Project description:Type 2 diabetes mellitus (TM) is a severely metabolic disorder that affects above 10% worldwide population. Obesity is a major cause of insulin resistance and contributes to the development of TM. Liver is an essential metabolic organ that plays crucial roles in the pathogenesis of obesity and diabetes. However, the underlying mechanisms of liver in the transition of obesity to diabetes are not fully understood. Nonhuman primate (NHP) rhesus monkey is an appropriate animal for research of human diseases. Here, we first screened and selected three individual spontaneous and diabetic rhesus monkeys. Interestingly, the diabetic monkeys were obese with high BMI at beginning, but gradually lost their body weight during one-year observation. Furthermore, we performed a SILAC-based quantitative proteomics to identify proteins and signaling pathways with altered expression in the liver of obese and diabetic monkeys. Totally, 3509 proteins were identified and quantified, and of which 185 proteins displayed altered expression level. GO analysis revealed that the expression of proteins involved in fatty acids β-oxidation and galactose metabolism was increased in obese monkeys; while proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and branched chain amino acid (BCAA) degradation was upregulated in diabetic monkeys. In addition, we observed a mild impaired mitophagy and apoptosis in the liver of diabetic monkeys, suggesting a dysfunction of mitochondria and liver injury in the late onset of diabetics. Taken together, our liver proteomics may reveal a distinct metabolic transition from fatty acids β-oxidation in obese monkey to BCAA degradation in diabetic monkeys.
Project description:The purpose of this study was to evaluated the kinetics of virus dissemination to distal tissues and the initial innate and adaptive host immune responses following intravaginal SIV infection of rhesus monkeys.
Project description:The gut microbiota plays a vital role in maintaining the physiological function of host health and the pathogenesis of various diseases. However, its relationship with maternal age-associated decline in oocyte quality remains elusive. Here, we report that establishment of gut microbiota from young donors in aged mice by fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an effective method to rejuvenate the quality of maternally aged oocytes. Specifically, young gut microbiota promoted the ovulation and maturation of aged oocytes, and inhibited occurrence of cytoplasm fragmentation and spindle/chromosome abnormalities, hence enhancing the oocyte quality and female fertility. By integrating metagenome and untargeted metabolome of intestinal digesta, as well as targeted metabolome of ovaries and micro-transcriptome of oocytes, we identified that Bacteroides_caecimuris-modulated glutamic acid levels mediated the restorative effects of young gut microbiota on the aged oocytes through strengthening the mitochondria function. In addition, we demonstrated that in vivo supplementation of glutamic acid also enhanced the quality of aged oocytes, and the improvement of oocyte quality by glutamic acid was conserved across species. Altogether, our findings highlight the importance of gut microbiota in the oocyte aging and provide potential improvement strategies for age-related decline in oocyte quality and female fertility.
Project description:The gut microbiota plays a vital role in maintaining the physiological function of host health and the pathogenesis of various diseases. However, its relationship with maternal age-associated decline in oocyte quality remains elusive. Here, we report that establishment of gut microbiota from young donors in aged mice by fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an effective method to rejuvenate the quality of maternally aged oocytes. Specifically, young gut microbiota promoted the ovulation and maturation of aged oocytes, and inhibited occurrence of cytoplasm fragmentation and spindle/chromosome abnormalities, hence enhancing the oocyte quality and female fertility. By integrating metagenome and untargeted metabolome of intestinal digesta, as well as targeted metabolome of ovaries and micro-transcriptome of oocytes, we identified that Bacteroides_caecimuris-modulated glutamic acid levels mediated the restorative effects of young gut microbiota on the aged oocytes through strengthening the mitochondria function. In addition, we demonstrated that in vivo supplementation of glutamic acid also enhanced the quality of aged oocytes, and the improvement of oocyte quality by glutamic acid was conserved across species. Altogether, our findings highlight the importance of gut microbiota in the oocyte aging and provide potential improvement strategies for age-related decline in oocyte quality and female fertility.
Project description:The gut microbiota plays a vital role in maintaining the physiological function of host health and the pathogenesis of various diseases. However, its relationship with maternal age-associated decline in oocyte quality remains elusive. Here, we report that establishment of gut microbiota from young donors in aged mice by fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an effective method to rejuvenate the quality of maternally aged oocytes. Specifically, young gut microbiota promoted the ovulation and maturation of aged oocytes, and inhibited occurrence of cytoplasm fragmentation and spindle/chromosome abnormalities, hence enhancing the oocyte quality and female fertility. By integrating metagenome and untargeted metabolome of intestinal digesta, as well as targeted metabolome of ovaries and micro-transcriptome of oocytes, we identified that Bacteroides_caecimuris-modulated glutamic acid levels mediated the restorative effects of young gut microbiota on the aged oocytes through strengthening the mitochondria function. In addition, we demonstrated that in vivo supplementation of glutamic acid also enhanced the quality of aged oocytes, and the improvement of oocyte quality by glutamic acid was conserved across species. Altogether, our findings highlight the importance of gut microbiota in the oocyte aging and provide potential improvement strategies for age-related decline in oocyte quality and female fertility.
Project description:Gut microbiota dysbiosis characterizes systemic metabolic alteration, yet its causality is debated. To address this issue, we transplanted antibiotic-free conventional wild-type mice with either dysbiotic (“obese”) or eubiotic (“lean”) gut microbiota and fed them either a NC or a 72%HFD. We report that, on NC, obese gut microbiota transplantation reduces hepatic gluconeogenesis with decreased hepatic PEPCK activity, compared to non-transplanted mice. Of note, this phenotype is blunted in conventional NOD2KO mice. By contrast, lean microbiota transplantation did not affect hepatic gluconeogenesis. In addition, obese microbiota transplantation changed both gut microbiota and microbiome of recipient mice. Interestingly, hepatic gluconeogenesis, PEPCK and G6Pase activity were reduced even once mice transplanted with the obese gut microbiota were fed a 72%HFD, together with reduced fed glycaemia and adiposity compared to non-transplanted mice. Notably, changes in gut microbiota and microbiome induced by the transplantation were still detectable on 72%HFD. Finally, we report that obese gut microbiota transplantation may impact on hepatic metabolism and even prevent HFD-increased hepatic gluconeogenesis. Our findings may provide a new vision of gut microbiota dysbiosis, useful for a better understanding of the aetiology of metabolic diseases. all livers are from NC-fed mice only.
Project description:Zika virus (ZIKV) is responsible for a major current outbreak in the Americas and has been causally associated with fetal microcephaly as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. However, the immune responses associated with controlling ZIKV replication remain poorly characterized. Here we report a detailed analysis of innate and adaptive immune responses following ZIKV infection in 16 rhesus monkeys. A robust proinflammatory innate immune response was observed within the first few days of infection, including upregulation of type 1 interferon, which correlated directly with viral loads. Immunomodulatory pathways, including IL-10 and TGF-β, were also upregulated. ZIKV-specific neutralizing antibodies emerged rapidly by day 7 and correlated inversely with viral loads, which were undetectable in peripheral blood by day 6-10. In contrast, virus replication persisted in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for at least 21-42 days in 75% (3 of 4) of the monkeys that received the lowest dose of ZIKV tested, and ZIKV-specific antibodies were essentially undetectable in CSF. These data suggest that antibodies play a critical role in the rapid control of acute viremia in the periphery but were largely excluded from the central nervous system, allowing viral persistence at this immuonoprivileged site. 16 outbred, Indian-origin, adult male and female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were included in this study. All monkeys were housed at Bioqual, Rockville, MD. Animals were infected with 103-106 pfu (106-109 vp) of our ZIKV-BR or ZIKV-PR challenge stocks by the s.q. route (N=2/group). All animal studies were approved by the appropriate Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
Project description:Gene expression was studied in samples from the stomach of Rhesus monkeys that have been infected with Helicobacter pylori and treated with a known carcinogen (Ethyl-nitro-nitrosoguanidine (ENNG)) that is similar to known nitrosamine dietary carcinogens. The samples represent the following: Biopsy 4689 is from animal 81G taken 55 months after inoculation with H. pylori and the start of the carcinogen ENNG Biopsy 4691 is from animal 63G taken 55 months after inoculation with H. pylori and the start of the carcinogen ENNG Biopsy 4709 is from animal 92F taken after 55 months of observation and no treatment (control). Gastric biopsies were obtained at the indicated times and RNA was harvested from the sample. All hybridizations were conducted against a common reference that was prepared using commercially obtained RNA isolated from the stomach of uninfected monkeys. Infection: Inoculated with H. pylori and treated with carcinogen ENNG (Treated) or control