Project description:The gut bacterium Parabacteroides spp. has been increasingly recognized for its therapeutic potential in treating metabolic disorders. However, the role of Parabacteroides johnsonii in metabolic disorders has never been reported. Here, we found that the abundance of P. johnsonii in the feces was negatively correlated with the blood glucose and lipid levels of obese patients. Oral administration of live P. johnsonii improved the metabolic dysfunction in high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice, accompanied by the alleviation of leaky gut and the systemic inflammation. P. johnsonii enhanced the catabolism of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) to branched-chain short-chain fatty acids (BSCFAs) in gut. Particularly, the conversion of valine to isobutyrate was correlated to the symptoms of obese patients. Isobutyrate intervention mirrored the favourable effects of P. johnsonii on HFD-fed mice. Isobutyrate increased H3K14 acetylation at Fgf1b promoters and activated its transcription through inhibition of HDAC3 in colon, thereby maintaining the intestinal barrier integrity. The natural product stachyose exhibited its anti-obesity effects by promoting the growth of P. johnsonii. Our findings provided mechanistic insights into the therapeutic potential of P. johnsonii, isobutyrate and stachyose in treating metabolic disorders.
Project description:Acinetobacter johnsonii C6 originates from creosote-polluted groundwater and performs ecological and evolutionary interactions with Pseudomonas putida in biofilms. The draft genome of A. johnsonii C6 is 3.7 Mbp and was shaped by mobile genetic elements. It reveals genes facilitating the biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons and resistance to antimicrobials and metals.
Project description:Whole genome DNA microarray designed for the probiotic L. johnsonii strain NCC533 was used for comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) of L. johnsonii ATCC 33200T, L. johnsonii BL261, L. gasseri ATCC 33323T and L. iatae BL263 (CECT 7394T). In these experiments, the fluorescence ratio distributions obtained with L. iatae and L. gasseri showed characteristic inter-species profiles. The percentage of conserved L. johnsonii NCC533 genes was about 83% in the L. johnsonii strains comparisons and decreased to 51% and 47% for L. iatae and L. gasseri, respectively. These results confirmed the separate status of L. iatae from L. johnsonii at the level of species, and also that it is closer to L. johnsonii than L. gasseri.
Project description:Whole genome DNA microarray designed for the probiotic L. johnsonii strain NCC533 was used for comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) of L. johnsonii ATCC 33200T, L. johnsonii BL261, L. gasseri ATCC 33323T and L. iatae BL263 (CECT 7394T). In these experiments, the fluorescence ratio distributions obtained with L. iatae and L. gasseri showed characteristic inter-species profiles. The percentage of conserved L. johnsonii NCC533 genes was about 83% in the L. johnsonii strains comparisons and decreased to 51% and 47% for L. iatae and L. gasseri, respectively. These results confirmed the separate status of L. iatae from L. johnsonii at the level of species, and also that it is closer to L. johnsonii than L. gasseri. L. johnsonii, L. gasseri, and L. iatae strains were hybridized versus L. johnsonii NCC533, some with replicates
Project description:The dengue virus (DENV) cause frequent epidemics infecting ~390 million people annually in over 100 countries. There are no approved vaccines or antiviral drugs for treatment of infected patients. However, there is a novel approach to control transmission of DENV by the mosquito vectors, Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus, using Wolbachia symbiont. The wMelPop strain of Wolbachia suppresses DENV transmission and shortens the mosquito life span. However, the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. To clarify this mechanism, either naïve Ae. albopictus (C6/36) or wMelPop-C6/36 cells were infected with DENV2. Analysis of host transcript profiles by RNAseq revealed that the presence of wMelPop had profound effects on mosquito host cell transcription in response to DENV2 infection. The viral RNA evolved from wMelPop-C6/36 contained low frequency mutations (~25%) within the coding region of transmembrane domain-1 (TMD1) of E protein. Mutations with >97 % frequencies were distributed within other regions of E, NS5 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (NS5POL) domain, the TMDs of NS2A, NS2B, and NS4B. Moreover, while DENV2-infected naïve C6/36 cells showed syncytia formation, DENV2-infected wMelPop-C6/36 cells did not. The Wolbachia-induced mutant DENV2 can readily infect and replicate in naïve C6/36 cells; whereas, in the mutant DENV2- infected BHK-21 or Vero cells, the virus replication was delayed. In LLC-MK2 cells, the mutant failed to produce plaques. Additionally, in BHK-21 cells, many mutations in the viral genome reverted to WT and compensatory mutations in NS3 gene appeared. Our results suggest that wMelPop impacts significantly the interactions of DENV2 with mosquito and mammalian host cells.