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Nutrients Jun 2024Research on the microbiome has progressed from identifying specific microbial communities to exploring how these organisms produce and modify metabolites that impact a... (Review)
Review
Research on the microbiome has progressed from identifying specific microbial communities to exploring how these organisms produce and modify metabolites that impact a wide range of health conditions, including gastrointestinal, metabolic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative diseases. This review provides an overview of the bacteria commonly found in the intestinal tract, focusing on their main functional outputs. We explore biomarkers that not only indicate a well-balanced microbiota but also potential dysbiosis, which could foreshadow susceptibility to future health conditions. Additionally, it discusses the establishment of the microbiota during the early years of life, examining factors such as gestational age at birth, type of delivery, antibiotic intake, and genetic and environmental influences. Through a comprehensive analysis of current research, this article aims to enhance our understanding of the microbiota's foundational development and its long-term implications for health and disease management.
Topics: Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Dysbiosis; Bacteria; Infant, Newborn; Infant; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Biomarkers
PubMed: 38931178
DOI: 10.3390/nu16121823 -
Nutrients Jun 2024Maternal obesity and/or Western diet (WD) is associated with an increased risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in offspring, driven,...
Maternal obesity and/or Western diet (WD) is associated with an increased risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in offspring, driven, in part, by the dysregulation of the early life microbiome. Here, using a mouse model of WD-induced maternal obesity, we demonstrate that exposure to a disordered microbiome from WD-fed dams suppressed circulating levels of endogenous ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR; indole, indole-3-acetate) and TMAO (a product of AHR-mediated transcription), as well as hepatic expression of (an AHR target), in offspring at 3 weeks of age. This signature was recapitulated by fecal microbial transfer from WD-fed pregnant dams to chow-fed germ-free (GF) lactating dams following parturition and was associated with a reduced abundance of in GF offspring. Further, the expression of was downregulated in liver myeloid cells and in LPS-stimulated bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) in adult offspring, suggestive of a hypo-responsive, or tolerant, innate immune response. BMDMs from adult mice lacking AHR in macrophages exhibited a similar tolerogenic response, including diminished expression of . Overall, our study shows that exposure to maternal WD alters microbial metabolites in the offspring that affect AHR signaling, potentially contributing to innate immune hypo-responsiveness and progression of MASLD, highlighting the impact of early life gut dysbiosis on offspring metabolism. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the complex interplay between maternal diet, gut microbial function, and the development of neonatal innate immune tolerance and potential therapeutic interventions targeting these pathways.
Topics: Animals; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Female; Pregnancy; Diet, Western; Immunity, Innate; Tryptophan; Mice; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Interleukin-10; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Obesity, Maternal; Liver; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Male; Macrophages; Disease Models, Animal
PubMed: 38931163
DOI: 10.3390/nu16121808 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Cadmium (Cd), as the most prevalent heavy metal contaminant poses serious risks to plants, humans, and the environment. The ubiquity of this toxic metal is continuously... (Review)
Review
Cadmium (Cd), as the most prevalent heavy metal contaminant poses serious risks to plants, humans, and the environment. The ubiquity of this toxic metal is continuously increasing due to the rapid discharge of industrial and mining effluents and the excessive use of chemical fertilizers. Nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as a novel strategy to alleviate Cd toxicity. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have become the most important NPs used to mitigate the toxicity of abiotic stresses and improve crop productivity. The plants quickly absorb Cd, which subsequently disrupts plant physiological and biochemical processes and increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which causes the oxidation of cellular structures and significant growth losses. Besides this, Cd toxicity also disrupts leaf osmotic pressure, nutrient uptake, membrane stability, chlorophyll synthesis, and enzyme activities, leading to a serious reduction in growth and biomass productivity. Though plants possess an excellent defense mechanism to counteract Cd toxicity, this is not enough to counter higher concentrations of Cd toxicity. Applying Zn-NPs has proven to have significant potential in mitigating the toxic effects of Cd. ZnO-NPs improve chlorophyll synthesis, photosynthetic efficiency, membrane stability, nutrient uptake, and gene expression, which can help to counter toxic effects of Cd stress. Additionally, ZnO-NPs also help to reduce Cd absorption and accumulation in plants, and the complex relationship between ZnO-NPs, osmolytes, hormones, and secondary metabolites plays an important role in Cd tolerance. Thus, this review concentrates on exploring the diverse mechanisms by which ZnO nanoparticles can alleviate Cd toxicity in plants. In the end, this review has identified various research gaps that need addressing to ensure the promising future of ZnO-NPs in mitigating Cd toxicity. The findings of this review contribute to gaining a deeper understanding of the role of ZnO-NPs in combating Cd toxicity to promote safer and sustainable crop production by remediating Cd-polluted soils. This also allows for the development of eco-friendly approaches to remediate Cd-polluted soils to improve soil fertility and environmental quality.
PubMed: 38931138
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121706 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Soybean production is significantly impacted by root rot (PRR), which is caused by . The nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) gene family plays a crucial role...
Soybean production is significantly impacted by root rot (PRR), which is caused by . The nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) gene family plays a crucial role in plant disease resistance. However, current understanding of the function of soybean genes in resistance to PRR is limited. To address this knowledge gap, transgenic soybean plants overexpressing the gene () were generated to elucidate the molecular mechanism of resistance. Here, transcript changes and metabolic differences were investigated at three time points (12, 24, and 36 h) after infection in hypocotyls of two soybean lines, Dongnong 50 (susceptible line, WT) and overexpression line (resistant line, OE). Based on the changes in differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in response to infection in different lines and at different time points, it was speculated that HOPZ-ACTIVATED RESISTANCE 1 (ZAR1), valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation, and phytohormone signaling may be involved in the defense response of soybean to at the transcriptome level by GO term and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) analysis revealed that a total of 223 and 210 differential metabolites were identified in the positive ion (POS) and negative ion (NEG) modes, respectively. An integrated pathway-level analysis of transcriptomics (obtained by RNA-seq) and metabolomics data revealed that isoflavone biosynthesis was associated with disease resistance. This work provides valuable insights that can be used in breeding programs aiming to enhance soybean resistance against PRR.
PubMed: 38931137
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121705 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins are considered to be essential secondary metabolites in grapes and are used to regulate metabolic processes, while miRNAs are involved...
Anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins are considered to be essential secondary metabolites in grapes and are used to regulate metabolic processes, while miRNAs are involved in their synthesis of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins to regulate metabolic processes. The present research work was carried out to investigate the underlying regulatory mechanism of target genes in the grape cultivars 'Italia' and 'Benitaka'. miRNA and transnscriptomic sequencing technology were employed to characterize both the profiles of miRNAs and the transcripts of grape peels at 10 and 11 weeks post flowering (10 wpf and 11 wpf). The results revealed that the expression level of vvi-miR828a in 'Italia' at 10 and 11 wpf was significantly higher than that in 'Benitaka'. miRNA-seq analysis predicted to be the target gene of vvi-miR828a. In transcriptome analysis, the expression level of the gene in 'Benitaka' was significantly higher than that in 'Italia'; in addition, the TPM values (expression levels) of and miR828a also showed an evident negative correlation. The determination of the proanthocyanidin (PA) content in 'Italia' and 'Benitaka' peels at 11 wpf demonstrated that the PA content of 'Benitaka' was significantly higher than that of 'Italia'. The outcomes of RT-qRCR analysis exhibited that the expression levels of the , , , , , , and genes related anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin pathways were reduced, while the expression levels of all of the above genes were increased after the transient expression of the vector into grape leaves. The results of the transient overexpression experiment of vvi-miR828a before the veraison period of strawberry fruits showed that vvi-miR828a can significantly slow down the coloration of strawberries. The vvi-miR828a negatively regulates the accumulation of proanthocyanidins in grape fruits by inhibiting the expression of .
PubMed: 38931120
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121688 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024According to modern concepts, the genus L. includes seven plant species ( (Trautv.) Iljin ex Prochorov. & Lebel; Boriss; C.Y.Wu & H.W. Li; Boriss.; L.; (Dubj.)... (Review)
Review
According to modern concepts, the genus L. includes seven plant species ( (Trautv.) Iljin ex Prochorov. & Lebel; Boriss; C.Y.Wu & H.W. Li; Boriss.; L.; (Dubj.) Pazij; (Rech.f.) Rech.f.). The plants are rich in various groups of biologically active substances with a wide spectrum of pharmacological action. This review presents a modern comprehensive overview of the botanical research, extraction methods, chemical composition and pharmacological activity of plants of the genus L. As a result of the review, it was established that the chemical composition of plant extracts of the genus L. depends on various factors (place of growth, weather conditions, chemotypes, extraction methods, etc.). For the further use of the plants, the extraction methods and low-molecular metabolites isolated from them (mono- and sesquiterpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, etc.) are discussed. The data from the review provide an assessment of the relevance.
PubMed: 38931115
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121683 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024"Omics" typically involves exploration of the structure and function of the entire composition of a biological system at a specific level using high-throughput... (Review)
Review
"Omics" typically involves exploration of the structure and function of the entire composition of a biological system at a specific level using high-throughput analytical methods to probe and analyze large amounts of data, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, among other types. Genomics characterizes and quantifies all genes of an organism collectively, studying their interrelationships and their impacts on the organism. However, conventional transcriptomic sequencing techniques target population cells, and their results only reflect the average expression levels of genes in population cells, as they are unable to reveal the gene expression heterogeneity and spatial heterogeneity among individual cells, thus masking the expression specificity between different cells. Single-cell transcriptomic sequencing and spatial transcriptomic sequencing techniques analyze the transcriptome of individual cells in plant or animal tissues, enabling the understanding of each cell's metabolites and expressed genes. Consequently, statistical analysis of the corresponding tissues can be performed, with the purpose of achieving cell classification, evolutionary growth, and physiological and pathological analyses. This article provides an overview of the research progress in plant single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, as well as their applications and challenges in plants. Furthermore, prospects for the development of single-cell and spatial transcriptomics are proposed.
PubMed: 38931111
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121679 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Long-distance transfer of genetic material and metabolites between rootstock and scions is well documented in homo-grafted hybrids but has rarely been reported in...
Long-distance transfer of genetic material and metabolites between rootstock and scions is well documented in homo-grafted hybrids but has rarely been reported in genetically-distant grafts where the rootstock and scion belong to different families. In this study, we grafted scions onto stocks and obtained 20 vegetative hybrids, / (Vs). After 25 years of growth, we found that the phenotypes of the leaves, internodes, and fruits of the Vs hybrids above the graft union resembled an intermediate phenotype between and and the new traits were stable when propagated vegetatively. We further analyzed genetic differences between Vv plants and Vs hybrids using high-throughput sequencing, while metabolomes were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). We found a total of 2113 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). GO annotation and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that these DEGs enriched mainly in oxidation-reduction and metabolic processes. Seventy-nine differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) containing 27 known miRNAs and 52 novel miRNAs were identified. A degradation analysis detected 840 target genes corresponding to 252 miRNAs, of which 12 DEMs and their corresponding target gene expression levels were mostly negatively correlated. Furthermore, 1188 differential metabolic compounds were identified. In particular, in Vs hybrids, the abundance of the metabolites schizandrin and gomisin as the main medicinal ingredients in were down-regulated and up-regulated, respectively. Our data demonstrated the effects of interfamily grafts on the phenotype, transcript profile and metabolites of the scion, and also provided new insight into the genetic, phenotypic, and metabolic plasticity associated with genetically distant grafted hybrids.
PubMed: 38931108
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121676 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024With the internationalization of Chinese culture, ready-to-cook Chinese food has become popular. Vegetables in Chinese preparations are usually cut into slices, cubes,...
With the internationalization of Chinese culture, ready-to-cook Chinese food has become popular. Vegetables in Chinese preparations are usually cut into slices, cubes, and shreds. Carrots, as a typical Chinese side dish, were selected as the model in this work. The polyphenol content, antioxidant capacity, O, hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde, lignin, antioxidant enzymes, and other enzymes activities were analyzed. The results indicated that these parameters were insignificantly different between three cutting styles. Therefore, metabolomics is further employed. Pathway enrichment indicated that glyceollin II and 6″-malonylgenistin were metabolites particularly expressed in the isoflavonoid biosynthesis pathway; (+)-gallocatechin, trans-chlorogenic acid, and (-)-epiafzelechin were specifically identified in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway after slicing; and shredding caused the expression of coniferyl aldehyde and eugenol, which were specifically expressed in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway. These results indicate that different cutting styles do not change the physiological indicators of carrots but induce the expression of specific metabolites.
PubMed: 38931097
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121665 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that grows in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region at a 3100-5000 m altitude. Iridoid compounds are the main active compounds of...
is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that grows in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region at a 3100-5000 m altitude. Iridoid compounds are the main active compounds of the used as medical ingredients and display anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and hepatoprotective properties. To better understand the biological mechanisms of iridoid compounds in this species, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the transcriptome and metabolome of leaves from four different regions (3540-4270 m). Global metabolome profiling detected 575 metabolites, and 455 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were detected in leaves from the four regions. Eight major DAMs related to iridoid metabolism in leaves were investigated: shanzhiside methyl ester, 8-epideoxyloganic acid, barlerin, shanzhiside, geniposide, agnuside, feretoside, and catalpin. In addition, five soil physical and chemical indicators in rhizosphere soils were analyzed. Four significant positive correlations were observed between alkaline nitrogen and geniposide, exchangeable calcium and geniposide, available potassium and shanzhiside, and available phosphorus and shanzhiside methyl ester. The transcriptome data showed 12 cDNA libraries with 74.46 Gb of clean data, which formed 29,833 unigenes. Moreover, 78.91% of the unigenes were annotated using the eight public databases. Forty-one candidate genes representing 23 enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of iridoid compounds were identified in leaves. Moreover, the , , , and genes associated with iridoid biosynthesis were specifically expressed in . The integration of transcriptome and metabolome analyses highlights the crucial role of soil physical and chemical indicators and major gene expression related to iridoid metabolism pathways in from different areas. Our findings provide a theoretical foundation for exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying iridoid compound accumulation in .
PubMed: 38931059
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121627