•Biomass of S. cerevisiae in latent anaphase increased by 127.03% after sonication.•Membrane permeability of S. cerevisiae in latent anaphase enhanced by ultrasound.•Ethanol tolerance of S. ...cerevisiae was not affected significantly by ultrasound.
Effects of low-intensity ultrasound (at different frequency, treatment time and power) on Saccharomyces cerevisiae in different growth phase were evaluated by the biomass in the paper. In addition, the cell membrane permeability and ethanol tolerance of sonicated Saccharomyces cerevisiae were also researched. The results revealed that the biomass of Saccharomyces cerevisiae increased by 127.03% under the optimum ultrasonic conditions such as frequency 28kHz, power 140W/L and ultrasonic time 1h when Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultured to the latent anaphase. And the membrane permeability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in latent anaphase enhanced by ultrasound, resulting in the augment of extracellular protein, nucleic acid and fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) contents. In addition, sonication could accelerate the damage of high concentration alcohol to Saccharomyces cerevisiae although the ethanol tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was not affected significantly by ultrasound.
•Calcined DES was used as catalyst for biodiesel production from SODD.•The obtained CaO was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM and the optimal calcination temperature was 900°C.•The biodiesel yield was ...94.6% at the optimal transesterification conditions.•The biodiesel yield was above 80% after five times usage.
Biodiesel production from soybean oil deodorizer distillate (SODD) using calcined duck eggshell (DES) as catalyst was studied. An inexpensive and environment-friendly catalyst was prepared from waste DES which is a source of calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate could be changed to calcium oxide (CaO) under high temperatures. The obtained CaO was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transmission Infrared Spectra (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). XRF was used to determine the elemental composition of the catalyst. BET analysis was performed to determine specific surface area, pore volume and particle size of the catalysts. Results showed that at 800°C and 900°C the calcium carbonate in DES was changed to CaO. The pre-esterification of SODD was conducted under the following conditions: H2SO4 concentration (v/w, based on oil weight) 1.5%, methanol to oil molar ratio 12:1, reaction time 120min and reaction temperature 60°C. Thephytosterols were removed by cooling down step by stepand temperature steps were 15°C, 5°C, −5°C. The process of biodiesel production from pre-esterified SODD using the obtained CaO as catalyst was studied and the optimal conditions were: calcination temperature of 900°C, catalyst amount of 10wt.%, methanol to oil ratio of 10:1, reaction temperature of 60°C and reaction time of 80min and the biodiesel yield was 94.6% at these conditions. The reusability of the DES-derived catalyst was tested and the results showed that the biodiesel yield was above 80% after five times usage and was lower than 60% after 8 times usage.
Aims/hypothesis
Individuals with longstanding and recent-onset type 1 diabetes have a smaller pancreas. Since beta cells represent a very small portion of the pancreas, the loss of pancreas volume in ...diabetes is primarily due to the loss of pancreatic exocrine mass. However, the structural changes in the exocrine pancreas in diabetes are not well understood.
Methods
To characterise the pancreatic endocrine and exocrine compartments in diabetes, we studied pancreases from adult donors with type 1 diabetes compared with similarly aged donors without diabetes. Islet cell mass, islet morphometry, exocrine mass, acinar cell size and number and pancreas fibrosis were assessed by immunohistochemical staining. To better understand possible mechanisms of altered pancreas size, we measured pancreas size in three mouse models of insulin deficiency.
Results
Pancreases from donors with type 1 diabetes were approximately 45% smaller than those from donors without diabetes (47.4 ± 2.6 vs 85.7 ± 3.7 g), independent of diabetes duration or age of onset. Diabetic donor pancreases had decreased beta cell mass (0.061 ± 0.025 vs 0.94 ± 0.21 g) and reduced total exocrine mass (42.0 ± 4.9 vs 96.1 ± 6.5 g). Diabetic acinar cells were similar in size but fewer in number compared with those in pancreases from non-diabetic donors (63.7 ± 8.1 × 10
9
vs 121.6 ± 12.2 × 10
9
cells/pancreas), likely accounting for the difference in pancreas size. Within the type 1 diabetes exocrine tissue, there was a greater degree of fibrosis. The pancreases in three mouse models of insulin deficiency were similar in size to those in control mice.
Conclusions/interpretation
Pancreases from donors with type 1 diabetes are smaller than normal donor pancreases because exocrine cells are fewer in number rather than smaller in size; these changes occur early in the disease process. Our mouse data suggest that decreased pancreas size in type 1 diabetes is not directly caused by insulin deficiency, but the precise mechanism responsible remains unclear.
Human but not mouse islets transplanted into immunodeficient NSG mice effectively accumulate lipid droplets (LDs). Because chronic lipid exposure is associated with islet β-cell dysfunction, we ...investigated LD accumulation in the intact human and mouse pancreas over a range of ages and states of diabetes. Very few LDs were found in normal human juvenile pancreatic acinar and islet cells, with numbers subsequently increasing throughout adulthood. While accumulation appeared evenly distributed in postjuvenile acinar and islet cells in donors without diabetes, LDs were enriched in islet α- and β-cells from donors with type 2 diabetes (T2D). LDs were also found in the islet β-like cells produced from human embryonic cell-derived β-cell clusters. In contrast, LD accumulation was nearly undetectable in the adult rodent pancreas, even in hyperglycemic and hyperlipidemic models or 1.5-year-old mice. Taken together, there appear to be significant differences in pancreas islet cell lipid handling between species, and the human juvenile and adult cell populations. Moreover, our results suggest that LD enrichment could be impactful to T2D islet cell function.
Pancreatic islets adapt to insulin resistance through a complex set of changes, including β-cell hyperplasia and hypertrophy. To determine if islet vascularization changes in response to insulin ...resistance, we investigated three independent models of insulin resistance: ob/ob, GLUT4(+/-), and mice with high-fat diet-induced obesity. Intravital blood vessel labeling and immunocytochemistry revealed a vascular plasticity in which islet vessel area was significantly increased, but intraislet vessel density was decreased as the result of insulin resistance. These vascular changes were independent of islet size and were only observed within the β-cell core but not in the islet periphery. Intraislet endothelial cell fenestration, proliferation, and islet angiogenic factor/receptor expression were unchanged in insulin-resistant compared with control mice, indicating that islet capillary expansion is mediated by dilation of preexisting vessels and not by angiogenesis. We propose that the islet capillary dilation is modulated by endothelial nitric oxide synthase via complementary signals derived from β-cells, parasympathetic nerves, and increased islet blood flow. These compensatory changes in islet vascularization may influence whether β-cells can adequately respond to insulin resistance and prevent the development of diabetes.
Many patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have residual β cells producing small amounts of C-peptide long after disease onset but develop an inadequate glucagon response to hypoglycemia following T1D ...diagnosis. The features of these residual β cells and α cells in the islet endocrine compartment are largely unknown, due to the difficulty of comprehensive investigation. By studying the T1D pancreas and isolated islets, we show that remnant β cells appeared to maintain several aspects of regulated insulin secretion. However, the function of T1D α cells was markedly reduced, and these cells had alterations in transcription factors constituting α and β cell identity. In the native pancreas and after placing the T1D islets into a non-autoimmune, normoglycemic in vivo environment, there was no evidence of α-to-β cell conversion. These results suggest an explanation for the disordered T1D counterregulatory glucagon response to hypoglycemia.
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•T1D β cells appear to maintain several aspects of regulated insulin secretion•T1D α cells have impaired glucagon secretion and altered gene expression•Unlike in rodents, α-to-β cell conversion in human T1D is a very rare event•T1D α cell identity factors improve in a non-autoimmune, normoglycemic environment
Brissova et al. find that β cells in the type 1 diabetic (T1D) pancreas maintain several functional and molecular features, but α cells have impaired glucagon secretion and an altered gene expression profile. These findings provide insight into the mechanism of α cell dysfunction in T1D.
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•Low-intensity fixed-frequency continuous ultrasound could promote bacterial growth.•Biomass of B. licheniformis YYC4 increased by 48.95% after ultrasound treatment.•Sonication caused ...sonoporation, leading to increased bacterial membrane permeability.•Sonication improved metabolic activity and spore germination of B. licheniformis YYC4.
The effect of low-intensity fixed-frequency continuous ultrasound (LIFFCU) on the growth of Bacillus licheniformis YYC4 was investigated. The changes in morphology and activity of the organism, contributing to the growth were also explored. Compared with the control, a significant increase (48.95%) in the biomass of B. licheniformis YYC4 (at the logarithmic metaphase) was observed following the LIFFCU (28 kHz, 1.5 h and 120 W (equivalent to power density of 40 W/L)) treatment. SEM images showed that ultrasonication caused sonoporation, resulting in increased membrane permeability, evidenced by increase in cellular membrane potential, electrical conductivity of the culture, extracellular protein and nucleic acid, and intracellular Ca2+ content. Furthermore, LIFFCU action remarkably increased the extracellular protease activity, volatile components of the culture medium, microbial metabolic activity, and spore germination of the strain. Therefore, LIFFCU could be used to efficiently promote the growth of targeted microorganisms.
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, and progressive β cell dysfunction. Excess glucose and lipid impair β cell function in islet cell lines, cultured rodent and ...human islets, and in vivo rodent models. Here, we examined the mechanistic consequences of glucotoxic and lipotoxic conditions on human islets in vivo and developed and/or used 3 complementary models that allowed comparison of the effects of hyperglycemic and/or insulin-resistant metabolic stress conditions on human and mouse islets, which responded quite differently to these challenges. Hyperglycemia and/or insulin resistance impaired insulin secretion only from human islets in vivo. In human grafts, chronic insulin resistance decreased antioxidant enzyme expression and increased superoxide and amyloid formation. In human islet grafts, expression of transcription factors NKX6.1 and MAFB was decreased by chronic insulin resistance, but only MAFB decreased under chronic hyperglycemia. Knockdown of NKX6.1 or MAFB expression in a human β cell line recapitulated the insulin secretion defect seen in vivo. Contrary to rodent islet studies, neither insulin resistance nor hyperglycemia led to human β cell proliferation or apoptosis. These results demonstrate profound differences in how excess glucose or lipid influence mouse and human insulin secretion and β cell activity and show that reduced expression of key islet-enriched transcription factors is an important mediator of glucotoxicity and lipotoxicity.
Emerging evidence suggests that the tripartite motif (TRIM) family play important roles in tumor development and progression. Tripartite motif-containing 50 (TRIM50) is a member of the TRIM family, ...but little is known regarding its expression and potential functional roles in cancer. In this study, we first analyzed the expression pattern and clinical significance of TRIM50 in pancreatic cancer and found that TRIM50 expression is significantly reduced in pancreatic cancer tissues and its downregulation is associated with poor survival for pancreatic cancer patients. Functionally, TRIM50 overexpression in pancreatic cancer cells decreases their proliferation and motility capabilities and reverses the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, whereas TRIM50 depletion had the opposite effects. Mechanically, TRIM50 directly interacts with Snail1, a key regulator of EMT, and acts as an E3 ubiquitin ligase to target Snail1 for ubiquitous degradation. The function of TRIM50 in suppressing cell migration and EMT depends on TRIM50-promoted Snail1 degradation. In conclusion, our findings identify TRIM50 as a tumor suppressor that inhibits pancreatic cancer progression and reverses EMT
via
degrading Snail1 and provide new insights into the progression of pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic islets are highly vascularized mini-organs, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A is a critical factor in the development of islet vascularization. To investigate the role of ...VEGF-A and endothelial cells (ECs) in adult islets, we used complementary genetic approaches to temporally inactivate VEGF-A in developing mouse pancreatic and islet progenitor cells or in adult β-cells. Inactivation of VEGF-A early in development dramatically reduced pancreatic and islet vascularization, leading to reduced β-cell proliferation in both developing and adult islets and, ultimately, reduced β-cell mass and impaired glucose clearance. When VEGF-A was inactivated in adult β-cells, islet vascularization was reduced twofold. Surprisingly, even after 3 months of reduced islet vascularization, islet architecture and β-cell gene expression, mass, and function were preserved with only a minimal abnormality in glucose clearance. These data show that normal pancreatic VEGF-A expression is critical for the recruitment of ECs and the subsequent stimulation of endocrine cell proliferation during islet development. In contrast, although VEGF-A is required for maintaining the specialized vasculature observed in normal adult islets, adult β-cells can adapt and survive long-term reductions in islet vascularity. These results indicate that VEGF-A and islet vascularization have a lesser role in adult islet function and β-cell mass.
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