivity and peak-width increased. Pore width had negligible effects on the chromatographic separation of pigments under the test conditions. Only with acetonitrile as eluent were all the taxonomically important pigments resolved adequately: zeaxanthin (Cyanophyceae), lutein (Chlorophyceae), fucoxanthin (Bacillariopyceae), alloxanthin (Cryptophyceae), peridinin (Dinophyceae).     

The agmatine-degrading enzyme agmatinase: a key to agmatine signaling in rat and human brain?

Agmatinase, an ureohydrolase belonging to the arginase family, is widely expressed in mammalian tissues including the brain. Here, it may serve two different functions, the inactivation of the arginine derivative agmatine, a putative neurotransmitter, and the formation of the diamine putrescine. In order to identify the cellular sources of agmatinase expression in the brain, we generated a polyclonal monospecific antibody against recombinant rat agmatinase. With immunocytochemistry, selected areas of rat and human brain were screened. Clearly, in both species agmatinase-like immunoreactivity was predominantly detected in distinct populations of neurons, especially cortical interneurons. Also, principal neurons in limbic regions like the habenula and in the cerebellum robustly expressed agmatinase protein. When comparing the overall agmatinase expression with immunocytochemical data available for agmatine and polyamine biosynthetic enzymes, the observed pattern may argue in favor of an agmatine inactivating function rather than fueling the alternative pathway of polyamine synthesis. The putative neurotransmitter agmatine is seemingly involved with mental disorders. Therefore, agmatinase may be similarly important for pathogenesis. The normal expression profile of the protein as described here may therefore be altered under pathological conditions.     

Organ-specific DNA damage induced in mice by the organotropic carcinogens 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide and dimethylnitrosamine.

The extent of DNA fragmentation induced in lung, kidney, and liver of mice injected with the chemical carcinogens 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO), dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) and the noncarcinogenic 4-aminoquinoline 1-oxide (4AQO) was estimated by the alkaline sucrose gradient technique. A floating of minced lung tissue pieces in the alkaline lysing solution on top of the gradients afforded a gentle method of lung DNA extraction. This technique minimized mechanical shearing of lung DNA and permitted comparisons to be made with liver and kidney DNA sedimentation patterns. The extent of DNA damage induced by 4NQO followed the order: lung, kidney, liver, while that induced by DMN followed the order: liver, kidney, lung. The sites of greatest DNA damage appeared to correlate with sites of high levels of DNA repair synthesis and the sites of tumor induction. No DNA damage was induced by the noncarcinogenic 4-aminoquinoline 1-oxide (4AQO).     

An analysis of selection on candidate genes for regulation, mobilization, uptake, and transport of iron in maize

Insufficient iron (Fe) availability, which frequently occurs in soils with high pH levels, can lead to leaf chlorosis, a reduced Fe content in harvest products, and yield reduction in maize. The objectives of this study were (i) to describe patterns of sequence variation of 14 candidate genes for mobilization, uptake, and transport of Fe in maize, as well as regulatory function on these processes; (ii) to examine whether Fe-efficiency is an adaptive trait by determining if these genes were targets of selection during domestication; and (iii) to test if the allele distribution at these candidate genes is different for the different subpopulations of maize. The nucleotide diversity of Mtk was reduced by 78% in maize compared with teosinte. The results of our study revealed for the genes Naat1, Nas1, Nramp3, Mtk, and Ys1 a selective sweep, which suggests that these genes might be important for the fast adaptation of maize to new environments with different Fe availabilities.     

甘蓝型油菜种子硫代葡萄糖苷含量的QTL定位及候选基因鉴定

【目的】为了解析油菜种子硫代葡萄糖苷性状的重要遗传位点及候选基因,【方法】本研究利用KN DH群体在冬性环境2015-2018连续4年的种子硫苷含量表型和KN 高密度SNP遗传连锁图谱,通过Wincart 2.5软件的符合区间作图法对甘蓝型油菜种子硫代葡萄糖苷含量进行QTL定位和潜在候选基因鉴定。【结果】共鉴定到47个硫苷含量QTL,单个QTL解释表型变异最大是qGC.16YL19-4(19.44%),解释表型变异最小的是qGC.15YL12-5(1.82%)。利用元分析的方法将初步鉴定的47个QTL整合为38个consensus QTL,其中7个consensus QTL(cqGC.A9-5、cqGC.A9-7、cqGC.A9-9、cqGC.C2-9、cqGC.C2-10、cqGC.C9-5和cqGC.C9-6)为环境稳定表达QTL,包括3个硫苷含量主效QTL(cqGC.A9-5、cqGC.C2-10和cqGC.C9-5)。在主效QTLcqGC.A9-5和cqGC.C9-5鉴定到3个候选基因BnaA09g05480D,BnaC09g05620D和BnaC09g05810D,其功能主要涉及了油菜硫苷生物合成途径中吲哚-3-乙醛肟(IAOx)的合成和将2-烷基-苹果酸异构化形成3-烷基-苹果酸酯,以及硫苷的转运与分配。【结论】本研究获得了油菜种子硫苷含量3个主效QTL及3个候选基因,该结果为硫苷含量相关基因的功能机械和优质油菜品种培育提供理论依据。     

Association mapping in multiple segregating populations of sugar beet (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Beta vulgaris</Emphasis> L.)

Association mapping in multiple segregating populations (AMMSP) combines high power to detect QTL in genome-wide approaches of linkage mapping with high mapping resolution of association mapping. The main objectives of this study were to (1) examine the applicability of AMMSP in a plant breeding context based on segregating populations of various size of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.), (2) compare different biometric approaches for AMMSP, and (3) detect markers with significant main effect across locations for nine traits in sugar beet. We used 768 F _n (n = 2, 3, 4) sugar beet genotypes which were randomly derived from 19 crosses among diploid elite sugar beet clones. For all nine traits, the genotypic and genotype × location interaction variances were highly significant (P < 0.01). Using a one-step AMMSP approach, the total number of significant (P < 0.05) marker-phenotype associations was 44. The identification of genome regions associated with the traits under consideration indicated that not only segregating populations derived from crosses of parental genotypes in a systematic manner could be used for AMMSP but also populations routinely derived in plant breeding programs from multiple, related crosses. Furthermore, our results suggest that data sets, whose size does not permit analysis by the one-step AMMSP approach, might be analyzed using the two-step approach based on adjusted entry means for each location without losing too much power for detection of marker-phenotype associations.