Project description:The microbial community and enzymes in fermented rice using defined microbial starter, containing Rhizopus oryzae, Saccharomycopsis fibuligera, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pediococcus pentosaceus, play an important role in quality of the fermented rice product and its biological activities including melanogenesis inhibitory activity. The microbial metaproteome revealed large-scale proteins expressed by the microbial community to better understand the role of microbiota in the fermented rice.
Project description:The prevention or delay of brain senescence would enhance the quality of life for older persons. We investigated the effects of soybean extracts in senescence-accelerated (SAMP10) mice. This mouse is a model of brain senescence with a short life span, cerebral atrophy and cognitive dysfunction. Mice were fed a diet containing soybean extracts from 1 to 12 months of age. The effects of green and yellow soybean extracts were compared with a control diet without soybean extracts. Cognitive functions were higher in aged mice fed green soybean than age-matched control mice and mice fed yellow soybean. We further investigated transcriptome of the SAMP10 hippocampus indicated that expression levels of 36 genes were significantly higher and 19 genes were lower in mice that ingested green soybean than in mice that ingested yellow soybean. Some of the evidences were reconfirmed by real time PCR analysis; the levels of Cdh1 and Ptgds mRNA were significantly higher and that the level of Aplp1 was significantly lower in aged SAMP10 mice fed green soybean than mice ingested yellow soybean and control mice. Additionally, the amount of amyloid beta 40 and 42 was lower in the insoluble fraction of aged SAMP10 mice fed green soybean than control mice and mice fed yellow soybean, although the levels of amyloid beta 40 and 42 in the soluble fraction were not different. Lipocalin-type prostaglandin D2 synthase (L-PGDS) has been proposed as the endogenous amyloid beta - chaperone, suggesting that amyloid aggregation was lower in mice fed green soybean than control mice and mice fed yellow soybean. These results indicate that the intake of green soybean improved cognitive function in aged mice, and suppressed amyloid beta accumulation. Green soybean might help healthy aging of the brain in older persons.
Project description:Kombucha Tea (KT), a fermented tea with roots in traditional Chinese medicine, has surged in worldwide popularity due to its purported health benefits. KT contains a symbiotic culture of yeast and bacterial species, many of which are considered human probiotics. The molecular basis of the health benefits of KT has yet to be thoroughly explored in any animal model. We establishC. elegansas a model to query the molecular interactions between Kombucha-associated microbes (KTM) and the host. We find that worms have an established gut microbiome after consuming a KTM-exclusive diet that mirrors the microbial community found in the fermenting culture. Remarkably, animals consuming KTMs display strikingly reduced lipid levels, yet develop and reproduce similarly toE. coli-fed animals. Critically, consumption of a non-fermenting mix of KT microbial isolates (Kombucha microbe mix) resulted in elevated fat accumulation, suggesting that KTMs do not impair nutrient absorption. To identify the host metabolic pathways altered by KTMs, we performed mRNA-seq on KTM-fed animals, finding widespread changes in lipid metabolism genes. Specifically, we found that three lysosomal lipase genes are significantly upregulated in these animals. These lipases, LIPL-1-3, have been previously shown to promote lipophagy via catabolism of lipid droplets. Consistently, KTM-fed animals display reduced levels of triglycerides and smaller lipid droplet sizes. We propose that KTM-fed animals exhibit a fasting-like metabolic state, even in the presence of sufficient nutrient availability, possibly through induction of lipophagy. Elucidating the host metabolic response to KT consumption will provide unprecedented insight into how this popular fermented beverage may impact human health and inform its use in complementary healthcare plans.
Project description:The prevention or delay of brain senescence would enhance the quality of life for older persons. We investigated the effects of soybean extracts in senescence-accelerated (SAMP10) mice. This mouse is a model of brain senescence with a short life span, cerebral atrophy and cognitive dysfunction. Mice were fed a diet containing soybean extracts from 1 to 12 months of age. The effects of green and yellow soybean extracts were compared with a control diet without soybean extracts. Cognitive functions were higher in aged mice fed green soybean than age-matched control mice and mice fed yellow soybean. We further investigated transcriptome of the SAMP10 hippocampus indicated that expression levels of 36 genes were significantly higher and 19 genes were lower in mice that ingested green soybean than in mice that ingested yellow soybean. Some of the evidences were reconfirmed by real time PCR analysis; the levels of Cdh1 and Ptgds mRNA were significantly higher and that the level of Aplp1 was significantly lower in aged SAMP10 mice fed green soybean than mice ingested yellow soybean and control mice. Additionally, the amount of amyloid beta 40 and 42 was lower in the insoluble fraction of aged SAMP10 mice fed green soybean than control mice and mice fed yellow soybean, although the levels of amyloid beta 40 and 42 in the soluble fraction were not different. Lipocalin-type prostaglandin D2 synthase (L-PGDS) has been proposed as the endogenous amyloid beta - chaperone, suggesting that amyloid aggregation was lower in mice fed green soybean than control mice and mice fed yellow soybean. These results indicate that the intake of green soybean improved cognitive function in aged mice, and suppressed amyloid beta accumulation. Green soybean might help healthy aging of the brain in older persons. The effect of green and yellow soybean extracts on cognitive function in aged SAMP10 mice. Mice were fed a CE-2 diet containing 3.0% soybean extracts taken from both yellow and green soybean species, from 1 to 12 months of age. Total RNA was extracted from the stored hippocampus for DNA microarray analysis.