Project description:Germfree (GF) mice have been used as a model to study the contribution of the intestinal microbiota to metabolic energy balance of the host. Despite a wealth of knowledge accumulated since the 1940’s, the response of GF mice to a high fat diet is largely unknown. In the present study, we compared the metabolic consequences of a high fat (HF) diet on GF and conventional (Conv) C57BL/6J mice. As expected, Conv mice developed obesity and glucose intolerance with a HF diet. In contrast, GF mice remained lean and resisted the HF diet-induced insulin resistance. The anti-obesity phenotype of GF/HF mice was accompanied by reduced caloric intake, diminished food efficiency, and excessive fecal lipid excretion contributed to the reduced food efficiency. In addition, HF diet-induced hypercholesterolemia was ameliorated, which was partially due to an increase in fecal cholesterol excretion. However, hepatic cholesterols were increased in GF/HF mice. Elevated nuclear SREBP2 proteins and the up-regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis genes support the increased liver cholesterol biosynthesis in GF/HF mice. The resistance to HF diet-induced metabolic abnormalities in GF mice was also associated with a reduced immune response, indicated by low plasma pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers. These data suggest that the gut microbiota of Conv mice contributes to HF diet-induced obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and hepatic steatosis in mice. Thus, results of the present study describe the metabolic responses of GF mice to a HF diet and further our understandings of the relationship between the gut microbiota and the host. Germfree and conventional C57BL/6J mice were fed with a high fat diet for 11 weeks. Then, all mice were sacrified under 10-h food deprevation, and liver samples of germfree (n=14) and conventional (n=16) were examined.
Project description:We previously reported that a low versus high glycemic index (GI) diet on a high fat (30% kcal fat) background (LGI and HGI, respectively) significantly retarded adverse health effects in C57BL/6J male mice. The LGI diet enhanced whole body insulin sensitivity and repressed high fat diet-induced body and adipose tissue weight gain, resulting in reduced serum leptin and resistin levels (Faseb J 2009; 23: 1092-1101). How white adipose tissue (WAT) is effected is examined in the present study. We characterized the molecular mechanisms underlying the GI-mediated effects in WAT using whole genome transcriptomics technology. We show that a LGI vs. HGI diet mainly exerts its beneficial effects on substrate metabolism, especially insulin signaling of fatty acid metabolism. In addition, cell adhesion and cytoskeleton remodeling showed reduced expression in line with lower WAT mass, but it might also be due to altered insulin sensitivity. An important transcription factor showing enhanced expression is PPARgamma. Furthermore, serum levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol were significantly reduced by a LGI vs. HGI diet, and muscle insulin sensitivity was significantly increased as analyzed by PKB/Akt phosphorylation. Cumulatively, even though these mice were fed a high fat diet, the low versus high GI induced significantly favorable changes in metabolism in WAT. These effects suggest a partial overlap with pharmacological approaches by thiazolidinediones (TZDs) to treat insulin resistance and statins and plantsterols/stanols for hypercholesterolemia. It is therefore tempting to speculate that such a dietary approach might beneficially support pharmacological treatment of insulin resistance or hypercholesterolemia in humans. We analyzed 19 epididymal whie adipose tissue (epiWAT) samples from a 13 week High fat diet, Low glycemic index dietary group (LGI, n=9) versus a High fat diet, High glycemic index dietary group (HGI, n=10) after 13 weeks of feeding wildtype C57BL/6J male adult mice. Of the 19 arrays, we excluded 2 arrays for downstream analysis based on quality control (total final set contains 8 LGI and 9 HGI samples).
Project description:We previously reported that a low versus high glycemic index (GI) diet on a high fat (30% kcal fat) background (LGI and HGI, respectively) significantly retarded adverse health effects in C57BL/6J male mice. The LGI diet enhanced whole body insulin sensitivity and repressed high fat diet-induced body and adipose tissue weight gain, resulting in reduced serum leptin and resistin levels (Faseb J 2009; 23: 1092-1101). How white adipose tissue (WAT) is effected is examined in the present study. We characterized the molecular mechanisms underlying the GI-mediated effects in WAT using whole genome transcriptomics technology. We show that a LGI vs. HGI diet mainly exerts its beneficial effects on substrate metabolism, especially insulin signaling of fatty acid metabolism. In addition, cell adhesion and cytoskeleton remodeling showed reduced expression in line with lower WAT mass, but it might also be due to altered insulin sensitivity. An important transcription factor showing enhanced expression is PPARgamma. Furthermore, serum levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol were significantly reduced by a LGI vs. HGI diet, and muscle insulin sensitivity was significantly increased as analyzed by PKB/Akt phosphorylation. Cumulatively, even though these mice were fed a high fat diet, the low versus high GI induced significantly favorable changes in metabolism in WAT. These effects suggest a partial overlap with pharmacological approaches by thiazolidinediones (TZDs) to treat insulin resistance and statins and plantsterols/stanols for hypercholesterolemia. It is therefore tempting to speculate that such a dietary approach might beneficially support pharmacological treatment of insulin resistance or hypercholesterolemia in humans.
Project description:To determine the effect of consumption of a quercetin-rich diet on obesity and dysregulated hepatic gene expression, C56BL/6J mice were fed for 20 weeks on control or a Western diet high in fat, cholesterol and sucrose, both with or without 0.05% quercetin. Chronic dietary intake of quercetin reduced body weight gain and visceral and liver fat accumulation, and improved hyperglyceamia, hyperinsulinaemia, dyslipidaemia in mice fed a Western-style diet. Feeding a Western-style diet altered expression of genes related to inflammatory responses, lipid metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation in C57BL/6J mice after 20 weeks. The results from exhaustive gene expression analysis showed that quercetin minimally influenced hepatic gene expression in mice fed the Western diet. The gene screening results (GSEA) were consistent with the notion that it did improve mitochondrial function to some extent. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that quercetin did influence important regulators of fat accumulation and metabolic disorders. Our results suggest that quercetin reduces fat accumulation presumably through decreasing oxidative stress and increasing PPARα expression, and the following improvement of gene expression related to steatosis in the liver. C56BL/6J mice were fed for 20 weeks on AIN93G (con) or a Western diet high in fat, cholesterol and sucrose, both with or without 0.05% quercetin for 20 weeks.
Project description:Increased fat intake is associated with obesity and insulin resistance. In some individuals, a failure of pancreatic b-cells to increase insulin production in response to the high demands of obesity leads to diabetes. We sought to determine whether the impaired b- cell adaptation in obesity is associated with differential expression of genes involved in b-cell expansion and intermediary metabolism. Two strains of inbred mice prone to obesity, C57Bl/6J and AKR/J, were fed regular rodent chow or high-fat diet, after which islet morphology, secretory function and gene expression were assessed. AKR/J had lower blood glucose and higher insulin levels compared with C57Bl/6J mice on regular rodent chow or high fat diet. Insulin secretion was 3.2 fold higher in AKR/J than C57Bl/6J mice following intraperitoneal glucose injection. Likewise, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from isolated islets was higher in AKR/J. Additionally, islet mass was 1.4 fold greater in AKR/J compared with C57Bl/6J. To elucidate the factors associated with the differences in insulin, we analyzed the gene expression profiles in pancreatic islets in AKR/J and C57Bl/6J mice. Of 14,000 genes examined, 220 were up-regulated and 286 were down-regulated in islets from diet-induced obese AKR/J mice compared with C57Bl/6J mice. Key genes involved in islet signaling and metabolism, e.g. glucagon like peptide-1 receptor, sterol Co-A desaturase 1 & 2 and fatty acid desaturase 2 were upregulated in obese AKR/J mice. The expression of multiple extracellular matrix proteins was also increased in AKR/J mice, suggesting a role in modulation of islet mass. Functional analyses of differentially regulated genes hold promise for elucidating factors linking obesity to alterations in islet function. Keywords: response to high fat diet
Project description:C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA/2J (D2) mice were fed a high-fat/high-cholesterol diet in order to investigate the responses to that diet over time and their underlying genetic factors. We observed distinctly diverse responses between B6 and D2 mice, including dynamic distribution of cholesterol in serum and bile, hepatic apoptosis and dynamic formation of gallstones and atherosclerosis. Hepatic microarray analysis revealed distinctly different gene expression patterns in functional pathway groups including lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, immune/inflammation response and apoptosis, which might account for the different responses.This might provide us not only new insights into gallstones formation and atherosclerosis, but also opportunities to identify candidate genes for high-fat/high-cholesterol related diseases. C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA/2J (D2) mice were fed a high-fat/high-cholesterol diet in 0,1,4 12,21 weeks,respectively. Liver tissues of mice from each time-point were removed for RNA extraction. Equal amounts of RNA samples from five mice of each strain at each time-point were pooled and then used to generate biotinylated cRNA targets for Affymetrix GeneChip Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Array.
Project description:Two-month-old C57BL/6J male mice were placed on chow diet or a diet enriched in high fat, cholesterol, and fructose (Research diet D09100301: 40 kcal% fat, 2% cholesterol, 20 kcal% fructose, HFCF diet) for 1 or 3 months. Liver RNA was isolated and submitted for small RNA sequencing.
Project description:Germfree (GF) mice have been used as a model to study the contribution of the intestinal microbiota to metabolic energy balance of the host. Despite a wealth of knowledge accumulated since the 1940’s, the response of GF mice to a high fat diet is largely unknown. In the present study, we compared the metabolic consequences of a high fat (HF) diet on GF and conventional (Conv) C57BL/6J mice. As expected, Conv mice developed obesity and glucose intolerance with a HF diet. In contrast, GF mice remained lean and resisted the HF diet-induced insulin resistance. The anti-obesity phenotype of GF/HF mice was accompanied by reduced caloric intake, diminished food efficiency, and excessive fecal lipid excretion contributed to the reduced food efficiency. In addition, HF diet-induced hypercholesterolemia was ameliorated, which was partially due to an increase in fecal cholesterol excretion. However, hepatic cholesterols were increased in GF/HF mice. Elevated nuclear SREBP2 proteins and the up-regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis genes support the increased liver cholesterol biosynthesis in GF/HF mice. The resistance to HF diet-induced metabolic abnormalities in GF mice was also associated with a reduced immune response, indicated by low plasma pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers. These data suggest that the gut microbiota of Conv mice contributes to HF diet-induced obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and hepatic steatosis in mice. Thus, results of the present study describe the metabolic responses of GF mice to a HF diet and further our understandings of the relationship between the gut microbiota and the host.
Project description:Increased fat intake is associated with obesity and insulin resistance. In some individuals, a failure of pancreatic b-cells to increase insulin production in response to the high demands of obesity leads to diabetes. We sought to determine whether the impaired b- cell adaptation in obesity is associated with differential expression of genes involved in b-cell expansion and intermediary metabolism. Two strains of inbred mice prone to obesity, C57Bl/6J and AKR/J, were fed regular rodent chow or high-fat diet, after which islet morphology, secretory function and gene expression were assessed. AKR/J had lower blood glucose and higher insulin levels compared with C57Bl/6J mice on regular rodent chow or high fat diet. Insulin secretion was 3.2 fold higher in AKR/J than C57Bl/6J mice following intraperitoneal glucose injection. Likewise, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from isolated islets was higher in AKR/J. Additionally, islet mass was 1.4 fold greater in AKR/J compared with C57Bl/6J. To elucidate the factors associated with the differences in insulin, we analyzed the gene expression profiles in pancreatic islets in AKR/J and C57Bl/6J mice. Of 14,000 genes examined, 220 were up-regulated and 286 were down-regulated in islets from diet-induced obese AKR/J mice compared with C57Bl/6J mice. Key genes involved in islet signaling and metabolism, e.g. glucagon like peptide-1 receptor, sterol Co-A desaturase 1 & 2 and fatty acid desaturase 2 were upregulated in obese AKR/J mice. The expression of multiple extracellular matrix proteins was also increased in AKR/J mice, suggesting a role in modulation of islet mass. Functional analyses of differentially regulated genes hold promise for elucidating factors linking obesity to alterations in islet function. Experiment Overall Design: Microarray analyses were performed on quadruplicate RNA samples of pancreatic islets from AKR and Bl6 mice placed on high-fat diet for 3 months. Pancreases from two mice were combined to yield one sample of islet RNA. All protocols were conducted as described in the Affymetrix GeneChips Expression Analysis Technical Manual (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA) using 5 μg total RNA and GeneChip Mouse Expression Arrays MOE 430 (Affymetrix).
Project description:High fat diets are known to be a risk factor for prostate cancer. In this study, we investigated the effect of high fat diet on mouse prostate gene expression. C57BL/6J mice were fed either a control or high fat diet for 12 weeks. Microarray analyses were performed on mouse ventral prostate (VP) and dorsolateral prostate (DLP), followed by canonical pathway analysis and regulatory network identification. mRNA changes were confirmed by real time PCR. Approximately 2,125, and 1,194 genes responded significantly to the high fat diet in VP, DLP, respectively. Pathways and networks related to oxidative stress, glutathione metabolism, NRF-mediated oxidative stress response and NF-kappaB were all differentially regulated by high fat diet. GPx3 mRNA levels were decreased by approximately 2-fold by high fat diet in all 3 prostate lobes. In human non-transformed prostate cells (PrSC, PrEC and BPH-1), cholesterol loading decreased GPx3 expression, and increased H2O2 levels of culture medium. Troglitazone increased GPx3 expression in 3 normal prostate cells, and decreased H2O2 levels. In addition, troglitazone attenuated cholesterol-induced H2O2 increase. Tissue from prostate cancer biopsies had decreased GPx3 mRNA and its level was inversely related to the Gleason score. High fat diet alters pathways related to many genes concerned with oxidative stress. GPx3, a gene identified by this analysis, was found to be down regulated by high fat diet and appears be decreased in human prostate cancers, suggesting that GPx3 may have a possible role in modulating carcinogenesis. Control group:5 C57BL/6J mice (Taconic, Hudson, NY), 8-weeks of age, fed control diet ad libitum for 12 weeks; Experimental group: 5 C57BL/6J mice (Taconic, Hudson, NY), 8-weeks of age, fed ad libitum high fat diet for 12 weeks.