Determining the Role of UTP-Glucose-1-Phosphate Uridylyltransferase (GalU) in Improving the Resistance of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM to Freeze-Drying

Composition of Proteins Associated with Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) and the Microbiota Identified in Honey

The nutritional composition of honey is determined by environmental conditions, and botanical and geographical origin. In addition to carbohydrates, honey also contain pollen grains, proteins, free amino acids, and minerals. Although the content of proteins in honey is low, they are an important component that confirms the authenticity and quality of honey; therefore, they became a popular study object. The aim of the study was to evaluate protein content and composition of monofloral red clover and rapeseed honey collected from five different districts of Lithuania. Forty-eight proteins were identified in five different origin honey samples by liquid chromatography. The number of red clover proteins identified in individual honey samples in monofloral red clover honey C3 was 39 in polyfloral honey S22-36, while in monofloral rapeseed honey S5, S15, and S23 there was 33, 32, and 40 respectively. Aphids' proteins and lactic acid bacteria were identified in all honey samples tested. The linear relationship and the strongest correlation coefficient (r = 0.97) were determined between the content of Apilactobacillus kunkeei and Apilactobacillus apinorum, as well as between the number of faba bean (Vicia faba) pollen and lactic acid bacteria (r = 0.943). The data show a strong correlation coefficient between the amount of lactic acid and aphid protein number (r = 0.693). More studies are needed to evaluate the relationship between the pollination efficiency of red clover by bees and the multiplicity of red clover proteins in honey protein, as well as microbiota diversity and the influence of nature or plant diversity on the occurrence of microbiota in honey.

Effects and Mechanisms of Resveratrol on the Adhesion of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM

Based on the adhesion and surface properties of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, five common polyphenols in fruits and vegetables, including resveratrol, epicatechin, quercetin, hesperidin, and caffeic acid, were screened, and the reasons for resveratrol promoting adhesion were systematically explained. The results showed that resveratrol could significantly enhance NCFM adhesion to mucin (1.73 fold), followed by epicatechin (1.47 fold), caffeic acid (1.30 fold), and hesperidin (0.99 fold), while quercetin had a certain degree of inhibition (0.84 fold). The effects of these polyphenols on surface hydrophobicity and auto-aggregation of NCFM were consistent with adhesion results. Then, how resveratrol promotes NCFM adhesion was further explored. The results of the proteomic analysis showed that resveratrol changed the surface layer proteins of NCFM, involving 4 up-regulated proteins and 12 down-regulated proteins. In addition, resveratrol promoted the expression of mucin genes and the glycosylation of mucins on the HT-29 cell surface. Our results indicate that resveratrol changes the surface layer proteins of NCFM to modify surface properties and adhere to mucins. Meanwhile, resveratrol promotes expression and glycosylation of mucins in HT-29 cells. Our findings provide theoretical support for an in-depth explanation of the interaction among resveratrol, NCFM, and the HT-29 cells.

Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics of Human Milk to Identify Differentially Expressed Proteins in Women with Breast Cancer versus Controls

It is thought that accurate risk assessment and early diagnosis of breast cancer (BC) can help reduce cancer-related mortality. Proteomics analysis of breast milk may provide biomarkers of risk and occult disease. Our group works on the analysis of human milk samples from women with BC and controls to investigate alterations in protein patterns of milk that could be related to BC. In the current study, we used mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics analysis of 12 milk samples from donors with BC and matched controls. Specifically, we used one-dimensional (1D)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) coupled with nanoliquid chromatography tandem MS (nanoLC-MS/MS), followed by bioinformatics analysis. We confirmed the dysregulation of several proteins identified previously in a different set of milk samples. We also identified additional dysregulations in milk proteins shown to play a role in cancer development, such as Lactadherin isoform A, O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) transferase, galactosyltransferase, recoverin, perilipin-3 isoform 1, histone-lysine methyltransferase, or clathrin heavy chain. Our results expand our current understanding of using milk as a biological fluid for identification of BC-related dysregulated proteins. Overall, our results also indicate that milk has the potential to be used for BC biomarker discovery, early detection and risk assessment in young, reproductively active women.