Project description:Morphine and its pharmacological derivatives are the most prescribed analgesics for moderate to severe pain management. However, chronic use of morphine reduces pathogen clearance and induces bacterial translocation across the gut barrier. The enteric microbiome has been shown to play a critical role in the preservation of the mucosal barrier function and metabolic homeostasis. Here, we show for the first time, using bacterial 16s rDNA sequencing, that chronic morphine treatment significantly alters the gut microbial composition and induces preferential expansion of the gram-positive pathogenic and reduction of bile-deconjugating bacterial strains. A significant reduction in both primary and secondary bile acid levels was seen in the gut, but not in the liver with morphine treatment. Morphine induced microbial dysbiosis and gut barrier disruption was rescued by transplanting placebo-treated microbiota into morphine-treated animals, indicating that microbiome modulation could be exploited as a therapeutic strategy for patients using morphine for pain management. In this study, we establish a link between the two phenomena, namely gut barrier compromise and dysregulated bile acid metabolism. We show for the first time that morphine fosters significant gut microbial dysbiosis and disrupts cholesterol/bile acid metabolism. Changes in the gut microbial composition is strongly correlated to disruption in host inflammatory homeostasis13,14 and in many diseases (e.g. cancer/HIV infection), persistent inflammation is known to aid and promote the progression of the primary morbidity. We show here that chronic morphine, gut microbial dysbiosis, disruption of cholesterol/bile acid metabolism and gut inflammation; have a linear correlation. This opens up the prospect of devising minimally invasive adjunct treatment strategies involving microbiome and bile acid modulation and thus bringing down morphine-mediated inflammation in the host.
Project description:The gut microbiota is closely associated with digestion, metabolism, immunity, and host health. The imbalance of the microbial community in livestock directly affects their well-being and, consequently, productivity. The composition and diversity of the gut microbiota are influenced not only by host genetics but also by environmental factors such as the microbial complexity of the rearing environment, feeds, and antibiotics. Here, we focus on the comparison of gut microbial communities in miniature pigs developed for xenotransplantation in specific pathogen-free (SPF) and conventional (non-SPF) facilities. To identify the disparities in gut microbial composition and functionality between these two environments, 16S RNA metagenome sequencing was conducted using fecal samples. The results revealed that the non-SPF pigs had higher gut microbiota diversity than the SPF pigs. The genera Streptococcus and Ruminococcus were more abundant in SPF pigs than in non-SPF pigs. Blautia, Bacteroides, and Roseburia were exclusively observed in SPF pigs, whereas Prevotella was exclusively found in non-SPF pigs. Carbohydrate and nucleotide metabolism, as well as environmental information processing, were predicted to be enriched in SPF pigs. In addition, energy and lipid metabolism, along with processes related to genetic information, cellular communication, and diseases, were predicted to be enriched in non-SPF pigs. This study makes an important contribution to elucidating the impact of environments harboring a variety of microorganisms, including pathogens, on the gut microbiota of miniature pigs. Furthermore, we sought to provide foundational data on the characteristics of the gut microbiota in genetically modified pigs, which serve as source animals for xenotransplantation.
Project description:The molecular mechanisms by which dietary fruits and vegetables confer cardiometabolic benefits remain poorly understood. Historically, these beneficial properties have been attributed to the antioxidant activity of flavonoids. Here, we reveal that the host metabolic benefits associated with flavonoid consumption actually hinge on gut microbial metabolism. However, flavonoids are consumed in a largely glycosylated form, rendering them poorly available for small intestinal absorption and subjecting them to microbial metabolism in the colon. We show that a single gut microbial flavonoid catabolite is sufficient to reduce diet-induced cardiometabolic disease burden in mice. Dietary supplementation with elderberry extract attenuated obesity and continuous delivery of the catabolite 4-hydroxphenylacetic acid was sufficient to reverse hepatic steatosis. Analysis of human gut metagenomes revealed that under one percent contains a flavonol catabolic pathway, underscoring the rarity of this process. Our study will impact the design of dietary and probiotic interventions to complement traditional cardiometabolic treatment strategies.
Project description:GeneSeek HD Bovine 77k Genotyping array is used to estimate population structure and ancestry of bovine and evaluate loci responsible for complex traits. Further, copy number variation of bovine can be estimated by GeneSeek HD Bovine 77k Genotyping array. Here, we estimate population structure and ancestry of Qinchuan cattle.
Project description:A comparision of soil microbial functional genes of three types of subtropical broad-leaved forests Microbial functional structure was significantly different among SBFs (P < 0.05). Compared to the DBF and the EBF, the MBF had higher alpha-diversity of functional genes but lower beta-diversity, and showed more complex functional gene networks.
Project description:Diet-induced obesity (DIO) is rapidly becoming a global health problem, particularly as Westernization of emerging nations continues. Currently, one third of adult Americans are considered obese and, if current trends continue, >90% of US citizens are predicted to be affected by 2050. However, efforts to fight this epidemic have not yet produced sound solutions for prevention or treatment. Our studies reveal a balanced and chronobiological relationship between food consumption, daily variation in gut microbial evenness and function, basomedial hypothalamic circadian clock (CC) gene expression, and key hepatic metabolic regulatory networks , including CC and nuclear receptors (NR), that is are essential for metabolic homeostasis. “Western” diets high in saturated fats dramatically alter diurnal variation in microbial composition and function, which in turn lead to uncoupling of the hepatic CC and NR networks from central CC control in ways that offset the timing and types of regulatory factors directing metabolic function. These signals include microbial metabolites such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) that can directly regulate or disrupt metabolic networks of the hepatocyte. Our study therefore provides insights into the complex and dynamic relationships between diet, gut microbes, and the host that are critical for maintenance of health. Perturbations of this constellation of processes, in this case by diet-induced dysbiosis and its metabolomic signaling, can potentially promote metabolic imbalances and disease. This knowledge opens up many possibilities for novel therapeutic and interventional strategies to treat and prevent DIO, ranging from the manipulation of gut microbial function to pharmacological targeting of host pathways to restore metabolic balance. Mice were raised under germ-free or specific pathogen-free condition, or germ-free followed by conventionization. Liver tissues were harvested for total RNA isolation and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays