Project description:Our previous studies have linked Trans-fat and monosodium glutamate (MSG) to the development of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). We have also shown that MSG can interact with another commonly consumed food additive, aspartame, to impair glucose homeostasis, which is also disrupted in NAFLD. This most recent nutrigenomic study shows how aspartame, MSG and Trans-fat can unfavorably alter hepatic and adipose tissue gene expression. We used microarray analysis to examine changes in adipose gene transcription in response to TFA MSG and/or ASP feeding in male C57Bl/6J mice.
Project description:Our previous studies have linked Trans-fat and monosodium glutamate (MSG) to the development of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). We have also shown that MSG can interact with another commonly consumed food additive, aspartame, to impair glucose homeostasis, which is also disrupted in NAFLD. This most recent nutrigenomic study shows how aspartame, MSG and Trans-fat can unfavorably alter hepatic and adipose tissue gene expression. We used microarray analysis to examine changes in liver gene transcription in response to TFA MSG and/or ASP feeding in male C57Bl/6J mice.
Project description:The major surface glycoprotein (Msg) is the most abundant surface protein of Pneumocystis species. Given that Msg is present on both the cyst and trophic form of Pneumocystis, and dendritic cells play a critical role in initiating host immune responses, we undertook studies to examine activation of bone marrow-derived myeloid dendritic cells by Msg purified from P. murina. Incubation of dendritic cells with Msg did not lead to increased expression of CD40, CD80, CD86, or MHCII, or increased secretion of any of 10 cytokines. Microarray analysis identified very few differentially expressed genes. In contrast, LPS activated dendritic cells by all of these assays. However, Msg did bind to mouse mannose macrophage receptor and human DC-SIGN, two C-type lectins expressed by dendritic cells that are important in recognition of pathogen-associated high mannose glycoproteins. Deglycosylation of Msg demonstrated that this binding was dependent on glycosylation. These studies suggest that Pneumocystis has developed a mechanism to avoid activation of dendritic cells, potentially by the previously identified loss of genes that are responsible for the high level of protein mannosylation found in other fungi.
Project description:The middle silk gland (MSG) is an important silkworm sub-organ for synthesis and secretion of sericin proteins. To investigate the proteome differences among the anterior, middle, and posterior regions of silkworm MSG at the third day of the fifth instar, the extracted tissue proteins were digested in gel with trypsin followed by shotgun LC-MS/MS analysis with a LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometer.
Project description:Gender dimorphism exists in the physiological response to diet and other environmental factors. Trans-hydrogenated fatty acid (TFA) intake is associated with an increase in coronary heart disease (CHD), and gender differences in the incidence of CHD are well documented. Neonatal administration of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) causes stunted heart growth and hypoplasticity; and gender dimorphism at the growth hormone axis has been demonstrated in MSG-treated rodents. The identification of gender dimorphism in cardiac nutrigenomics may provide the basis for gender-specific medicine in the future. We used microarray analysis to examine changes in cardiac gene transcription in response to TFA and/or MSG feeding in male and female C57Bl/6J mice.