Integrative Molecular Phenotyping
INTEGRATIVE MOLECULAR
PHENOTYPING
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY

PubMed

Comparative metabonomics of Wenxin Keli and Verapamil reveals differential roles of gluconeogenesis and fatty acid β-oxidation in myocardial injury protection.

Sun, 20/08/2017 - 12:11
Comparative metabonomics of Wenxin Keli and Verapamil reveals differential roles of gluconeogenesis and fatty acid β-oxidation in myocardial injury protection. Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 18;7(1):8739 Authors: Jiang M, Wang Q, Chen J, Wang Y, Fan G, Zhu Y Abstract Metabonomics/metabolomics is a rapid technology for comprehensive profiling of small molecule metabolites in cells, tissues, or whole organisms, the application of which has led to understanding pathophysiologic mechanisms of cardiometabolic diseases, defining predictive biomarkers for those diseases, and also assessing the efficacious effects of incident drugs. In this study, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabonomics was employed to identify the metabolic changes in rat plasma caused by myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI), and to compare the metabolic regulatory differences between traditional Chinese medicine Wenxin Keli (WXKL) and Western medicine verapamil. The results revealed that energy-substrate metabolism were significantly disturbed by ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) in myocardium and bulk of the key metabolites could be further modulated by verapamil and/or WXKL. Lipid metabolism and amino acid transamination occurred mainly following the treatment of verapamil, whereas glucose oxidation and BCAA degradation were prominently ameliorated by WXKL to content the energy demands of heart. Moreover, both WXKL and verapamil improved the secretions of taurine and ketone bodies to overcome the oxidative stress and the shortage of energy sources induced by ischemia-reperfusion. PMID: 28821850 [PubMed - in process]

Biogeography shaped the metabolome of the genus Espeletia: a phytochemical perspective on an Andean adaptive radiation.

Sun, 20/08/2017 - 12:11
Biogeography shaped the metabolome of the genus Espeletia: a phytochemical perspective on an Andean adaptive radiation. Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 18;7(1):8835 Authors: Padilla-González GF, Diazgranados M, Da Costa FB Abstract The páramo ecosystem has the highest rate of diversification across plant lineages on earth, of which the genus Espeletia (Asteraceae) is a prime example. The current distribution and molecular phylogeny of Espeletia suggest the influence of Andean geography and past climatic fluctuations on the diversification of this genus. However, molecular markers have failed to reveal subtle biogeographical trends in Espeletia diversification, and metabolomic evidence for allopatric segregation in plants has never been reported. Here, we present for the first time a metabolomics approach based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for revealing subtle biogeographical trends in Espeletia diversification. We demonstrate that Espeletia lineages can be distinguished by means of different metabolic fingerprints correlated to the country of origin on a global scale and to the páramo massif on a regional scale. Distinctive patterns in the accumulation of secondary metabolites according to the main diversification centers of Espeletia are also identified and a comprehensive phytochemical characterization is reported. These findings demonstrate that a variation in the metabolic fingerprints of Espeletia lineages followed the biogeography of this genus, suggesting that our untargeted metabolomics approach can be potentially used as a model to understand the biogeographic history of additional plant groups in the páramo ecosystem. PMID: 28821838 [PubMed - in process]

Disease-syndrome combination modeling: metabolomic strategy for the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease.

Sun, 20/08/2017 - 12:11
Disease-syndrome combination modeling: metabolomic strategy for the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease. Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 18;7(1):8830 Authors: Li S, Xu P, Han L, Mao W, Wang Y, Luo G, Yang N Abstract Conventional disease animal models have limitations on the conformity to the actual clinical situation. Disease-syndrome combination (DS) modeling may provide a more efficient strategy for biomedicine research. Disease model and DS model of renal fibrosis in chronic kidney disease were established by ligating the left ureter and by ligating unilateral ureteral combined with exhaustive swimming, respectively. Serum metabolomics was conducted to evaluate disease model and DS model by using ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Potential endogenous biomarkers were identified by multivariate statistical analysis. There are no differences between two models regarding their clinical biochemistry and kidney histopathology, while metabolomics highlights their difference. It is found that abnormal sphingolipid metabolism is a common characteristic of both models, while arachidonic acid metabolism, linolenic acid metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism are highlighted in DS model. Metabolomics is a promising approach to evaluate experiment animal models. DS model are comparatively in more coincidence with clinical settings, and is superior to single disease model for the biomedicine research. PMID: 28821830 [PubMed - in process]

Metabolomics and genomics combine to unravel the pathway for the presence of fragrance in rice.

Sun, 20/08/2017 - 12:11
Metabolomics and genomics combine to unravel the pathway for the presence of fragrance in rice. Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 18;7(1):8767 Authors: Daygon VD, Calingacion M, Forster LC, Voss JJ, Schwartz BD, Ovenden B, Alonso DE, McCouch SR, Garson MJ, Fitzgerald MA Abstract Since it was first characterised in 1983, 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP) has been considered to be the most important aroma compound in rice. In this study, we show four other amine heterocycles: 6-methyl, 5-oxo-2,3,4,5-tetrahydropyridine (6M5OTP), 2-acetylpyrrole, pyrrole and 1-pyrroline, that correlate strongly with the production of 2AP, and are present in consistent proportions in a set of elite aromatic rice varieties from South East Asia and Australia as well as in a collection of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from indica Jasmine-type varieties, Australian long grain varieties (temperate japonica) and Basmati-type rice (Grp V). These compounds were detected through untargeted metabolite profiling by two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOF-MS), and their identity were confirmed by comparison with authentic standards analysed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and High Resolution GC × GC-TOF-MS (GC × GC HRT-4D). Genome-wide association analysis indicates that all compounds co-localised with a single quantitative trait locus (QTL) that harbours the FGR gene responsible for the production of GABA. Together, these data provide new insights into the production of 2AP, and evidence for understanding the pathway leading to the accumulation of aroma in fragrant rice. PMID: 28821745 [PubMed - in process]

Twenty-four-hour rhythmicity of circulating metabolites: effect of body mass and type 2 diabetes.

Sun, 20/08/2017 - 12:11
Twenty-four-hour rhythmicity of circulating metabolites: effect of body mass and type 2 diabetes. FASEB J. 2017 Aug 18;: Authors: Isherwood CM, Van der Veen DR, Johnston JD, Skene DJ Abstract Metabolic profiling of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has previously been limited to single-time-point samples, ignoring time-of-day variation. Here, we tested our hypothesis that body mass and T2DM affect daily rhythmicity and concentrations of circulating metabolites across a 24-h day in 3 age-matched, male groups-lean, overweight/obese (OW/OB), and OW/OB with T2DM-in controlled laboratory conditions, which were not confounded by large meals. By using targeted liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry metabolomics, we quantified 130 plasma metabolites every 2 h over 24 h, and we show that average metabolite concentrations were significantly altered by increased body mass (90 of 130) and T2DM (56 of 130). Thirty-eight percent of metabolites exhibited daily rhythms in at least 1 study group, and where a metabolite was rhythmic in >1 group, its peak time was comparable. The optimal time of day was assessed to provide discriminating biomarkers. This differed between metabolite classes and study groups-for example, phospholipids showed maximal difference at 5:00 AM (lean vs. OW/OB) and at 5:00 PM (OW/OB vs. T2DM). Metabolites that were identified with both robust 24-h rhythms and significant concentration differences between study groups emphasize the importance of controlling the time of day for diagnosis and biomarker discovery, offering a significant improvement over current single sampling.-Isherwood, C. M., Van der Veen, D. R., Johnston, J. D., Skene, D. J. Twenty-four-hour rhythmicity of circulating metabolites: effect of body mass and type 2 diabetes. PMID: 28821636 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Space-type radiation induces multimodal responses in the mouse gut microbiome and metabolome.

Sun, 20/08/2017 - 12:11
Space-type radiation induces multimodal responses in the mouse gut microbiome and metabolome. Microbiome. 2017 Aug 18;5(1):105 Authors: Casero D, Gill K, Sridharan V, Koturbash I, Nelson G, Hauer-Jensen M, Boerma M, Braun J, Cheema AK Abstract BACKGROUND: Space travel is associated with continuous low dose rate exposure to high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. Pathophysiological manifestations after low dose radiation exposure are strongly influenced by non-cytocidal radiation effects, including changes in the microbiome and host gene expression. Although the importance of the gut microbiome in the maintenance of human health is well established, little is known about the role of radiation in altering the microbiome during deep-space travel. RESULTS: Using a mouse model for exposure to high LET radiation, we observed substantial changes in the composition and functional potential of the gut microbiome. These were accompanied by changes in the abundance of multiple metabolites, which were related to the enzymatic activity of the predicted metagenome by means of metabolic network modeling. There was a complex dynamic in microbial and metabolic composition at different radiation doses, suggestive of transient, dose-dependent interactions between microbial ecology and signals from the host's cellular damage repair processes. The observed radiation-induced changes in microbiota diversity and composition were analyzed at the functional level. A constitutive change in activity was found for several pathways dominated by microbiome-specific enzymatic reactions like carbohydrate digestion and absorption and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, while the activity in other radiation-responsive pathways like phosphatidylinositol signaling could be linked to dose-dependent changes in the abundance of specific taxa. CONCLUSIONS: The implication of microbiome-mediated pathophysiology after low dose ionizing radiation may be an unappreciated biologic hazard of space travel and deserves experimental validation. This study provides a conceptual and analytical basis of further investigations to increase our understanding of the chronic effects of space radiation on human health, and points to potential new targets for intervention in adverse radiation effects. PMID: 28821301 [PubMed - in process]

Impact of novel palmitoylated prolactin-releasing peptide analogs on metabolic changes in mice with diet-induced obesity.

Sat, 19/08/2017 - 14:54
Impact of novel palmitoylated prolactin-releasing peptide analogs on metabolic changes in mice with diet-induced obesity. PLoS One. 2017;12(8):e0183449 Authors: Pražienková V, Holubová M, Pelantová H, Bugáňová M, Pirník Z, Mikulášková B, Popelová A, Blechová M, Haluzík M, Železná B, Kuzma M, Kuneš J, Maletínská L Abstract Analogs of anorexigenic neuropeptides, such as prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP), have a potential as new anti-obesity drugs. In our previous study, palmitic acid attached to the N-terminus of PrRP enabled its central anorexigenic effects after peripheral administration. In this study, two linkers, γ-glutamic acid at Lys11 and a short, modified polyethylene glycol at the N-terminal Ser and/or Lys11, were applied for the palmitoylation of PrRP31 to improve its bioavailability. These analogs had a high affinity and activation ability to the PrRP receptor GPR10 and the neuropeptide FF2 receptor, as well as short-term anorexigenic effect similar to PrRP palmitoylated at the N-terminus. Two-week treatment with analogs that were palmitoylated through linkers to Lys11 (analogs 1 and 2), but not with analog modified both at the N-terminus and Lys11 (analog 3) decreased body and liver weights, insulin, leptin, triglyceride, cholesterol and free fatty acid plasma levels in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. Moreover, the expression of uncoupling protein-1 was increased in brown fat suggesting an increase in energy expenditure. In addition, treatment with analogs 1 and 2 but not analog 3 significantly decreased urinary concentrations of 1-methylnicotinamide and its oxidation products N-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide and N-methyl-4-pyridone-3-carboxamide, as shown by NMR-based metabolomics. This observation confirmed the previously reported increase in nicotinamide derivatives in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus and the effectiveness of analogs 1 and 2 in the treatment of these disorders. PMID: 28820912 [PubMed - in process]

Cell cycle-related metabolism and mitochondrial dynamics in a replication-competent pancreatic beta-cell line.

Sat, 19/08/2017 - 14:54
Cell cycle-related metabolism and mitochondrial dynamics in a replication-competent pancreatic beta-cell line. Cell Cycle. 2017 Aug 18;:0 Authors: Montemurro C, Vadrevu S, Gurlo T, Butler AE, Vongbunyong KE, Petcherski A, Shirihai OS, Satin LS, Braas D, Butler PC, Tudzarova S Abstract Cell replication is a fundamental attribute of growth and repair in multicellular organisms. Pancreatic beta-cells in adults rarely enter cell cycle, hindering the capacity for regeneration in diabetes. Efforts to drive beta-cells into cell cycle have so far largely focused on regulatory molecules such as cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Investigations in cancer biology have uncovered that adaptive changes in metabolism, the mitochondrial network, and cellular Ca(2+) are critical for permitting cells to progress through the cell cycle. Here, we investigated these parameters in the replication-competent beta-cell line INS 832/13. Cell cycle synchronization of this line permitted evaluation of cell metabolism, mitochondrial network, and cellular Ca(2+) compartmentalization at key cell cycle stages. The mitochondrial network is interconnected and filamentous at G1/S but fragments during the S and G2/M phases, presumably to permit sorting to daughter cells. Pyruvate anaplerosis peaks at G1/S, consistent with generation of biomass for daughter cells, whereas mitochondrial Ca(2+) and respiration increase during S and G2/M, consistent with increased energy requirements for DNA and lipid synthesis. This synchronization approach may be of value to investigators performing live cell imaging of Ca(2+) or mitochondrial dynamics commonly undertaken in INS cell lines because without synchrony widely disparate data from cell to cell would be expected depending on position within cell cycle. Our findings also offer insight into why replicating beta-cells are relatively nonfunctional secreting insulin in response to glucose. They also provide guidance on metabolic requirements of beta-cells for the transition through the cell cycle that may complement the efforts currently restricted to manipulating cell cycle to drive beta-cells through cell cycle. PMID: 28820316 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

A cross-platform metabolomics workflow for volume-restricted tissue samples: application to an animal model for polycystic kidney disease.

Sat, 19/08/2017 - 14:54
A cross-platform metabolomics workflow for volume-restricted tissue samples: application to an animal model for polycystic kidney disease. Mol Biosyst. 2017 Aug 18;: Authors: Sánchez-López E, Happé H, Steenvoorden E, Crego AL, Marina ML, Peters DJM, Mayboroda OA Abstract Metabolic profiling provides an unbiased view of the physiological status of an organism as a "function" of the metabolic composition of a measured sample. Here, we propose a simple LC-MS based workflow for metabolic profiling of volume-restricted samples, namely individual 20 μm-thick histological sections of a mouse kidney. The main idea of this workflow is to re-use the material after an RPLC-MS run, namely using the volume remaining in the vial after injection, and then introducing a phase changing step to enable HILIC-MS analysis. To test the applicability of the workflow and its ability to extract valuable biological information, we applied it to an animal model of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). PMID: 28820206 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

A metabolomics guided exploration of marine natural product chemical space.

Sat, 19/08/2017 - 14:54
A metabolomics guided exploration of marine natural product chemical space. Metabolomics. 2016 Sep;12(9): Authors: Floros DJ, Jensen PR, Dorrestein PC, Koyama N Abstract INTRODUCTION: Natural products from culture collections have enormous impact in advancing discovery programs for metabolites of biotechnological importance. These discovery efforts rely on the metabolomic characterization of strain collections. OBJECTIVE: Many emerging approaches compare metabolomic profiles of such collections, but few enable the analysis and prioritization of thousands of samples from diverse organisms while delivering chemistry specific read outs. METHOD: In this work we utilize untargeted LC-MS/MS based metabolomics together with molecular networking to. RESULT: This approach annotated 76 molecular families (a spectral match rate of 28 %), including clinically and biotechnologically important molecules such as valinomycin, actinomycin D, and desferrioxamine E. Targeting a molecular family produced primarily by one microorganism led to the isolation and structure elucidation of two new molecules designated maridric acids A and B. CONCLUSION: Molecular networking guided exploration of large culture collections allows for rapid dereplication of know molecules and can highlight producers of uniques metabolites. These methods, together with large culture collections and growing databases, allow for data driven strain prioritization with a focus on novel chemistries. PMID: 28819353 [PubMed]

Combined transcriptome and metabolome analyses of metformin effects reveal novel links between metabolic networks in steroidogenic systems.

Sat, 19/08/2017 - 14:54
Combined transcriptome and metabolome analyses of metformin effects reveal novel links between metabolic networks in steroidogenic systems. Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 17;7(1):8652 Authors: Udhane SS, Legeza B, Marti N, Hertig D, Diserens G, Nuoffer JM, Vermathen P, Flück CE Abstract Metformin is an antidiabetic drug, which inhibits mitochondrial respiratory-chain-complex I and thereby seems to affect the cellular metabolism in many ways. It is also used for the treatment of the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder in women. In addition, metformin possesses antineoplastic properties. Although metformin promotes insulin-sensitivity and ameliorates reproductive abnormalities in PCOS, its exact mechanisms of action remain elusive. Therefore, we studied the transcriptome and the metabolome of metformin in human adrenal H295R cells. Microarray analysis revealed changes in 693 genes after metformin treatment. Using high resolution magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HR-MAS-NMR), we determined 38 intracellular metabolites. With bioinformatic tools we created an integrated pathway analysis to understand different intracellular processes targeted by metformin. Combined metabolomics and transcriptomics data analysis showed that metformin affects a broad range of cellular processes centered on the mitochondrium. Data confirmed several known effects of metformin on glucose and androgen metabolism, which had been identified in clinical and basic studies previously. But more importantly, novel links between the energy metabolism, sex steroid biosynthesis, the cell cycle and the immune system were identified. These omics studies shed light on a complex interplay between metabolic pathways in steroidogenic systems. PMID: 28819133 [PubMed - in process]

An on-spot internal standard addition approach for accurately determining colistin A and colistin B in dried blood spots using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Sat, 19/08/2017 - 14:54
An on-spot internal standard addition approach for accurately determining colistin A and colistin B in dried blood spots using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2017 Aug 03;145:783-793 Authors: Tsai IL, Kuo CH, Sun HY, Chuang YC, Chepyala D, Lin SW, Tsai YJ Abstract Outbreaks of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections have been reported worldwide. Colistin, an antibiotic with known nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity, is now being used to treat multidrug-resistant Gram-negative strains. In this study, we applied an on-spot internal standard addition approach coupled with an ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to quantify colistin A and B from dried blood spots (DBSs). Only 15μL of whole blood was required for each sample. An internal standard with the same yield of extraction recoveries as colistin was added to the spot before sample extraction for accurate quantification. Formic acid in water (0.15%) with an equal volume of acetonitrile (50:50v/v) was used as the extraction solution. With the optimized extraction process and LC-MS/MS conditions, colistin A and B could be quantified from a DBS with respective limits of quantification of 0.13 and 0.27μgmL(-1), and the retention times were < 2min. The relative standard deviations of within-run and between-run precisions for peak area ratios were all < 17.3%. Accuracies were 91.5-111.2% for lower limit of quantification, low, medium, and high QC samples. The stability of the easily hydrolyzed prodrug, colistin methanesulfonate, was investigated in DBSs. Less than 4% of the prodrug was found to be hydrolyzed in DBSs at room temperature after 48h. The developed method applied an on-spot internal standard addition approach which benefited the precision and accuracy. Results showed that DBS sampling coupled with the sensitive LC-MS/MS method has the potential to be an alternative approach for colistin quantification, where the bias of prodrug hydrolysis in liquid samples is decreased. PMID: 28818804 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Metabolic features involved in drought stress tolerance mechanisms in peanut nodules and their contribution to biological nitrogen fixation.

Sat, 19/08/2017 - 14:54
Metabolic features involved in drought stress tolerance mechanisms in peanut nodules and their contribution to biological nitrogen fixation. Plant Sci. 2017 Oct;263:12-22 Authors: Furlan AL, Bianucci E, Castro S, Dietz KJ Abstract Legumes belong to the most important crops worldwide. They increase soil fertility due their ability to establish symbiotic associations with soil microorganisms, known as rhizobia, capable of fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere. However, they are frequently exposed to abiotic stress conditions in particular drought. Such adverse conditions impair the biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and depend largely on the legume. Therefore, two peanut cultivars with contrasting tolerance to drought, namely the more tolerant EC-98 and the sensitive Granoleico, were investigated to elucidate the relative contribution of BNF to the tolerance to drought. The tolerant cultivar EC-98 sustained growth and BNF similar to the control condition despite the reduced water potential and photosynthesis, suggesting the functioning of distinct metabolic pathways that contributed to enhance the tolerance. The biochemical and metabolomics approaches revealed that nodules from the tolerant cultivar accumulated trehalose, proline and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), metabolites with known function in protecting against drought stress. The amide metabolism was severely affected in nodules from the sensitive cultivar Granoleico as revealed by the low content of asparagine and glutamine in the drought stressed plants. The sensitive cultivar upon rehydration was unable to re-establish a metabolism similar to well-watered plants. This was evidenced by the low level of metabolites and, transcripts and specific activities of enzymes from the carbon (sucrose synthase) and nitrogen (glutamine synthetase) metabolism which decreased below the values of control plants. Therefore, the increased content of metabolites with protective functions under drought stress likely is crucial for the full restoration upon rehydration. Smaller changes of drought stress-related metabolites in nodule are another trait that contributes to the effective control of BNF in the tolerant peanut cultivar (EC-98). PMID: 28818367 [PubMed - in process]

A Genoproteomic Approach to Detect Peptide Markers of Bacterial Respiratory Pathogens.

Sat, 19/08/2017 - 14:54
Related Articles A Genoproteomic Approach to Detect Peptide Markers of Bacterial Respiratory Pathogens. Clin Chem. 2017 Aug;63(8):1398-1408 Authors: Wang H, Drake SK, Yong C, Gucek M, Lyes MA, Rosenberg AZ, Soderblom E, Arthur Moseley M, Dekker JP, Suffredini AF Abstract BACKGROUND: Rapid identification of respiratory pathogens may facilitate targeted antimicrobial therapy. Direct identification of bacteria in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry is confounded by interfering substances. We describe a method to identify unique peptide markers of 5 gram-negative bacteria by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for direct pathogen identification in BAL. METHODS: In silico translation and digestion were performed on 14-25 whole genomes representing strains of Acinetobacter baumannii, Moraxella catarrhalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Peptides constituting theoretical core peptidomes in each were identified. Rapid tryptic digestion was performed; peptides were analyzed by LC-MS/MS and compared with the theoretical core peptidomes. High-confidence core peptides (false discovery rate <1%) were identified and analyzed with the lowest common ancestor search to yield potential species-specific peptide markers. The species specificity of each peptide was verified with protein BLAST. Further, 1 or 2 pathogens were serially diluted into pooled inflamed BAL, and a targeted LC-MS/MS assay was used to detect 25 peptides simultaneously. RESULTS: Five unique peptides with the highest abundance for each pathogen distinguished these pathogens with varied detection sensitivities. Peptide markers for A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa, when spiked simultaneously into inflamed BAL, were detected with as few as 3.6 (0.2) × 10(3) and 2.2 (0.6) × 10(3) colony-forming units, respectively, by targeted LC-MS/MS. CONCLUSIONS: This proof-of-concept study shows the feasibility of identifying unique peptides in BAL for 5 gram-negative bacterial pathogens, and it may provide a novel approach for rapid direct identification of bacterial pathogens in BAL. PMID: 28588123 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Allelopatic Potential of Dittrichia viscosa (L.) W. Greuter Mediated by VOCs: A Physiological and Metabolomic Approach.

Sat, 19/08/2017 - 14:54
Related Articles Allelopatic Potential of Dittrichia viscosa (L.) W. Greuter Mediated by VOCs: A Physiological and Metabolomic Approach. PLoS One. 2017;12(1):e0170161 Authors: Araniti F, Lupini A, Sunseri F, Abenavoli MR Abstract Dittrichia viscosa (L.) W. Greuter is a pioneer species belonging to the Compositae family. It is widespread in the Mediterranean basin, where it is considered invasive. It is a source of secondary metabolites, playing an important ecological role. D. viscosa plant extracts showed a phytotoxic activity on several physiological processes of different species. In the current study, the allelopathic potential of D. viscosa VOCs, released by its foliage, was evaluated on seed germination and root growth of lettuce. The VOCs effect was also studied on lettuce adult plants in microcosm systems, which better mimicked the open field conditions. D. viscosa VOCs inhibited both seed germination and root growth of lettuce. The VOCs composition revealed a large presence of terpenoids, responsible of the effects observed. Moreover, D. viscosa VOCs caused an alteration on plant water status accompanied by oxidative damages and photoinhibition on lettuce adult plants. PMID: 28085959 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Metabolomic Profiling of the Malaria Box Reveals Antimalarial Target Pathways.

Sat, 19/08/2017 - 14:54
Related Articles Metabolomic Profiling of the Malaria Box Reveals Antimalarial Target Pathways. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2016 Nov;60(11):6635-6649 Authors: Allman EL, Painter HJ, Samra J, Carrasquilla M, Llinás M Abstract The threat of widespread drug resistance to frontline antimalarials has renewed the urgency for identifying inexpensive chemotherapeutic compounds that are effective against Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite species responsible for the greatest number of malaria-related deaths worldwide. To aid in the fight against malaria, a recent extensive screening campaign has generated thousands of lead compounds with low micromolar activity against blood stage parasites. A subset of these leads has been compiled by the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) into a collection of structurally diverse compounds known as the MMV Malaria Box. Currently, little is known regarding the activity of these Malaria Box compounds on parasite metabolism during intraerythrocytic development, and a majority of the targets for these drugs have yet to be defined. Here we interrogated the in vitro metabolic effects of 189 drugs (including 169 of the drug-like compounds from the Malaria Box) using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). The resulting metabolic fingerprints provide information on the parasite biochemical pathways affected by pharmacologic intervention and offer a critical blueprint for selecting and advancing lead compounds as next-generation antimalarial drugs. Our results reveal several major classes of metabolic disruption, which allow us to predict the mode of action (MoA) for many of the Malaria Box compounds. We anticipate that future combination therapies will be greatly informed by these results, allowing for the selection of appropriate drug combinations that simultaneously target multiple metabolic pathways, with the aim of eliminating malaria and forestalling the expansion of drug-resistant parasites in the field. PMID: 27572391 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

metabolomics; +16 new citations

Fri, 18/08/2017 - 14:20
16 new pubmed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results: metabolomics These pubmed results were generated on 2017/08/18PubMed comprises more than millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

metabolomics; +35 new citations

Thu, 17/08/2017 - 17:08
35 new pubmed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results: metabolomics These pubmed results were generated on 2017/08/17PubMed comprises more than millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

metabolomics; +19 new citations

Tue, 15/08/2017 - 13:23
19 new pubmed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results: metabolomics These pubmed results were generated on 2017/08/15PubMed comprises more than millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

Taurine upregulated gene 1 functions as a master regulator to coordinate glycolysis and metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Sun, 13/08/2017 - 12:26
Taurine upregulated gene 1 functions as a master regulator to coordinate glycolysis and metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatology. 2017 Aug 12;: Authors: Lin YH, Wu MH, Huang YH, Yeh CT, Cheng ML, Chi HC, Tsai CY, Chung IH, Chen CY, Lin KH Abstract Cancer cells display altered glucose metabolism characterized by a preference for aerobic glycolysis. The aerobic glycolytic phenotype of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often correlated with tumor progression and poorer clinical outcomes. However, the issue of whether glycolytic metabolism influences metastasis in HCC remains unclear. In the current study, we showed that knockdown of Taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) induces marked inhibition of cell migration, invasion and glycolysis via suppression of miR-455-3p. MiR-455-3p, which is transcriptionally repressed by p21, directly targets the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of AMP-activated protein kinase subunit beta 2 (AMPKβ2). The TUG1/miR-455-3p/AMPKβ2 axis regulates cell growth, metastasis and glycolysis through regulation of Hexokinase 2 (HK2). TUG1 is clearly associated with HK2 overexpression and unfavorable prognosis in HCC patients. CONCLUSION: Our data collectively highlight that novel regulatory associations among TUG1, miR-455-3p, AMPKβ2 and HK2 are an important determinant of glycolytic metabolism and metastasis in HCC cells and support the potential utility of targeting TUG1/HK2 as a therapeutic strategy for HCC. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. PMID: 28802060 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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