Project description:Nitrogen (N) fertilisers are routinely applied to bananas (Musa spp.) to increase production, but may exacerbate important disease such as Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB). Here, we characterised the effects of N rate and form (ammonium or nitrate) on FWB severity, the banana root proteome, and the diversity of rhizosphere bacterial and fungal communities. Banana plants (Musa ABB) were grown under greenhouse conditions in soil with ammonium or nitrate supplemented at five N rates, and with or without inoculation with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc). The growth of non-inoculated plants was positively correlated with N rate. In bananas inoculated with Foc, disease severity increased with N rate, resulting in Foc-inoculated plant growth being greatest at intermediate N rates. The abundance of Foc was weakly related to the treatment conditions and was a poor predictor of disease severity. Fungal diversity was consistently affected by Foc inoculation, while bacterial diversity was associated with changes in soil pH resulting from N addition, in particular ammonium. N rate altered the expression of host metabolic pathways associated with carbon fixation, energy usage, amino acid metabolism, and importantly stress response signalling, irrespective of inoculation or N form. Furthermore, in diseased plants, Pathogenesis-related protein 1, a key endpoint for biotic stress response and the salicylic acid defence response to biotrophic pathogens, was negatively correlated with the rate of ammonium fertiliser but not nitrate. As expected, inoculation with Foc altered the expression of a wide range of processes in the banana plant including those of defence and growth. In summary, our results indicate that the severity of FWB was negatively associated with host defences, which were influenced by N application (particularly ammonium), and shifts in microbial communities in response to ammonium-induced acidification.
Project description:The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of dietary plant and animal proteins on gut metabolism and markers for colorectal cancer as well as blood protein metabolites and markers for type 2 diabetes in healthy adults. The study participants will be stratified into three groups with different protein composition in diets: 1) animal 70%/plant 30%; 2) animal 50%/plant 50% and 3) animal 30%/plant 70%. The participants will get part of their diet as ready foods or raw material to promote their compliance. The participants will also get personal advice for their diets. Blood, stool and urine samples will be collected in the beginning and in the end of the 12 week intervention, as well as phenotype measures like BMI, blood pressure and body composition. The participants will also fill food diary before and in the end of the intervention.
Project description:The goal of this study was to use metabolomics as a platform to elucidate the chemical composition of plants in order to increase their resolution and in turn use the identified chemicals to reveal potential health impacts. 20 plant foods were studied: apple, banana, tomato, lettuce, strawberry, carrot, peach, onion, spinach, pepper, corn, garlic, basil, potato, soybean, black bean, olive, chickpea, sugarbeet, and pear.