Asian seabass is an important food fish species. While improving growth, increasing the nutritional value is important, omega-3 fatty acids are indispensable to human health. Identifying and ...validating DNA markers associated with traits is the first step towards marker-assisted selection (MAS). We quantified 13 different fatty acids and three growth traits in 213 F
2
Asian seabass from a family at the age 270 days post hatch, and screened QTL for these traits. The content of total fatty acids in 100 g flesh was 2.57 ± 0.80 g, while the proportions of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were 16.96 ± 2.20% and 5.42 ± 0.90%, respectively. A linkage map with 2424 SNPs was constructed and used for QTL mapping. For fatty acid compositions, 14 significant QTL were identified on three linkage groups (LG5, LG11 and LG14), with phenotypic variance explained (PVE) from 12.8 to 24.6%. Thirty-nine suggestive QTL were detected on 16 LGs. Two significant QTL for EPA were identified on LG5 and LG14, with PVE of 15.2% and 15.1%, respectively. No significant QTL was identified for DHA. For growth traits, six significant and 13 suggestive QTL were identified on two and seven LGs, respectively. Only a few significant QTL for fatty acids overlapped with previously mapped QTL for these traits, suggesting that most QTL detected in a family are family-specific and could only be used in MAS in the family per se. To facilitate population-wide molecular breeding, more powerful methods (e.g. GWAS) should be used to identify SNPs for genomic selection.
Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain. Glutamatergic neurotransmission may be modulated at multiple levels, only a minority of which are currently being ...exploited for pharmaceutical development. Ionotropic receptors for glutamate are divided into N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and AMPA receptor subtypes. NMDAR have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The glycine modulatory site of the NMDAR is currently a favored therapeutic target, with several modulatory agents currently undergoing clinical development. Of these, the full agonists glycine and D-serine have both shown to induce significant, large effect size reductions in persistent negative and cognitive symptoms when added to traditional or newer atypical antipsychotics in double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical studies. Glycine (GLYT1) and small neutral amino-acid (SNAT) transporters, which regulate glycine levels, represent additional targets for drug development, and may represent a site of action of clozapine. Brain transporters for D-serine have recently been described. Metabotropic glutamate receptors are positively (Group I) or negatively (Groups II and III) coupled to glutamatergic neurotransmission. Metabotropic modulators are currently under preclinical development for neuropsychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, depression and anxiety disorders. Other conditions for which glutamate modulators may prove effective include stroke, epilepsy, Alzheimer disease and PTSD.
Non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) are cationic proteins involved in intracellular lipid shuttling in growth and reproduction, as well as in defense against pathogenic microbes. Even ...though the primary and spatial structures of some nsLTPs from different plants indicate their similar features, they exhibit distinct lipid-binding specificities signifying their various biological roles that dictate further structural study. The present study determined the complete amino acid sequence, in silico 3D structure modeling, and the antiproliferative activity of nsLTP1 from fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seeds. Fennel is a member of the family Umbelliferae (Apiaceae) native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. It is used as a spice medicine and fresh vegetable. Fennel nsLTP1 was purified using the combination of gel filtration and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Its homogeneity was determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The purified nsLTP1 was treated with 4-vinyl pyridine, and the modified protein was then digested with trypsin. The complete amino acid sequence of nsLTP1 established by intact protein sequence up to 28 residues, overlapping tryptic peptides, and cyanogen bromide (CNBr) peptides. Hence, it is confirmed that fennel nsLTP1 is a 9433 Da single polypeptide chain consisting of 91 amino acids with eight conserved cysteines. Moreover, the 3D structure is predicted to have four α-helices interlinked by three loops and a long C-terminal tail. The lipid-binding property of fennel nsLTP1 is examined in vitro using fluorescent 2-p-toluidinonaphthalene-6-sulfonate (TNS) and validated using a molecular docking study with AutoDock Vina. Both of the binding studies confirmed the order of binding efficiency among the four studied fatty acids linoleic acid > linolenic acid > Stearic acid > Palmitic acid. A preliminary screening of fennel nsLTP1 suppressed the growth of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner with an IC
value of 6.98 µM after 48 h treatment.
Fish and commercially available fish oil preparations are rich sources of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are the most ...important fatty acids in fish oil. Following dietary intake, these fatty acids get incorporated into the cell membrane phospholipids throughout the body, especially in the heart and brain. They play an important role in early brain development during infancy, and have also been shown to be of benefit in dementia, depression, and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Early epidemiologic studies show an inverse relationship between fish consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease. This led to the identification of the cardioprotective role of these marine-derived fatty acids. Many experimental studies and some clinical trials have documented the benefits of fish oil supplementation in decreasing the incidence and progression of atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, heart failure, arrhythmias, and stroke. Possible mechanisms include reduction in triglycerides, alteration in membrane fluidity, modulation of cardiac ion channels, and anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, and anti-arrhythmic effects. Fish oil supplements are generally safe, and the risk of toxicity with methylmercury, an environmental toxin found in fish, is minimal. Current guidelines recommend the consumption of either one to two servings of oily fish per week or daily fish oil supplements (around 1 g of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids per day) in adults. However, recent large-scale studies have failed to demonstrate any benefit of fish oil supplements on cardiovascular outcomes and mortality. Here, we review the different trials that evaluated the role of fish oil in cardiovascular diseases.
In this study, the phenolic profiles, antioxidant activity and overall structure of rice bran were analyzed following successive treatments of soaking, heating and high hydrostatic pressure. Compared ...with untreated rice bran, the samples that underwent these treatments exhibited decreased flavonoid contents and increased amounts of phenolic acids. However, in contrast to the decrease in flavonoid contents, the in vitro antioxidant activity of rice bran did not change according to the same trend. Morphological and structural analyses based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) proved the progressive structural destruction of rice bran induced by the successive treatments mentioned above. These results suggested that some flavonoids might convert to phenolic acids during these treatments because of the structural destruction of rice bran. In view of the functional differences of phenolic acids and flavonoids, appropriate treatments should be chosen according to the specific use of rice bran.
•Successive treatments of soaking, heating and high hydrostatic pressure decreased flavonoids contents in rice bran.•These treatments increased amounts of phenolic acids in rice bran.•These treatments induced the progressive structural destruction of rice bran.•Some flavonoids might be converted to phenolic acids during these treatments.
Mitochondrial pyruvate carriers (MPCs), located in the inner membrane of mitochondria, are essential carriers for pyruvate to enter mitochondria. MPCs regulate a wide range of intracellular metabolic ...processes, such as glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle), fatty acid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism. However, the metabolic regulation of MPCs in macrofungi is poorly studied. We studied the role of MPCs in
Ganoderma lucidum
(
Gl
MPC) on ganoderic acid (GA) biosynthesis regulation in
G. lucidum
. In this study, we found that the mitochondrial/cytoplasmic ratio of pyruvate was downregulated about 75% in
GlMPC1
- and
GlMPC2
-silenced transformants compared with wild type (WT). In addition, the GA content was 17.72 mg/g and increased by approximately 50% in
GlMPC1
- and
GlMPC2
-silenced transformants compared with WT. By assaying the expression levels of three key enzymes and the enzyme activities of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (α-KGDH) of the TCA cycle in
GlMPC1
- and
GlMPC2
-silenced transformants, it was found that the decrease in
Gl
MPCs activity did not significantly downregulate the TCA cycle rate, and the enzyme activity of IDH increased by 44% compared with WT. We then verified that fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) supplements the TCA cycle by detecting the expression levels of key enzymes involved in FAO. The results showed that compared with WT, the GA content was 1.14 mg/g and reduced by approximately 40% in co-silenced transformants.
Key points
•
GlMPCs affects the distribution of pyruvate between mitochondria and the cytoplasm
.
•
Acetyl-CoA produced by FAO maintains the TCA cycle
.
•
Acetyl-CoA produced by FAO promotes the accumulation of GA
.
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and a risk factor for cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and liver failure. Previously, we reported that ...dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6,n-3) was more effective than eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5,n-3) at reversing western diet (WD) induced NASH in LDLR -/- mice. Using livers from our previous study, we carried out a global non-targeted metabolomic approach to quantify diet-induced changes in hepatic metabolism. Livers from WD + olive oil (WD + O)-fed mice displayed histological and gene expression features consistent with NASH. The metabolomic analysis of 320 metabolites established that the WD and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation had broad effects on all major metabolic pathways. Livers from WD + O-fed mice were enriched in saturated (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), palmitoyl-sphingomyelin, cholesterol, n-6 PUFA, n-6 PUFA-containing phosphoglycerolipids, n-6 PUFA-derived oxidized lipids (12-HETE) and depleted of C 20-22 n-3 PUFA-containing phosphoglycerolipids, C 20-22 n-3 PUFA-derived oxidized lipids (18-HEPE, 17,18-DiHETE) and S-lactoylglutathione, a methylglyoxal detoxification product. WD + DHA was more effective than WD + EPA at attenuating WD + O-induced changes in NASH gene expression markers, n-6 PUFA and oxidized lipids, citrate and S-lactosyl glutathione. Diet-induced changes in hepatic MUFA and sphingolipid content were associated with changes in expression of enzymes involved in MUFA and sphingolipid synthesis. Changes in hepatic oxidized fatty acids and S-lactoylglutathione, however, correlated with hepatic n-3 and n-6 C 20-22 PUFA content. Hepatic C 20-22 n-3 PUFA content was inversely associated with hepatic α-tocopherol and ascorbate content and positively associated with urinary F2- and F3-isoprostanes, revealing diet effects on whole body oxidative stress. DHA regulation of hepatic SFA, MUFA, PUFA, sphingomyelin, PUFA-derived oxidized lipids and S-lactoylglutathione may explain the protective effects of DHA against WD-induced NASH in LDLR -/- mice.
Chemical agents in the rhizosphere soils of plants might have an influence on root-rot disease, which therefore might reveal the mechanism of root rot in
(
). With this hypothesis the alterations of ...phenolic acids (PAs) in the rhizosphere soils of
after pathogen infection were determined. The effects of PAs on the growth of
(
), a fungal pathogenic factor for
, as well as production of fusaric acid, a wilting agent for the plants, were also examined. The results indicate the presence of five PAs (ferulic acid, syringic acid,
-hydroxybenzoic acid,
-coumaric acid, and vanillic acid) in the rhizosphere soils of
, whose contents in the rhizosphere soils of healthy plants are higher than those of the diseased ones. Further we found that individual PA could inhibit the mycelium growth and spore production of
, but stimulate fusaric acid production as well, disclosing the double-edge sword role of PAs in the occurrence of root rot of
and paving the way for the intervention of
root rot via balancing PAs.
Several metals belong to a group of non-biodegradable inorganic constituents that, at low concentrations, play fundamental roles as essential micronutrients for the growth and development of plants. ...However, in high concentrations they can have toxic and/or mutagenic effects, which can be counteracted by natural chemical compounds called chelators. Chelators have a diversity of chemical structures; many are organic acids, including carboxylic acids and cyclic phenolic acids. The exogenous application of such compounds is a non-genetic approach, which is proving to be a successful strategy to reduce damage caused by heavy metal toxicity. In this review, we will present the latest literature on the exogenous addition of both carboxylic acids, including the Kreb's Cycle intermediates citric and malic acid, as well as oxalic acid, lipoic acid, and phenolic acids (gallic and caffeic acid). The use of two non-traditional organic acids, the phytohormones jasmonic and salicylic acids, is also discussed. We place particular emphasis on physiological and molecular responses, and their impact in increasing heavy metal tolerance, especially in crop species.
The vast majority of infant formulas in the United States contain the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) and arachidonic acid (20:4n-6), which were first ...permitted by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2001. As a scientific case study, preclinical animal studies of these nutrients definitively influenced the design and interpretation of human clinical studies. Early studies were tied to the availability of test substances, and in hindsight suggest re-evaluation of the essential fatty acid concept in light of the totality of available evidence. Research in the 1950s established the essentiality of n-6 PUFAs for skin integrity; however, widespread recognition of the essentiality of n-3 PUFAs came decades later despite compelling evidence of their significance. Barriers to an understanding of the essentiality of n-3 PUFAs were as follows: 1) their role is in neural function, which is measured only with difficulty compared with skin lesions and growth faltering that are apparent for n-6 PUFAs; 2) the experimental use of vegetable oils as PUFA sources that contain the inefficiently used C18 PUFAs rather than the operative C20 and C22 PUFAs; 3) the shift from reliance on high-quality animal studies to define mechanisms that established the required nutrients in the first part of the 20th century to inherently challenging human studies. Advances in nutrition of premature infants require the best practices and opinions available, taking into account the totality of preclinical and clinical evidence.
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