Project description:Columbia Arabidopsis ecotype were grown hydroponically on 1 mM NH4NO3 as sole nitrogen source during 35 days under short days. Plants leaves were then sprayed with a seaweed extract or with water (control). Root and shoot samples were harvested separately 1 hour and 7 days after this spraying.
Project description:IntroductionExtreme water temperature affects the well-being of all aquatic animals, including fish. Higher temperatures can lead to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can induce oxidative stress and negatively impact fish health and well-being. This study investigated the protective effects of seaweed extract on growth, antioxidant status, inflammatory responses, and gut microbiota to gain a better understanding of the acclimatization ability of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus in response to oxidative stress caused by high water temperatures.MethodsRed-seaweed, Gracilaria tenuistipitata rich in polyphenols (i.e., total phenolics and flavonoids content) was considered for the preparation of the Gracilaria extract (GE) for the study. Nile tilapia were fed the GE supplemented diet along with a control diet for 42 days, followed by 14 days of temperature ramping at a rate of 1°C every two days to the desired target (35°C) and 14 days of holding at 32°C for acclimatation.ResultsNile tilapia fed the GE had a significantly higher growth performance attributed to increased muscle fiber size compared to control (p < 0.05) after the 70 days of feeding trial. Fish fed the GE diet also showed a significantly lower lipid peroxidation by decreased malondialdehyde level when compared to control (p < 0.05). Furthermore, GE diet exhibited increased red blood cell counts with the decreased number of cellular and nuclear abnormalities. The gene expression of tight junction (i.e., occludin, claudin1, ZO-1) and nrf2 (antioxidant biomarker) were upregulated, while hsp70 (related to stress response) was downregulated in fish fed the GE diet. Additionally, GE supplementation led to an increase in bacterial diversity and the abundance of phylum Firmicutes, order Lactobacillales, and genera Sphingobacterium and Prevotella in the distal gut of Nile tilapia, which are mostly considered as beneficial for fish.ConclusionThe findings suggest that GE has the potential to be used as a dietary supplement to improve health, particularly as a stress-resistant supplement in the diet for Nile tilapia. This study may help make more informed decisions for tailoring the nutrient requirements of fish in the face of climate warming.
Project description:Purpose: Examining the transcriptome of human gut bacteria that grow on seaweed polysaccharides as a sole carbon source Methods: Strains were grown on 5 mg/ml seaweed polysaccharides (carrageenan, agarose and/or poprhyran respective to strain) or galactose as a sole carbon source in vitro. Fold change was calculated as seaweed polysaccharide over galactose with n=2 biological replicates. Once cells reached an optical density corresponding to mid-log phase growth, RNA was isolated and rRNA depleted. Samples were multiplexed for sequencing on the Illumina HiSeq platform at the University of Michigan Sequencing Core. Data was analyzed using Arraystar software (DNASTAR, Inc.) Genes with significant up- or down-regulation were determined by the following criteria: genes with an average fold-change >10-fold and with both biological replicates with a normalized expression level >1% of the overall average RPKM expression level. READS WERE ANALYZED .......GABRIEL FILL IN Results: We identified novel polysaccharide utiilization loci in 5 strains of human gut bacteria
Project description:The effects of the administration of maple syrup extract (MSX) on hepatic gene expression were investigated in mice fed high-fat diet.
Project description:The imbalance of intestinal flora can affect the immune function and structural integrity of the intestinal barrier, leading to the colonization and reproduction of opportunistic pathogenic bacteria in the intestine to become the dominant flora, eventually inducing enteritis. This study aimed to investigate whether fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) could improve the gut barrier in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The experiment involved administering normal saline (NS group) and fecal microbiota (FMT group) (from the negative control group (C group)) to tilapia that had been treated with oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC) (M group) by gavage. A total of 300 male tilapia (mean body weight 596.65 ± 47.18 g) were used, with 180 of them being fed OTC (120 mg/kg body weight/day) for 7 days to induce intestinal oxidative stress, while the rest served as the control group. After confirmation of mild chronic enteritis, the tilapia were treated in different ways.
Project description:The effects of the administration of maple syrup extract (MSXH) on hepatic gene expression were investigated in mice fed high-fat diet.
Project description:The effects of the administration of maple syrup extract (MSXH) on hepatic gene expression were investigated in mice fed high-fat diet.