Project description:The purpose of this study was to characterize the transcriptomic alterations accompanying the inflammation involved in feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS). Towards this goal next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based gene expression profiling (RNA-Sequencing; RNA-Seq) was performed on matched pairs of FCGS diseased and healthy tissues obtained from three feline subjects.
Project description:Bacillus licheniformis-fermented products (BLFP) are probiotics with antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties that can improve growth performance. This study aimed to, firstly, compare the fecal microbiota of cats with chronic diarrhea (n = 8) with that of healthy cats (n = 4) from the same household using next-generation sequencing and, secondly, evaluate the effectiveness of oral administration of BLFP in relieving clinical signs and altering the intestinal microbiota in diarrheal cats. Six out of eight cats with diarrhea showed clinical improvement after BLFP administration for 7 days, and in two cats the stool condition was normal. A higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was noted in the feces of diarrheal cats without clinical improvement as compared with those in the healthy control group and in the diarrheal cats with clinical improvement after receiving BLFP. The phylum Bacteroidetes and class Bacteroidia decreased significantly in diarrheal cats regardless of BLFP administration. Blautia spp., Ruminococcus torques, and Ruminococcus gnavus, which belong to the Clostridium cluster XIVa and have been reported as beneficial to intestinal health, increased significantly in feces after BLFP treatment. Furthermore, a significant decrease in Clostridium perfringens was noted in diarrheal cats after BLFP administration. Overall, BLFP could be a potential probiotic to relieve gastrointestinal symptoms and improve fecal microbiota in cats with chronic diarrhea.
Project description:Purpose:MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are members of a rapidly growing class of small endogenous non-coding RNAs that play crucial roles in post-transcriptional regulator of gene expression in many biological processes. Feline Panleukopenia Virus (FPV) is a highly infectious pathogen that causes severe disease in pets, economically important animals and wildlife in worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenicity of FPV have not been completely clear. To study the involvement of miRNAs in the FPV infection process, miRNAs expression profiles were identified via deep sequencing in the feline kidney cell line (F81) infected and uninfected with FPV. Methods:miRNA-sequencing analysis was performed on an Illumina Hiseq 2500 (LC Sciences, USA) following the vendor's recommended protocol Results:As a result, 673 known miRNAs belonging to 210 families and 278 novel miRNAs were identified. Then we found 57 significantly differential expression miRNAs by comparing the results between uninfected and FPV-infected groups. Furthermore, stem-loop qRT-PCR was applied to validate and profile the expression of the randomly selected miRNAs; the results were consistent with those by deep sequencing. Furthermore, the potential target genes were predicted. The target genes of differential expression miRNAs were analyzed by GO and KEGG pathway. Conclusions:The identification of miRNAs in feline kidney cell line before and after infection with Feline Panleukopenia Virus will provide new information and enhance our understanding of the functions of miRNAs in regulating biological processes.
Project description:This study looks at the effect of dietary manipulation on the development of hepatic steatosis and changes in hepatic gene expression in a feline model. We used microarray analysis to examine changes in hepatic gene transcription in response to Trans fat, High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and/or Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) in the domestic cat. The use of human Affymetrix arrays for the study of feline gene expression has previously been validated by Dowling and Bienzle, 2005, Journal of General Virology. 86(Pt 8), 2239-48 (PMID 16033971).
Project description:Probiotic bacteria, specific representatives of bacterial species that are a common part of the human microbiota, are proposed to deliver health benefits to the consumer by modulation of intestinal function via largely unknown molecular mechanisms. To explore in vivo mucosal responses of healthy adults to probiotics, we obtained transcriptomes in an intervention study following a double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over design. In the mucosa of the proximal small intestine of healthy volunteers, probiotic strains from the species Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei and L. rhamnosus each induced differential gene regulatory networks and pathways in the human mucosa. Comprehensive analyses revealed that these transcriptional networks regulate major basal mucosal processes, and uncovered remarkable similarity to response profiles obtained for specific bioactive molecules and drugs. This study elucidates how intestinal mucosa of healthy humans perceive different probiotics and provides avenues for rationally designed tests of clinical applications. Keywords: mucosal response of healthy adult humans to lactic acid bacteria This study was set up according to a randomised double-blind cross-over placebo-controlled design. It contains transcriptional profiles from biopsies from 7 healthy individuals after oral intake of three different Lactobacillus species or placebo control. In total, this study includes data from 7 individuals x 4 treatments=28 arrays.
Project description:Gut microbiome research is rapidly moving towards the functional characterization of the microbiota by means of shotgun meta-omics. Here, we selected a cohort of healthy subjects from an indigenous and monitored Sardinian population to analyze their gut microbiota using both shotgun metagenomics and shotgun metaproteomics. We found a considerable divergence between genetic potential and functional activity of the human healthy gut microbiota, in spite of a quite comparable taxonomic structure revealed by the two approaches. Investigation of inter-individual variability of taxonomic features revealed Bacteroides and Akkermansia as remarkably conserved and variable in abundance within the population, respectively. Firmicutes-driven butyrogenesis (mainly due to Faecalibacterium spp.) was shown to be the functional activity with the higher expression rate and the lower inter-individual variability in the study cohort, highlighting the key importance of the biosynthesis of this microbial by-product for the gut homeostasis. The taxon-specific contribution to functional activities and metabolic tasks was also examined, giving insights into the peculiar role of several gut microbiota members in carbohydrate metabolism (including polysaccharide degradation, glycan transport, glycolysis and short-chain fatty acid production). In conclusion, our results provide useful indications regarding the main functions actively exerted by the gut microbiota members of a healthy human cohort, and support metaproteomics as a valuable approach to investigate the functional role of the gut microbiota in health and disease.
Project description:This study looks at the effect of dietary manipulation on the development of hepatic steatosis and changes in hepatic gene expression in a feline model. We used microarray analysis to examine changes in hepatic gene transcription in response to Trans fat, High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and/or Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) in the domestic cat. The use of human Affymetrix arrays for the study of feline gene expression has previously been validated by Dowling and Bienzle, 2005, Journal of General Virology. 86(Pt 8), 2239-48 (PMID 16033971). Our study animals were bred from female Felis catus previously placed on one of 4 different dietary regimens for a period of 3 weeks prior to mating. The four dietary regimens used in this study were: [1] Standard Chow Control feline diet (Test Diet Purina catalog #5003); [2] MSG diet consisting of Control diet with 1.125% added Monosodium Glutamate (Diet A: Test Diet Purina catalog #5C1J); [3] Trans-fat/HFCS diet, containing 8.6% Trans fat and 24% HFCS (Diet B: Test Diet Purina catalog #5B4K); and [4] Trans-fat/HFCS and MSG diet, containing 8.6% Trans fat, 24% HFCS and 1.125% MSG (Diet C: Test Diet Purina catalog #5C1H). Following mating, the 4 groups of dams were maintained on their respective diets throughout the gestation and nursing period. Male offspring used in the following experiments were weaned onto the same diets and maintained on their respective dietary regimens until they reached 9 months of age. Hepatic tissues (4-5 per diet group) were used for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.