Brown Algae Polyphenol, a Prolyl Isomerase Pin1 Inhibitor, Prevents Obesity by Inhibiting the Differentiation of Stem Cells into Adipocytes

Global seaweed farming and processing in the past 20 years

Seaweed has emerged as one of the most promising resources due to its remarkable adaptability, short development period, and resource sustainability. It is an effective breakthrough to alleviate future resource crises. Algal resources have reached a high stage of growth in the past years due to the increased output and demand for seaweed worldwide. Several aspects global seaweed farming production and processing over the last 20 years are reviewed, such as the latest situation and approaches of seaweed farming. Research progress and production trend of various seaweed application are discussed. Besides, the challenges faced by seaweed farming and processing are also analyzed, and the related countermeasures are proposed, which can provide advice for seaweed farming and processing. The primary products, extraction and application, or waste utilization of seaweed would bring greater benefits with the continuous development and improvement of applications in various fields.

Graphical Abstract

Muscle coordination retraining inspired by musculoskeletal simulations reduces knee contact force

Humans typically coordinate their muscles to meet movement objectives like minimizing energy expenditure. In the presence of pathology, new objectives gain importance, like reducing loading in an osteoarthritic joint, but people often do not change their muscle coordination patterns to meet these new objectives. Here we use musculoskeletal simulations to identify simple changes in coordination that can be taught using electromyographic biofeedback, achieving the therapeutic goal of reducing joint loading. Our simulations predicted that changing the relative activation of two redundant ankle plantarflexor muscles—the gastrocnemius and soleus—could reduce knee contact force during walking, but it was unclear whether humans could re-coordinate redundant muscles during a complex task like walking. Our experiments showed that after a single session of walking with biofeedback of summary measures of plantarflexor muscle activation, healthy individuals reduced the ratio of gastrocnemius-to-soleus muscle activation by 25 ± 15% (p = 0.004, paired t test, n = 10). Participants who walked with this “gastrocnemius avoidance” gait pattern reduced late-stance knee contact force by 12 ± 12% (p = 0.029, paired t test, n = 8). Simulation-informed coordination retraining could be a promising treatment for knee osteoarthritis and a powerful tool for optimizing coordination for a variety of rehabilitation and performance applications.

Context-Dependent Mutation Dynamics, Not Selection, Explains the Codon Usage Bias of Most Angiosperm Chloroplast Genes

Two competing proposals about the degree to which selection affects codon usage of angiosperm chloroplast genes are examined. The first, based on observations that codon usage does not match expectations under the naïve assumption that base composition will be identical at all neutral sites, is that selection plays a significant role. The second is that codon usage is determined almost solely by mutation bias and drift, with selection influencing only one or two highly expressed genes, in particular psbA. First it is shown that, as a result of an influence of neighboring base composition on mutation dynamics, compositional biases are expected to be widely divergent at different sites in the absence of selection. The observed mutation properties are then used to predict expected neutral codon usage biases and to show that observed deviations from the naïve expectations are in fact expected given the context-dependent mutational dynamics. It is also shown that there is a match between the observed and expected codon usage when context effects are taken into consideration, with psbA being a notable exception. Overall, the data support the model that selection is not a widespread factor affecting the codon usage of angiosperm chloroplast genes and highlight the need to have an accurate model of mutational dynamics.

Context-Dependent Substitution Dynamics in Plastid DNA Across a Wide Range of Taxonomic Groups

The influence of neighboring base composition, or context, on substitution bias at fourfold degenerate coding sites and in intergenic regions in plastid DNA is compared across the angiosperms, gymnosperms, ferns, liverworts, chlorophytes, stramenopiles and rhodophytes. An influence of flanking base G + C content on the relative rates of transitions and transversions is observed in all lineages and extends up to four nucleotides from the site of substitution in some. Despite finding context effects in all lineages, significant differences were observed between lineages. Overall, the data suggest that context is a general factor affecting mutation bias in plastid DNA but that the dynamics of the influence have evolved over time. It is also shown that, although there are similar effects of context on substitution bias at fourfold degenerate coding sites and at sites within intergenic regions, there are also small but significant differences, suggesting that there could be some selection on some of these sites and that there could be some difference in the mutation and/or repair process between coding and noncoding DNA.

Adipocyte biology: It is time to upgrade to a new model

Globally, the obesity pandemic is profoundly affecting quality of life and economic productivity, but efforts to address this, especially on a pharmacological level, have generally proven unsuccessful to date, serving as a stark demonstration that our understanding of adipocyte biology and pathophysiology is incomplete. To deliver better insight into adipocyte function and obesity, we need improved adipocyte models with a high degree of fidelity in representing the in vivo state and with a diverse range of experimental applications. Adipocyte cell lines, especially 3T3-L1 cells, have been used extensively over many years, but these are limited in terms of relevance and versatility. In this review, I propose that primary adipose-derived stromal/stem cells (ASCs) present a superior model with which to study adipocyte biology ex vivo. In particular, ASCs afford us the opportunity to study adipocytes from different, functionally distinct, adipose depots and to investigate, by means of in vivo/ex vivo studies, the effects of many different physiological and pathophysiological factors, such as age, body weight, hormonal status, diet and nutraceuticals, as well as disease and pharmacological treatments, on the biology of adipocytes and their precursors. This study will give an overview of the characteristics of ASCs and published studies utilizing ASCs, to highlight the areas where our knowledge is lacking. More comprehensive studies in primary ASCs will contribute to an improved understanding of adipose tissue, in healthy and dysfunctional states, which will enhance our efforts to more successfully manage and treat obesity.

Food polyphenols targeting peptidyl prolyl cis/trans isomerase Pin1

We searched for inhibitors against prolyl isomerase Pin1 in order to develop functional foods to prevent and cure various Pin1 related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimers's disease, and so on. We created a polyphenol library consisting of ingredients in healthy foods and beverages, since polyphenols like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea and 974B in brown algae had been identified as its Pin1 inhibitors. Several polyphenols such as EGCG derivatives, caffeic acid derivatives and tannic acid inhibited Pin1 activity. These results provide a first step in development of the functional foods and beverage targeting Pin1 and its related diseases.