Metabolite flux: A dynamic concept for inherited metabolic disorders as complex traits

A Tiny Viral Protein, SARS-CoV-2-ORF7b: Functional Molecular Mechanisms

This study presents the interaction with the human host metabolism of SARS-CoV-2 ORF7b protein (43 aa), using a protein-protein interaction network analysis. After pruning, we selected from BioGRID the 51 most significant proteins among 2753 proven interactions and 1708 interactors specific to ORF7b. We used these proteins as functional seeds, and we obtained a significant network of 551 nodes via STRING. We performed topological analysis and calculated topological distributions by Cytoscape. By following a hub-and-spoke network architectural model, we were able to identify seven proteins that ranked high as hubs and an additional seven as bottlenecks. Through this interaction model, we identified significant GO-processes (5057 terms in 15 categories) induced in human metabolism by ORF7b. We discovered high statistical significance processes of dysregulated molecular cell mechanisms caused by acting ORF7b. We detected disease-related human proteins and their involvement in metabolic roles, how they relate in a distorted way to signaling and/or functional systems, in particular intra- and inter-cellular signaling systems, and the molecular mechanisms that supervise programmed cell death, with mechanisms similar to that of cancer metastasis diffusion. A cluster analysis showed 10 compact and significant functional clusters, where two of them overlap in a Giant Connected Component core of 206 total nodes. These two clusters contain most of the high-rank nodes. ORF7b acts through these two clusters, inducing most of the metabolic dysregulation. We conducted a co-regulation and transcriptional analysis by hub and bottleneck proteins. This analysis allowed us to define the transcription factors and miRNAs that control the high-ranking proteins and the dysregulated processes within the limits of the poor knowledge that these sectors still impose.

Impact of Maternal Lifestyle and Dietary Habits during Pregnancy on Newborn Metabolic Profile

Expanded newborn screening (NBS) is a preventive program that allows for the early identification of over 40 congenital endocrine-metabolic diseases by analyzing dried blood spot samples collected from the newborn's heel within 48-72 h of birth. The determination of amino acids and acyl-carnitines by Flow Injection Analysis Tandem Mass Spectrometry (FIA-MS/MS) may also highlight metabolic alterations resulting from external factors, such as maternal nutrition. In the present study, we developed a questionnaire to investigate the eating habits of 109 women during pregnancy and statistically correlated the results from the investigation on dietary habits with the data obtained by the NBS laboratory of Abruzzo region (Italy). Parameters such as smoking, physical activity, and the intake of iodized salt, drugs, and supplements were analyzed. This study aimed to highlight how maternal lifestyle, diet, and drug intake during pregnancy may affect the neonatal metabolic profile, possibly generating false positive or false negative results in the NBS test. The results pointed out how the knowledge of maternal nutrition and lifestyle may also be precious in preventing misinterpretations of the neonatal metabolic profile, thereby reducing unnecessary stress for newborns and their parents and limiting costs for the health system.

Special Diets in Infants and Children and Impact on Gut Microbioma

Gut microbiota is a complex system that starts to take shape early in life. Several factors influence the rise of microbial gut colonization, such as term and mode of delivery, exposure to antibiotics, maternal diet, presence of siblings and family members, pets, genetics, local environment, and geographical location. Breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and later dietary patterns during infancy and toddlerhood are major players in the proper development of microbial communities. Nonetheless, if dysbiosis occurs, gut microbiota may remain impaired throughout life, leading to deleterious consequences, such as greater predisposition to non-communicable diseases, more susceptible immune system and altered gut–brain axis. Children with specific diseases (i.e., food allergies, inborn errors of metabolism, celiac disease) need a special formula and later a special diet, excluding certain foods or nutrients. We searched on PubMed/Medline, Scopus and Embase for relevant pediatric studies published over the last twenty years on gut microbiota dietary patterns and excluded case reports or series and letters. The aim of this review is to highlight the changes in the gut microbiota in infants and children fed with special formula or diets for therapeutic requirements and, its potential health implications, with respect to gut microbiota under standard diets.

Dysbiosis, Host Metabolism, and Non-communicable Diseases: Trialogue in the Inborn Errors of Metabolism

Inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) represent a complex system model, in need of a shift of approach exploring the main factors mediating the regulation of the system, internal or external and overcoming the traditional concept of biochemical and genetic defects. In this context, among the established factors influencing the metabolic flux, i.e., diet, lifestyle, antibiotics, xenobiotics, infectious agents, also the individual gut microbiota should be considered. A healthy gut microbiota contributes in maintaining human health by providing unique metabolic functions to the human host. Many patients with IEMs are on special diets, the main treatment for these diseases. Hence, IEMs represent a good model to evaluate how specific dietary patterns, in terms of macronutrients composition and quality of nutrients, can be related to a characteristic microbiota associated with a specific clinical phenotype (“enterophenotype”). In the present review, we aim at reporting the possible links existing between dysbiosis, a condition reported in IEMs patients, and a pro-inflammatory status, through an altered “gut-liver” cross-talk network and a major oxidative stress, with a repercussion on the health status of the patient, increasing the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). On this basis, more attention should be paid to the nutritional status assessment and the clinical and biochemical signs of possible onset of comorbidities, with the goal of improving the long-term wellbeing in IEMs. A balanced intestinal ecosystem has been shown to positively contribute to patient health and its perturbation may influence the clinical spectrum of individuals with IEMs. For this, reaching eubiosis through the improvement of the quality of dietary products and mixtures, the use of pre-, pro- and postbiotics, could represent both a preventive and therapeutic strategy in these complex diseases.

Newborn screening system: Safety, technology, advocacy

Newborn screening (NBS) is more than 50 years old and has proven to be a powerful and successful public health system. NBS must be regarded as a system and not simply as a test. We need to work as a community to improve the culture of safety for the NBS system and thereby to reduce the risk of babies being missed by the NBS system. Adding new technologies will not prevent system failures; that will require adherence to the culture of safety. Some have argued that every newborn should have their genome sequenced at birth and this sequencing could be part of NBS. However, NBS has depended on biomarker phenotypes throughout its history and our understanding of the relationships between genotype and phenotype is imperfect. Therefore, we should avoid being seduced by genomic sequencing technology and continue to focus on phenotypic biomarkers in NBS.