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Screening for probiotic properties and potential immunogenic effects of lactobacilli strains isolated from various food products
Get PDFIntroduction: Deceleration of disease progression and re-establishment of microbial balance in the gut is often achieved by application of lactobacilli strains. Their beneficial effects are associated with probiotic properties, which may be accompanied by immunomodulatory action at mucosal surfaces.
Methods: To single out such strains, we screened almost three hundred lactobacilli isolates from eight genera and various food sources for acid and bile salt tolerance, adhesion to mucin as well as hemolytic activity and antibiotic susceptibility. Moreover, the immunomodulatory effects of cell-free supernatant (CFS) fractions of five lactobacilli strains were assessed using an in vitro cell line model.
Results and discussion: By our rationalized selection approach, we identified thirty-five strains with probiotic potential and biosafety features. Additionally, we showed that CFS from the Lactiplantibacillus L_4 strain downregulates proinflammatory cytokines IL-8 and IL-1β. In contrast, IL-8 expression was found to increase after treatment with CFSs of Lactiplantibacillus L_2 and L_5 and IL-1β was upregulated by CFSs of Lactiplantibacillus L_1 and Lactiplantibacillus L_3. Overall, our result delineate a rational approach of selecting lactobacilli strains for probiotic development to support the gut microbiota equilibrium and reinforce the host immune system
Exercise-Induced Proteomic Profile Changes in Patients with Advanced Heart Failure
Get PDFBackground/Objectives: The pathophysiological background of the processes activated by physical activity in patients with heart failure (HF) is not fully understood. Proteomic studies can help to preliminarily identify new protein markers for unknown or poorly defined physiological processes. We aimed to analyse the changes in the plasma proteomic profile of HF patients after a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) to define pathways involved in the response to exercise. Methods: The study prospectively enrolled 20 male patients with advanced HF (aged 53.3 ± 8.3 years). Blood samples were taken from the patients before and immediately after the CPET to obtain plasma proteomic profiles. Two-sample t-tests (paired or non-paired) were performed with and without false discovery rate (FDR) correction for multiple testing. Enrichment analysis was performed to associate biological processes and pathways with the study results. Results: A total of 968 plasma proteins were identified, of which 722 underwent further statistical analysis. Of these, 236 proteins showed differential expression when comparing all plasma samples collected before and after CPT (p < 0.05), and for 86 of these the difference remained statistically significant after FDR correction. Proteins whose expression changed after exercise are mostly involved in immune response and inflammatory processes, coagulation, cell adhesion, regulation of cellular response to stimulus and regulation of programmed cell death. There were no differences in resting proteomics according to HF etiology (ischemic vs. non-ischemic). Conclusions: Changes in the proteomic profile revealed a complexity of exercise-induced processes in patients with HF, suggesting that few major physiological pathways are involved. Further studies focusing on specific pathways are needed
Antimicrobial Activity against Cronobacter of Plant Extracts and Essential Oils in a Matrix of Bacterial Cellulose
Get PDFBacterial cellulose (BC) is a biodegradable polymer resembling paper after being dried. It finds a growing number of applications in many branches of industry and in medicine. In the present study, BC was produced after Gluconacetobacter hansenii ATCC 23769 strain culture and used as a matrix for plant extracts (tulsi, brahmi, lemon, blackberry, nettle root, and nettle leave) and essential oils (cinnamon, sage, clove, mint, thyme, lemongrass, rosemary, lemon, anise, tea tree, lime, grapefruit, and tangerine), and the antimicrobial properties of these biomaterials was determined. The growth-inhibiting effects of plant extracts and essential oils combined with BC were analyzed against five Cronobacter species isolated from food matrix and two reference strains from the ATCC (513229 and 29544). Additional analyses were conducted for BC water activity and for its capability to absorb biologically active plant compounds. The cellulose matrix with a 50% extract from brahmi was found to effectively inhibit the growth of the selected Cronobacter strains. The other plant water extracts did not show any antimicrobial activity against the tested strains. It was demonstrated that BC soaked with thyme essential oil was characterized with the strongest antimicrobial activity in comparison to the other tested EOs. These study results indicate the feasibility of deploying BC impregnated with natural plant components as an active and environmentally-friendly packaging material
Triazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidin-5-amines based ERK3 inhibitors fail to demonstrate selective effects on adipocyte function
Get PDFExtracellular signal-regulated kinase 3 (ERK3 also designated MAPK6 — mitogen-activated protein kinase 6) is a
ubiquitously expressed kinase participating in the regulation of a broad spectrum of physiological and pathological
processes. Targeted inhibition of the kinase may allow the development of novel treatment strategies for a
variety of types of cancer and somatic pathologies, as well as preserving metabolic health, combat obesity and
diabetes. We chose and synthesized three triazolo [4,5-d]pyrimidin-5-amines proposed previously as putative
ERK3 inhibitors to assess their selectivity and biological effects in terms of metabolic state impact in living cells.
As it was previously shown that ERK3 is a major regulator of lipolysis in adipocytes, we focused on this process.
Our new results indicate that in addition to the previously identified lipolytic enzyme ATGL, ERK3 also regulates
hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) and monoglyceride lipase (MGL). Moreover, this kinase also promotes the
abundance of fatty acid synthase (FASN) as well as protein kinase cAMP-activated catalytic subunit alpha
(PKACα). To investigate various effects of putative ERK3 inhibitors on lipolysis, we utilized different adipocyte
models. We demonstrated that molecules exhibit lipolysis-modulating effects; however, the effects of triazolo
[4,5-d]pyrimidin-5-amines based inhibitors on lipolysis are not dependent on ERK3. Subsequently, we revealed a
wide range of the compounds’ possible targets using a machine learning-based prediction.
Therefore, the tested compounds inhibit ERK3 in vitro, but the biological effect of this inhibition is significantly
overlapped and modified by some other molecular events related to the non-selective binding to other targets
LSU family members and NBR1 are novel factors that contribute to homeostasis of catalases and peroxisomes in Arabidopsis thaliana
Get PDFThe short coiled-coil LSU (RESPONSE TO LOW SULFUR) proteins are linked to sulfur metabolism and have numerous protein partners. However, most of these partners lack direct links to sulfur metabolism, and the role of such interactions remains elusive. Here, we confirmed LSU binding to Arabidopsis catalase (CAT) and revealed that NBR1, a selective autophagy receptor, strongly interacts with LSU1 but not with CAT. Consequently, we observed the involvement of autophagy but not NBR1 in CAT removal. The lsu and nbr1 mutants differed from the wild-type plants in size and the number of yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)-CAT condensates, the number of peroxisomes, and photosynthetic pigments levels in the presence and absence of stress. We conclude that LSU family members and NBR1 contribute directly or indirectly to CAT and peroxisome homeostasis, and the overall fitness of plants. Our structural models of CAT–LSU complexes show at least two regions of interaction in CAT, one of which is at the N-terminus. Indeed, th
Complete genome sequence of a potentially probiotic cheese isolate Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LP140 from the Nordbiotic collection
Get PDFWe report the complete genome sequence of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LP140, a cheese isolate from the Nordbiotic collection, comprising 3,371,266 bp with 44.4% GC content. Our data provide insight into the potential of LP140 for use as a probiotic strain
Wolf diet in the Notecka Forest, western Poland
Get PDFWe assessed the diet composition of wolves inhabiting Notecka Forest (ca 1400 km2) in western Poland based on the analysis of scats (n = 261) collected in 2008–2021. The study revealed that wolves in this large forest tract, consisting mainly of pine monocultures, consumed primarily wild ungulates (95.2% of consumed biomass). The roe deer was the essential food item (47.8%), followed by the red deer Cervus elaphus (25.1%) and the wild boar Sus scrofa) (18.4%). Wolves supplemented their diet with medium-sized wild mammals, mainly the European hare Lepus europaeus (2.8%) and the Eurasian beaver Castor fiber (1.9%). The food niche was narrow (B = 1.1), and there was no difference in food composition between the spring–summer and autumn–winter seasons. We emphasize the significance of the smallest European wild ruminant, roe deer, in the diet of wolves inhabiting Central European Plains
Analysis of the quadruple lsu mutant reveals molecular determinants of the role of LSU proteins in sulfur assimilation in Arabidopsis
Get PDFBecause plants are immobile, they have developed intricate mechanisms to sense and absorb nutrients, adjusting their growth and development accordingly. Sulfur is an essential macroelement, but our understanding of its metabolism and homeostasis is limited. LSU (RESPONSE TO LOW SULFUR) proteins are plant-specific proteins with unknown molecular functions and were first identified during transcriptomic studies on sulfur deficiency in Arabidopsis. These proteins are crucial hubs that integrate environmental signals and are involved in the response to various stressors. Herein, we report the direct involvement of LSU proteins in primary sulfur metabolism. Our findings revealed that the quadruple lsu mutant, q-lsu-KO, which was grown under nonlimiting sulfate conditions, exhibited a molecular response resembling that of sulfur-deficient wild-type plants. This led us to explore the interactions of LSU proteins with sulfate reduction pathway enzymes. We found that all LSU proteins interact with ATPS1 and ATPS3 isoforms of ATP sulfurylase, all three isoforms of adenosine 5´phosphosulfate reductase (APR), and sulfite reductase (SiR). Additionally, in vitro assays revealed that LSU1 enhances the enzymatic activity of SiR. These results highlight the supportive role of LSU proteins in the sulfate reduction pathway
Complete genome sequence of Limosilactobacillus reuteri LU150, a potential vitamin B 12 producer from the NORDBIOTIC collection
Get PDFWe performed whole-genome sequencing of Limosilactobacillus reuteri
LU150, a human fecal isolate from the NORDBIOTIC collection. The genome consists
of 2,039,406 bp with a GC content of 38.9%. The genetic content of LU150 suggests its
probiotic potentia
Spontaneously hypertensive rats exhibit increased liver flavin monooxygenase expression and elevated plasma TMAO levels compared to normotensive and Ang II-dependent hypertensive rats
Get PDFBackground: Flavin monooxygenases (FMOs) are enzymes responsible for the oxidation of a broad spectrum of exogenous and endogenous amines. There is increasing evidence that trimethylamine (TMA), a compound produced by gut bacteria and also recognized as an industrial pollutant, contributes to cardiovascular diseases. FMOs convert TMA into trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), which is an emerging marker of cardiovascular risk. This study hypothesized that blood pressure phenotypes in rats might be associated with variations in the expression of FMOs. Methods: The expression of FMO1, FMO3, and FMO5 was evaluated in the kidneys, liver, lungs, small intestine, and large intestine of normotensive male Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and two distinct hypertensive rat models: spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and WKY rats with angiotensin II-induced hypertension (WKY-ANG). Plasma concentrations of TMA and TMAO were measured at baseline and after intravenous administration of TMA using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Results: We found that the expression of FMOs in WKY, SHR, and WKY-ANG rats was in the descending order of FMO3 > FMO1 >> FMO5. The highest expression of FMOs was observed in the liver. Notably, SHRs exhibited a significantly elevated expression of FMO3 in the liver compared to WKY and WKY-ANG rats. Additionally, the plasma TMAO/TMA ratio was significantly higher in SHRs than in WKY rats. Conclusion: SHRs demonstrate enhanced expression of FMO3 and a higher plasma TMAO/TMA ratio. The variability in the expression of FMOs and the metabolism of amines might contribute to the hypertensive phenotype observed in SHRs