Fasting modulates GH/IGF-I axis and its regulatory systems in the mammary gland of female mice: Influence of endogenous cortistatin

Gut microbiota composition alteration analysis and functional categorization in children with growth hormone deficiency

OBJECTIVE

To study changes in the composition and functions of the gut microbiota (GM) in children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) using high-throughput sequencing.

METHODS

Thirty-three children with GHD diagnosed in Longgang District Maternity and Child Health Hospital were included in the disease group and 24 healthy children of the same age comprised the control group. Total DNA was extracted and amplified from stool samples obtained from all subjects. High-throughput sequencing was used to analyze the GM composition and functions.

RESULTS

The GM from the two groups of children showed significant differences in α-diversity (P < 0.05). In comparison with the control group, the abundance of the phylum Bacteroidetes was significantly higher (45.96% vs. 65.71%) while the Firmicutes count was significantly lower (47.09% vs. 25.20%). At the genus level, the abundance of Prevotella in the disease group was significantly higher (3.16% vs. 20.67%) and that of Lachnospiracea incertae sedis, Clostridium XlVa, and Megamonas was lower (6.576% vs. 1.75%; 4.51% vs. 0.80%; 5.08% vs. 2.02%, respectively). GM functions, including those involved in membrane_transport, energy_metabolism, poorly_characterized, metabolism_of_cofactors_and_vitamins, glycan_biosynthesis_and_metabolism, transcription, folding,_sorting,_and_degradation, were significantly altered in the disease group. The abundance of various GM components was correlated with endocrine hormone levels.

CONCLUSION

Significant alterations in the GM are seen in children with growth hormone deficiency, which may affect both energy metabolism and the levels of endocrine hormones, potentially leading to growth restriction.

Castration-induced changes in the expression profiles and promoter methylation of the GHR gene in Huainan male pigs

Castration plays a regulatory role in growth and carcass traits, particularly in fat deposition, but its molecular mechanisms are still not clear. The present study showed that castration significantly reduced the serum growth hormone and the responses of the growth hormone receptor (GHR), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I), IGF-IR and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) to castration were similar in different adipose tissues. However, the GHR expression trends were opposite between the liver and the adipose tissues; bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP) showed that its methylation in these two tissues was different. In particular, the GHR methylation rate in the liver of castrated and intact pigs were 93.33% and 0, respectively, which was consistent with its higher expression level in the intact group. It was predicted that there were potential binding sites for 11 transcription factors in the ninth CpG site (which was methylated and demethylated in subcutaneous adipose tissue of the intact and castrated groups, respectively), including androgen receptor (AR), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-α (C/EBPα) and C/EBPβ, all of which are important factors in lipid metabolism. These results indicate that DNA methylation may participate in castration-induced fat deposition.