Project description:Although mutations in human patatin-like phospholipase PNPLA6 are associated with hereditary retinal degenerative diseases, its mechanistic action in the retina is poorly understood. Here, we uncover the molecular mechanism by which PNPLA6 dysfunction disturbs retinal homeostasis and visual function. PNPLA6, by acting as a phospholipase B, regulates choline mobilization from phosphatidylcholine and subsequent choline turnover for phosphatidylcholine regeneration in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. PNPLA6-driven choline is supplied from RPE cells to adjacent photoreceptor cells to support their survival. Inhibition of this pathway results in abnormal morphology, proliferation, metabolism, and functions of RPE and photoreceptor cells, and mice with retina-specific PNPLA6 deletion exhibit retinitis pigmentosa-like retinal degeneration. Notably, these abnormalities are entirely rescued by choline supplementation. Thus, PNPLA6 plays an essential role in retinal homeostasis by controlling choline availability for phospholipid recycling and provide a framework for the development of a novel ophthalmic drug target for retinal degeneration.
Project description:Fetal-neonatal iron deficiency (ID) causes long-term and sex specific neurocognitive and affective dysfunctions. This study aims to illustrate sex- specific transcriptome alterations in adult rat hippocampus induced by fetal-neonatal ID and prenatal choline treatment.
Project description:Abstract: Choline is an essential nutrient and methyl donor required for epigenetic regulation. Here, we assess the impact of gut microbial choline metabolism on bacterial fitness and host biology by engineering a microbial community to lack a single choline-utilizing enzyme. Our results indicate that choline-utilizing bacteria compete with the host for this nutrient, significantly impacting plasma and hepatic levels of methyl-donor metabolites recapitulating biochemical signatures of choline deficiency. Mice harboring high levels of choline-consuming bacteria show increased susceptibility to metabolic disease. Furthermore, bacterially-induced reduction of methyl-donor availability alters global DNA methylation patterns in both adult mice and their offspring in utero and engenders anxious behavior. Altogether, our results reveal an underappreciated aspect of bacterial choline metabolism (i.e., methyl-donor depletion) that is linked to alterations in metabolism, epigenetics, and behavior. More broadly, this work suggests that interpersonal differences in microbial metabolism should be considered when determining optimal levels of nutrient intake.
Project description:This study aimed to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of sarsasapogenin (SAR) on dietary methionine choline deficiency induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice, The differentially expressed genes in liver tissue in “Normal VS model ”and “Model VS SAR” were identified by RNA-seq.
Project description:To explore the influence of maternal choline intake on placental gene expression, we employed whole genome microarray expression profiling to identify genes that were differentially expressed in placental tissues obtained from women consuming two different doses (480 vs. 930 mg/d) of choline throughout the third trimester of pregnancy. Healthy third trimester (gestational week 26-29) pregnant women were randomized to a 12-week choline controlled feeding study. The participants consumed either 480 (n=6) or 930 (n=6) mg choline/d. Full thickness placental samples were collected at delivery to extract RNA and perform the arrays. Healthy third trimester (gestational week 26-29) pregnant women were randomized to a 12-week choline controlled feeding study. The participants consumed either 480 (n=6) or 930 (n=6) mg choline/d for 12 weeks. Placental samples were obtained at delivery
Project description:Although mutations in human patatin-like phospholipase PNPLA6 are associated with hereditary retinal degenerative diseases, its mechanistic action in the retina is poorly understood. Here, we uncover the molecular mechanism by which PNPLA6 dysfunction disturbs retinal homeostasis and visual function. PNPLA6, by acting as a phospholipase B, regulates choline mobilization from phosphatidylcholine and subsequent choline turnover for phosphatidylcholine regeneration in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. PNPLA6-driven choline is supplied from RPE cells to adjacent photoreceptor cells to support their survival. Inhibition of this pathway results in abnormal morphology, proliferation, metabolism, and functions of RPE and photoreceptor cells, and mice with retina-specific PNPLA6 deletion exhibit retinitis pigmentosa-like retinal degeneration. Notably, these abnormalities are entirely rescued by choline supplementation. Thus, PNPLA6 plays an essential role in retinal homeostasis by controlling choline availability for phospholipid recycling and provide a framework for the development of a novel ophthalmic drug target for retinal degeneration.
Project description:Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is a leading cause of cirrhosis and liver related mortality, but it remains unclear how nutrient stresses drive coordinated transcriptional remodeling in the pathogenesis of MASH. Clinical studies reported that methionine and choline deficiency (MCD) promotes chronic liver diseases. Multiple types of MCD diets have been adopted to establish MASH mouse models. However, how methionine and choline deficiency modulates cell-intrinsic transcriptional responses across parenchymal and nonparenchymal liver cell types, and whether these effects recapitulate human MASH, remains unclear. Here, we generated a customized MCD cell culture medium to induce nutrient stress in HepG2 cells, endothelial cells, bone marrow derived macrophages, and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). RNA sequencing was performed to characterize transcriptional regulations in response to MCD. Across cell types, lack of methionine and choline induced transcriptional program of inflammatory and stress response and suppressed metabolic pathways and cell-cycle progression, suggesting a proliferation pause as a compensatory stress-adaptive response that preserves cell viability and essential functions. In addition to these shared responses, MCD stress also caused distinct cell type-specific outputs that could contribute to the pathogenesis of MASH. Integrated analysis of these datasets with human MASH liver single nucleus transcriptomic data demonstrated that MCD condition recapitulates multiple pathophysiological features of human MASH, including the elevated inflammation, enhanced hepatocyte death, disrupted redox balance, altered metabolic homeostasis, and HSC activation. These findings not only uncover how MCD stress promotes MASH progression, but also provide a conceptual basis to guide future use of MCD diet-induced models in MASH studies.
Project description:Liver fibrosis is a critical global health challenge, often leading to severe liver diseases without timely intervention. Choline deficiency has been linked to metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and liver fibrosis, suggesting choline supplementation as a potential therapeutic approach. This study aimed to explore the therapeutic potential of choline supplementation in liver fibrosis resolution and its effects on cholesterol homeostasis using a mouse model with induced liver fibrosis. Our findings reveal that choline supplementation significantly decreases blood lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) levels. Transcriptome analysis showed that choline supplementation primarily induces genes related to cholesterol homeostasis, suggesting a significant impact on liver cholesterol synthesis. However, choline supplementation did not significantly alter the expression of fibrosis-related, choline metabolism-related, or epigenetics-related genes. This study provides novel insights into the role of choline in liver health and cholesterol metabolism, potentially informing treatments for liver fibrosis and related conditions.