JAK-STAT and intestinal mucosal immunology

Gut microbiome, metabolome and alopecia areata

Alopecia areata (AA) is a type of dermatological disease characterized by rapid and non-scarring hair loss of the scalp or body skin that may be related to genetic, immunological and physiological factors. It is now believed that AA is associated with oxidative stress, autoimmune disease, neuropsychological factors, pathogens, immune checkpoint inhibitors and microecological imbalance under the premise of host genetic susceptibility. In recent years, studies have revealed the significant role of the gut microbiome or metabolome in many aspects of human health. Diverse studies have revealed that the gut microbiome and metabolome have an important influence on skin conditions. This review highlights the relationship between AA and the gut microbiome or metabolome to provide novel directions for the prevention, clinical diagnosis and treatment of AA.

Effect of Penthorum Chinense Pursh Compound on AFB1-Induced Immune Imbalance via JAK/STAT Signaling Pathway in Spleen of Broiler Chicken

Aflatoxin B1(AFB1) is the main secondary metabolite produced by Aspergillus flavus, which is highly toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic. It can induce immune imbalance in animals or humans. Penthorum chinense Pursh (PCP) is a traditional herbal plant that has been used as a hepatoprotective drug with a long history in China. Based on the theory of traditional Chinese Medicine, we prepared Penthorum chinense Pursh Compound (PCPC) by combining four herbal medicines: 5 g Penthorum chinense Pursh, 5 g Radix bupleuri, 1 g Artemisia capillaris Thunb and 1 g Radix glycyrrhizae. The role of the Penthorum chinense Pursh Compound (PCPC) in preventing AFB1-induced immune imbalance in broiler chickens was studied. A total of 180 broiler chickens were equally distributed in six groups: controls, AFB1, YCHD and high-, medium- and low-dose PCPC treatment groups. After 28 days, broilers were anesthetized, and serum spleen and thymus samples were collected for analysis. Results show that AFB1 significantly increased and decreased the relative organ weight of the spleen and thymus, respectively. Pathological section of hematoxylin/eosin (H&E) stained spleen sections showed that AFB1 resulted in splenic tissue damage. Both the serum levels of Immunoglobulin A (IgA) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) were suppressed in the AFB1 group. IL-6 was elevated in the AFB1 group. The balance between pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-2) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-4) was disturbed by AFB1. The apoptosis-related protein and JAK/STAT pathway-related gene expression indicated that AFB1-induced apoptosis via JAK/STAT pathway. PCPC has proven its immunoprotective effects by preventing AFB1-induced immune imbalance. PCPC can be applied as a novel immune-modulating medicine in broiler chickens. It can be applied as a novel immune modulator in veterinary clinical practice.

Update on the role of upadacitinib in the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis

With further knowledge of the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease, small oral molecules have become available, including the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. Upadacitinib (UPA) is a selective JAK1 inhibitor and has become the newest drug in this class, with recent approval for the management of moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis. The large phase III program (including the U-ACHIEVE and U-ACCOMPLISH parallel induction trials and the U-ACHIEVE Maintenance trial) demonstrated superiority over placebo, for all primary and secondary endpoints including key clinical, endoscopic, and histological outcomes utilizing 45 mg orally (po) once daily (OD) during induction and either 30 mg or 15 mg po OD in maintenance. From a safety perspective, UPA has proven to be a safe and well-tolerated medication across immune-mediated diseases with manageable adverse risks such as an increase in herpes zoster. Proper discussion and patient profiling are essential when positioning UPA, considering efficacy and potential risks associated with this highly effective medication.

Investigating on the influence mechanism of sausage of sea bass on calcium absorption and transport based on Caco-2 cell monolayer model

A monolayer Caco-2 cell model was established to explore the effects of sea bass sausage digestive juice containing phosphate on calcium ion transport. Differential proteins of Caco-2 cells treated with fish sausage juice were detected and analyzed by gene ontology (GO) functional annotation and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. Results revealed that after treatment with 0.23 mg/mL digestive juice of perch sausage in vitro, Caco-2 cell viability was the highest at 72 h (99.84%). Additionally, 0.23 mg/mL digestive juice of perch sausage in vitro significantly increased calcium ion transport. The transfer volume was 1.396 μg/well. Fish sausages containing phosphate significantly affected the protein expression levels of Caco-2 cells. Two hundred one differential proteins were detected, including 114 up-regulated and 87 down-regulated proteins. The main differential proteins included P02795, Q9P0W0, Q96PU5, Q9GZT9 and Q5EBL8. The adjustment ratios of the fish sausage group were 0.7485, 1.373, 1.2535, 0.6775, and 0.809, respectively. The pathway analysis showed that phosphate affected calcium ion absorption and transport through the P02795 enrichment pathway. The fish sausage group showed that the immune-related functions of cells were affected. This study expounds the effects of water-retaining agents on the nutritional quality of aquatic products and provides theoretical support for the research and application of surimi products.

EpCAM Is Essential to Maintaining the Immune Homeostasis of Intestines via Keeping the Expression of pIgR in the Intestinal Epithelium of Mice

EpCAM deficiency causes congenital tufting enteropathy (CTE) which is considered as one kinds of very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, functions of EpCAM on regulating the immunity of intestines are still unclear. To study the mechanism of EpCAM on maintaining the intestinal immune homeostasis, the intestines of WT and EpCAM^-/- mice at E18.5, P0 and P3 stages were collected for morphological, histological and gene expression tests. Serious inflammation was detected in the small intestines of P3 EpCAM^-/- mice. Compared to WT mice, genes related to inflammatory factors and immunity cells, including TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8rb, MIP2, MCP1, Ly6d and Ly6g, were all significantly upregulated and the expression of intestinal abundance matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) was also significantly increased in the intestines of EpCAM^-/- mice at E18.5, P0 and P3 stages. Signals of p38, ERK1/2 and JNK were hyper-activated in the intestines of EpCAM^-/- mice. The expression of pIgR was significantly decreased and the expression and activation of transcriptional factors which promote the expression of pIgR were also reduced in the intestines of EpCAM^-/- mice compared to WT controls. In conclusion, EpCAM could maintain the immune homeostasis of intestines via keeping the expression of pIgR in the intestinal epithelium.

Clinical and Mechanistic Characteristics of Current JAK Inhibitors in IBD

Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic, immune-mediated diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Their etiology is complex and involves immune (eg, cytokines) and nonimmune (eg, environment) mediated contributions, causing inflammatory damage to the GI tract. Though cytokines contribute a major role in the inflammatory process of both CD and UC, there are some key differences in which cytokines are involved in the pathobiology of CD and UC. Over the past several years, new biologic-directed therapies have focused on controlling specific aspects of inflammation associated with both conditions. Although these treatments have benefited patients overall, approximately 30% of patients still do not respond to induction (initial) therapy, and up to 50% of patients lose response to treatment over a year. Many of these therapies are administered parenterally and have been associated with adverse events such as serious infections or malignancy. Therefore, there is a significant unmet medical need for these patients to minimize symptoms and promote GI healing. There are several therapeutic agents in the pipeline, including oral, small molecules, which hold much promise. One group of small molecules known as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors offers an additional option for treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions, based on currently available data. The article will focus on the potential benefits of JAK inhibitors as oral, small molecules, such as the potential role of selectivity, and potential risks.

Transcriptome analysis of host response to porcine epidemic diarrhea virus nsp15 in IPEC-J2 cells

BACKGROUND

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is an enveloped positive-sense ssRNA virus which is highly lethal to piglets, causing enormous economic losses to swine industry worldwide. Nsp15 protein is an endoribonuclease of PEDV and plays an indispensable role in the viral proliferation. We reported the transcription files of nsp15 transfected IPEC-J2 cells for the first time to broaden our understanding of PEDV pathogenesis.

METHODS

RNA-seq was performed to compare gene expression profiles between pCAGGS-HA-nsp15 transfected IPEC-J2 cells and pCAGGS-HA (empty vector) transfected IPEC-J2 cells. Immune-related genes and pathways were identified and analyzed to deepen our understanding of nsp15 for PEDV pathogenicity. IPEC-J2 cells transfected with pCAGGS-HA-CCL5/CXCL8/CXCL10 were infected with CV777 and the virus load of PEDV was detected by qRT-PCR.

RESULTS

A total of 21,654 genes were obtained by RNA-Seq and 415 differential expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 136 up-regulated and 279 down-regulated genes. A number of effect genes involved in immune responses and inflammation were differentially expressed. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that 32 GO terms were significantly enriched and the DEGs were mainly enriched in immune-related pathways such as TNF signaling pathway, RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway and Cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway. qRT-PCR results indicated the overexpression of selected chemokines, CCL5/CXCL8/CXCL10, can inhibit PEDV proliferation in IPEC-J2 cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our transcriptome profile illustrated a number of genes involving in immune responses and inflammation were inhibited by nsp15, such as CCL5, CXCL8, CXCL10, OAS, MXs, STAT1 and IRF9. The results suggested that nsp15 can antagonize IFNs and block chemokine system to provide an adequate intracellular environment for viral proliferation.

Glucagon-Like Peptide-2 Modulates Enteric Paneth Cells Immune Response and Alleviates Gut Inflammation During Intravenous Fluid Infusion in Mice With a Central Catheter

Background: Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) has protective effects on gastrointestinal functions. Our previous study found that GLP-2 could significantly reduce intestinal permeability and bacterial translocation in total parenteral nutrition (TPN) animal model. However, the effects of GLP-2 on the impairment of the intestinal Paneth cells immune function and gut inflammation during intravenous fluid infusion mainly consisted of nutritional materials is currently scattered.

Objective: The current study was aimed to investigate the efficacy of the GLP-2 in alleviating gut inflammation and modulating enteric Paneth cells immune response in parenterally fed mice and its underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Thirty-six male ICR mice underwent venous catheterization were divided into 3 groups: Chow, TPN, and TPN+GLP-2 groups. GLP-2 was administered intravenously at 60 μg/day for 5 days. The small intestine tissue and serum samples were collected on the 7th day.

Results: Compared with the TPN group, the expression of tight junction proteins occludin and claudin-1 were significantly increased in the TPN+GLP-2 group. In addition, the expression of lysozyme, sPLA2, insulin-like growth factor-1, and epithelial protection and repair genes were improved in the TPN+GLP-2 group. The levels of IL-6 and TNF-α proteins and mRNAs in the ileum tissues were remarkably reduced in the TPN+GLP-2 group, while IL-10 protein and mRNA level were elevated in the TPN+GLP-2 group (all p < 0.05). Moreover, the TPN+GLP-2 group has higher levels of serum endotoxin, D-lactic acid, and MPO than those of the TPN group.

Conclusions: GLP-2 alleviated gut inflammation and improved enteric Paneth cells immune responses through intravenous fluid infusion, possibly by improving the functioning of epithelial protection and repair, and reducing mucosal inflammatory responses.

Food Contaminants Effects on an In Vitro Model of Human Intestinal Epithelium

Pesticide residues represent an important category of food contaminants. Furthermore, during food processing, some advanced glycation end-products resulting from the Maillard reaction can be formed. They may have adverse health effects, in particular on the digestive tract function, alone and combined. We sought to validate an in vitro model of the human intestinal barrier to mimic the effects of these food contaminants on the epithelium. A co-culture of Caco-2/TC7 cells and HT29-MTX was stimulated for 6 h with chlorpyrifos (300 μM), acrylamide (5 mM), N^ε-Carboxymethyllysine (300 μM) alone or in cocktail with a mix of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The effects of those contaminants on the integrity of the gut barrier and the inflammatory response were analyzed. Since the co-culture responded to inflammatory stimulation, we investigated whether this model could be used to evaluate the effects of food contaminants on the human intestinal epithelium. CPF alone affected tight junctions’ gene expression, without inducing any inflammation or alteration of intestinal permeability. CML and acrylamide decreased mucins gene expression in the intestinal mucosa, but did not affect paracellular intestinal permeability. CML exposure activated the gene expression of MAPK pathways. The co-culture response was stable over time. This cocktail of food contaminants may thus alter the gut barrier function.

Psoriasis and Gut Microbiome-Current State of Art

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease that affects around 125 million people worldwide. Several studies concerning the gut microbiota composition and its role in disease pathogenesis recently demonstrated significant alterations among psoriatic patients. Certain parameters such as Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio or Psoriasis Microbiome Index were developed in order to distinguish between psoriatic and healthy individuals. The “leaky gut syndrome” and bacterial translocation is considered by some authors as a triggering factor for the onset of the disease, as it promotes chronic systemic inflammation. The alterations were also found to resemble those in inflammatory bowel diseases, obesity and certain cardiovascular diseases. Microbiota dysbiosis, depletion in SCFAs production, increased amount of produced TMAO, dysregulation of the pathways affecting the balance between lymphocytes populations seem to be the most significant findings concerning gut physiology in psoriatic patients. The gut microbiota may serve as a potential response-to-treatment biomarker in certain cases of biological treatment. Oral probiotics administration as well as fecal microbial transplantation were most reported in bringing health benefits to psoriatic patients. However, the issue of psoriatic bacterial gut composition, its role and healing potential needs further investigation. Here we reviewed the literature on the current state of the relationship between psoriasis and gut microbiome.

Tofacitinib inhibits inflammatory cytokines from ulcerative colitis and healthy mucosal explants and is associated with pSTAT1/3 reduction in T-cells

Poor translatability of animal disease models has hampered the development of new inflammatory bowel disorder (IBD) therapeutics. We describe a preclinical, ex vivo system using freshly obtained and well-characterized human colorectal tissue from patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and healthy control (HC) participants to test potential therapeutics for efficacy and target engagement, using the JAK/STAT inhibitor tofacitinib (TOFA) as a model therapeutic. Colorectal biopsies from HC participants and patients with UC were cultured and stimulated with multiple mitogens ± TOFA. Soluble biomarkers were detected using a 29-analyte multiplex ELISA. Target engagement in CD3⁺CD4⁺ and CD3⁺CD8⁺ T-cells was determined by flow cytometry in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and isolated mucosal mononuclear cells (MMCs) following the activation of STAT1/3 phosphorylation. Data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects modeling, t test, and analysis of variance. Biomarker selection was performed using penalized and Bayesian logistic regression modeling, with results visualized using uniform manifold approximation and projection. Under baseline conditions, 27 of 29 biomarkers from patients with UC were increased versus HC participants. Explant stimulation increased biomarker release magnitude, expanding the dynamic range for efficacy and target engagement studies. Logistic regression analyses identified the most representative UC baseline and stimulated biomarkers. TOFA inhibited biomarkers dependent on JAK/STAT signaling. STAT1/3 phosphorylation in T-cells revealed compartmental differences between PBMCs and MMCs. Immunogen stimulation increases biomarker release in similar patterns for HC participants and patients with UC, while enhancing the dynamic range for pharmacological effects. This work demonstrates the power of ex vivo human colorectal tissue as preclinical tools for evaluating target engagement and downstream effects of new IBD therapeutic agents.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Using colorectal biopsy material from healthy volunteers and patients with clinically defined IBD supports translational research by informing the evaluation of therapeutic efficacy and target engagement for the development of new therapeutic entities. Combining experimental readouts from intact and dissociated tissue enhances our understanding of the tissue-resident immune system that contribute to disease pathology. Bayesian logistic regression modeling is an effective tool for predicting ex vivo explant biomarker release patterns.

Effects of cyhalofop-butyl on the developmental toxicity and immunotoxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Cyhalofop-butyl is a kind of aromatic phenoxypropionic acid herbicide widely used in agriculture. However, studies on its immunotoxicity to aquatic organisms have not been reported. In this study paper, morphological, immunological, cytological, biochemical and molecular biology methods were used to study the effects of cyhalofop-butyl on the developmental toxicity and immunotoxicity in zebrafish. After cyhalofop-butyl exposed, the results showed that the zebrafish embryos had shorter length, yolk sac edema, significantly reduced number of immune cells, inflammatory response and immunocytes apoptosis. In addition, we found that the expression of immune-related genes and pro-apoptotic genes were up-regulated, and the JAK-STAT signaling pathway mediated the immunotoxicity induced by cyhalofop-butyl. Therefore, our results indicate that cyhalofop-butyl has developmental toxicity and immunotoxicity to zebrafish, and this study offer new contents for the effects of cyhalofop-butyl exposure on aquatic organisms.

Transcriptome analysis reveals modulation of the STAT family in PEDV-infected IPEC-J2 cells

BACKGROUND

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a causative agent of serious viral enteric disease in suckling pigs. Such diseases cause considerable economic losses in the global swine industry. Enhancing our knowledge of PEDV-induced transcriptomic responses in host cells is imperative to understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the immune response. Here, we analyzed the transcriptomic profile of intestinal porcine epithelial cell line J2 (IPEC-J2) after infection with a classical strain of PEDV to explore the host response.

RESULTS

In total, 854 genes were significantly differentially expressed after PEDV infection, including 716 upregulated and 138 downregulated genes. Functional annotation analysis revealed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in the influenza A, TNF signaling, inflammatory response, cytokine receptor interaction, and other immune-related pathways. Next, the putative promoter regions of the 854 differentially expressed genes were examined for the presence of transcription factor binding sites using the MEME tool. As a result, 504 sequences (59.02%) were identified as possessing at least one binding site of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT), and five STAT transcription factors were significantly induced by PEDV infection. Furthermore, we revealed the regulatory network induced by STAT members in the process of PEDV infection.

CONCLUSION

Our transcriptomic analysis described the host genetic response to PEDV infection in detail in IPEC-J2 cells, and suggested that STAT transcription factors may serve as key regulators in the response to PEDV infection. These results further our understanding of the pathogenesis of PEDV.

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Intestinal Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury: Bioinformatics Analysis and In Vivo Validation

Background

Intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a serious clinical complication. This study aimed to explore the hub genes and pathways of intestinal I/R injury.

Material/Methods

GSE96733 from the GEO website was extracted to analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of intestinal I/R injured and sham-operated mice at 3 h and 6 h after surgery. The DAVID and STRING databases were used to construct functional enrichment analyses of DEGs and the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network. In Cytoscape software, cytoHubba was used to identify hub genes, and MCODE was used for module analysis. Testing by qRT-PCR detected the expression of hub genes in intestinal I/R injury. Western blot analysis detected the key proteins involved with the important pathways of intestinal I/R injury.

Results

IL-6, IL-10, CXCL1, CXCL2, and IL-1β were identified as critical upregulated genes, while IRF7, IFIT3, IFIT1, Herc6, and Oasl2 were identified as hub genes among the downregulated genes. The qRT-PCR testing showed the expression of critical upregulated genes was significantly increased in intestinal I/R injury (P<0.05), while the expression of hub downregulated genes was notably reduced (P<0.05). The proteins of CXCL1 and CXCR2 were upregulated following intestinal I/R injury (P<0.05) and the CXCL1/CXCR2 axis was involved with intestinal I/R injury.

Conclusions

The results of the present study identified IL-6, IL-10, CXCL1, CXCL2, IL-1β, IRF7, IFIT3, IFIT1, Herc6, and Oasl2 as hub genes in intestinal I/R injury and identified the involvement of the CXCL1/CXCR2 axis in intestinal I/R injury.

Dietary Soy Protein Isolate Attenuates Intestinal Immunoglobulin and Mucin Expression in Young Mice Compared with Casein

Dietary protein sources have profound effects on children and young animals, and are important for the gut barrier function and immune resilience. Milk and soy are the main sources of protein for children and young animals after weaning. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of dairy and soy proteins on the intestinal barrier in early development. Weanling C57BL/6 mice were fed AIN-93G diets prepared with casein or soy protein isolate (SPI) for 21 days. Compared with those fed with the casein diet, mice fed with the SPI diet did not change their body weight and organ coefficients, but increased their feed intake and ratio of feed to gain. SPI lowered the level of luminal secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) and downregulated the levels of IL-4, IL-13, polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (Pigr), Janus kinase 1 (Jak1), signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (Stat6), and transforming growth factor-β (Tgfb) in the mouse ileum. Western blotting of ileal proteins confirmed that SPI suppressed the activation of the JAK1/STAT6 signaling pathway. Furthermore, SPI attenuated intestinal mucin production, as demonstrated by the decreased numbers of intestinal goblet cells and the reduced relative expression levels of mucin 1 (Muc1), mucin 2 (Muc2), trefoil factor 3 (Tff3), glucose-regulated protein 94 (Grp94), and anterior gradient homolog 2 (Agr2). The results indicated that the SPI diet could attenuate mouse intestinal immunity, as demonstrated by decreased SIgA and mucin production in the intestine. Therefore, we suggest that our findings should be of consideration when SPI or casein are used as dietary protein sources.

Protein-Protein interactions uncover candidate 'core genes' within omnigenic disease networks

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) of human diseases have generally identified many loci associated with risk with relatively small effect sizes. The omnigenic model attempts to explain this observation by suggesting that diseases can be thought of as networks, where genes with direct involvement in disease-relevant biological pathways are named ‘core genes’, while peripheral genes influence disease risk via their interactions or regulatory effects on core genes. Here, we demonstrate a method for identifying candidate core genes solely from genes in or near disease-associated SNPs (GWAS hits) in conjunction with protein-protein interaction network data. Applied to 1,381 GWAS studies from 5 ancestries, we identify a total of 1,865 candidate core genes in 343 GWAS studies. Our analysis identifies several well-known disease-related genes that are not identified by GWAS, including BRCA1 in Breast Cancer, Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) in Alzheimer’s Disease, INS in A1C measurement and Type 2 Diabetes, and PCSK9 in LDL cholesterol, amongst others. Notably candidate core genes are preferentially enriched for disease relevance over GWAS hits and are enriched for both Clinvar pathogenic variants and known drug targets—consistent with the predictions of the omnigenic model. We subsequently use parent term annotations provided by the GWAS catalog, to merge related GWAS studies and identify candidate core genes in over-arching disease processes such as cancer–where we identify 109 candidate core genes.

A recent theory suggests that only a small number of genes underpin the biology of a disease, these genes are called ‘core genes’, and for most diseases, these core genes remain unknown. The suggested methods for finding them requires complex and expensive experiments. We reasoned that if we merge currently available datasets in smart ways, we may be able to uncover these ‘core genes’. Our method finds “hub” proteins by merging lists of genes previously linked with disease to information on how proteins interact with each other. We found that many of these hub proteins have central roles in disease, such as insulin for both A1C measurement and Type 2 Diabetes, BRCA1 in Breast cancer, and Amyloid Precursor Protein in Alzheimer’s Disease. We think these ‘hub’ proteins are candidate ‘core genes’, and offer our method as a way to find ‘core genes’ by utilizing publicly available reference datasets.

Vitamin D Receptor Protects Against Dysbiosis and Tumorigenesis via the JAK/STAT Pathway in Intestine

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Vitamin D exerts regulatory roles via vitamin D receptor (VDR) in mucosal immunity, host defense, and inflammation involving host factors and microbiome. Human Vdr gene variation shapes the microbiome and VDR deletion leads to dysbiosis. Low VDR expression and diminished vitamin D/VDR signaling are observed in colon cancer. Nevertheless, how intestinal epithelial VDR is involved in tumorigenesis through gut microbiota remains unknown. We hypothesized that intestinal VDR protects mice against dysbiosis via modulating the Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway in tumorigenesis.

METHODS

To test our hypothesis, we used an azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium-induced cancer model in intestinal VDR conditional knockout (VDR^ΔIEC) mice, cell cultures, stem cell-derived colonoids, and human colon cancer samples.

RESULTS

VDR^ΔIEC mice have higher numbers of tumors, with the location shifted from the distal to proximal colon. Fecal microbiota analysis showed that VDR deletion leads to a bacterial profile shift from normal to susceptible carcinogenesis. We found enhanced bacterial staining in mouse and human tumors. Microbial metabolites from VDR^ΔIEC mice showed increased secondary bile acids, consistent with observations in human CRC. We further identified that VDR protein bound to the Jak2 promoter, suggesting that VDR transcriptionally regulated Jak2. The JAK/STAT pathway is critical in intestinal and microbial homeostasis. Fecal samples from VDR^ΔIEC mice activate the STAT3 signaling in human and mouse organoids. Lack of VDR led to hyperfunction of Jak2 in response to intestinal dysbiosis. A JAK/STAT inhibitor abolished the microbiome-induced activation of STAT3.

CONCLUSIONS

We provide insights into the mechanism of VDR dysfunction leading to dysbiosis and tumorigenesis. It indicates a new target: microbiome and VDR for the prevention of cancer.

Role of intestinal alkaline phosphatase in intestinal mucosal barrier

Intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) is an alkaline phosphatase that plays an important role in maintaining the stability of the bowel function and the intestinal mucosal barrier, including adjusting the duodenal pH, participating the development of the intestinal tract, regulating the absorption ability of intestinal epithelial cells, reducing the toxicity of lipopolysaccharide, preventing and reducing the intestinal inflammation, regulating intestinal flora, improving intestinal calcium absorption, etc. In this paper, we will review the role of IAP in intestinal mucosal barrier.

Network-Based Selection of Candidate Markers and Assays to Assess the Impact of Oral Immune Interventions on Gut Functions

To assess the safety and efficacy of oral immune interventions, it is important and required by regulation to assess the impact of those interventions not only on the immune system, but also on other organs such as the gut as the porte d'entrée. Despite clear indications that the immune system interacts with several physiological functions of the gut, it is still unknown which pathways and molecules are crucial to assessing the impact of nutritional immune interventions on gut functioning. Here we used a network-based systems biology approach to clarify the molecular relationships between immune system and gut functioning and to identify crucial biomarkers to assess effects on gut functions upon nutritional immune interventions. First, the different gut functionalities were categorized based on literature and EFSA guidance documents. Moreover, an overview of the current assays and methods to measure gut function was generated. Secondly, gut-function related biological processes and adverse events were selected and subsequently linked to the physiological functions of the GI tract. Thirdly, database terms and annotations from the Gene ontology database and the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) related to the previously selected gut-function related processes were selected. Next, database terms and annotations were used to identify the pathways and genes involved in those gut functionalities. In parallel, information from CTD was used to identify immune disease related genes. The resulting lists of both gut and immune function genes showed an overlap of 753 genes out of 1,296 gut-function related genes indicating the close gut-immune relationship. Using bioinformatics enrichment tools DAVID and Panther, the identified gut-immune markers were predicted to be involved in motility, barrier function, the digestion and absorption of vitamins and fat, regulation of the digestive system and gastric acid, and protection from injurious or allergenic material. Concluding, here we provide a promising systems biology approach to identify genes that help to clarify the relationships between immune system and gut functioning, with the aim to identify candidate biomarkers to monitor nutritional immune intervention assays for safety and efficacy in the general population. This knowledge helps to optimize future study designs to predict effects of nutritional immune intervention on gut functionalities.

Dietary leucine supplementation improves intestinal health of mice through intestinal SIgA secretion

AIMS

Leucine supplementation promotes intestinal health, but the mechanism is largely unknown. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of leucine on intestinal homeostasis.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Female ICR mice (6-week-old) were randomly assigned into three groups: (i) mice received a basal diet; (ii) mice received a dietary 0·5% crystalline l-leucine supplementation; and (iii) mice received a dietary 1·0% crystalline l-leucine supplementation. Our results showed that leucine supplementation stimulated the secretion of SIgA in mice ileum and expression of cytokines related to SIgA production. Moreover, leucine supplementation improved the expression of mTOR and p70S6K1 expression. Further study showed that leucine supplementation markedly decreased microbiota richness and induced a shift in the Firmicutes : Bacteroidetes ratio in favour of Firmicutes.

CONCLUSIONS

Therefore, our data suggested that leucine supplementation could enhance intestinal health through the regulation of mTOR pathway and promoting SIgA secretion in the mouse intestine, which might be associated with intestinal microbiota.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The present study found that dietary leucine supplementation of mice could improve intestinal health by enhancing intestinal SIgA secretion via a nonexclusive mechanism, which might include T cell-dependent pathway, T cell-independent pathway and gut microbiota.

Quantitative systems pharmacology of interferon alpha administration: A multi-scale approach

The therapeutic effect of a drug is governed by its pharmacokinetics which determine the downstream pharmacodynamic response within the cellular network. A complete understanding of the drug-effect relationship therefore requires multi-scale models which integrate the properties of the different physiological scales. Computational modelling of these individual scales has been successfully established in the past. However, coupling of the scales remains challenging, although it will provide a unique possibility of mechanistic and holistic analyses of therapeutic outcomes for varied treatment scenarios. We present a methodology to combine whole-body physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models with mechanistic intracellular models of signal transduction in the liver for therapeutic proteins. To this end, we developed a whole-body distribution model of IFN-α in human and a detailed intracellular model of the JAK/STAT signalling cascade in hepatocytes and coupled them at the liver of the whole-body human model. This integrated model infers the time-resolved concentration of IFN-α arriving at the liver after intravenous injection while simultaneously estimates the effect of this dose on the intracellular signalling behaviour in the liver. In our multi-scale physiologically-based pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PBPK/PD) model, receptor saturation is seen at low doses, thus giving mechanistic insights into the pharmacodynamic (PD) response. This model suggests a fourfold lower intracellular response after administration of a typical IFN-α dose to an individual as compared to the experimentally observed responses in in vitro setups. In conclusion, this work highlights clear differences between the observed in vitro and in vivo drug effects and provides important suggestions for future model-based study design.

Investigation of multi-trait associations using pathway-based analysis of GWAS summary statistics

Background

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been successful in identifying disease-associated genetic variants. Recently, an increasing number of GWAS summary statistics have been made available to the research community, providing extensive repositories for studies of human complex diseases. In particular, cross-trait associations at the genetic level can be beneficial from large-scale GWAS summary statistics by using genetic variants that are associated with multiple traits. However, direct assessment of cross-trait associations using susceptibility loci has been challenging due to the complex genetic architectures in most diseases, calling for advantageous methods that could integrate functional interpretation and imply biological mechanisms.

Results

We developed an analytical framework for systematic integration of cross-trait associations. It incorporates two different approaches to detect enriched pathways and requires only summary statistics. We demonstrated the framework using 25 traits belonging to four phenotype groups. Our results revealed an average of 54 significantly associated pathways (ranged between 18 and 175) per trait. We further proved that pathway-based analysis provided increased power to estimate cross-trait associations compared to gene-level analysis. Based on Fisher’s Exact Test (FET), we identified a total of 24 (53) pairs of trait-trait association at adjusted p_FET < 1 × 10^− 3 (p_FET < 0.01) among the 25 traits. Our trait-trait association network revealed not only many relationships among the traits within the same group but also novel relationships among traits from different groups, which warrants further investigation in future.

Conclusions

Our study revealed that risk variants for 25 different traits aggregated in particular biological pathways and that these pathways were frequently shared among traits. Our results confirmed known mechanisms and also suggested several novel insights into the etiology of multi-traits.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-5373-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Sulforaphane Normalizes Intestinal Flora and Enhances Gut Barrier in Mice with BBN-Induced Bladder Cancer

SCOPE

Gut microbiota imbalance, inflammation, and gut barrier deficiency play an important role in carcinogenesis. Sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate found in cruciferous vegetables, has been proven to be highly effective in inhibiting cancer. The objective of this study is to investigate the potential roles of the gut microbiota in the inhibition of BBN-induced bladder cancer by SFN.

METHODS AND RESULTS

N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)-nitrosamine is used to induce bladder cancer in male C57BL/6 mice, with or without SFN for 23 weeks. SFN ameliorates the histological changes characteristic of bladder cancer, resulting in fewer submucosal capillaries. SFN normalizes gut microbiota dysbiosis in mice with BBN-induced bladder cancer with a significant increase in Bacteroides fragilis and Clostridium cluster I. SFN also increases butyric acid levels in the mouse colon, and repairs the injury to the mucosal epithelium of the colon and cecum through the upregulation of the expression of tight junction proteins and GLP2. SFN greatly decreases the release of cytokines (IL-6) and secretory immunoglobulin A in the mice with bladder cancer.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that SFN protects against chemical-induced bladder cancer through normalizing the composition of gut microbiota and repairing the physiological destruction of the gut barrier, as well as decreasing inflammation and the immune response.

Deficiency in STAT1 Signaling Predisposes Gut Inflammation and Prompts Colorectal Cancer Development

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) is part of the Janus kinase (JAK/STAT) signaling pathway that controls critical events in intestinal immune function related to innate and adaptive immunity. Recent studies have implicated STAT1 in tumor⁻stroma interactions, and its expression and activity are perturbed during colon cancer. However, the role of STAT1 during the initiation of inflammation-associated cancer is not clearly understood. To determine the role of STAT1 in colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC), we analyzed the tumor development and kinetics of cell recruitment in wild-type WT or STAT1^-/- mice treated with azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Following CAC induction, STAT1^-/- mice displayed an accelerated appearance of inflammation and tumor formation, and increased damage and scores on the disease activity index (DAI) as early as 20 days after AOM-DSS exposure compared to their WT counterparts. STAT1^-/- mice showed elevated colonic epithelial cell proliferation in early stages of injury-induced tumor formation and decreased apoptosis in advanced tumors with over-expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl2 at the colon. STAT1^-/- mice showed increased accumulation of Ly6G⁺Ly6C^-CD11b⁺ cells in the spleen at 20 days of CAC development with concomitant increases in the production of IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-22 cytokines compared to WT mice. Our findings suggest that STAT1 plays a role as a tumor suppressor molecule in inflammation-associated carcinogenesis, particularly during the very early stages of CAC initiation, modulating immune responses as well as controlling mechanisms such as apoptosis and cell proliferation.

Epithelial IL-15 Is a Critical Regulator of γδ Intraepithelial Lymphocyte Motility within the Intestinal Mucosa

Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) expressing the γδ TCR (γδ IELs) provide continuous surveillance of the intestinal epithelium. However, the mechanisms regulating the basal motility of these cells within the epithelial compartment have not been well defined. We investigated whether IL-15 contributes to γδ IEL localization and migratory behavior in addition to its role in IEL differentiation and survival. Using advanced live cell imaging techniques in mice, we find that compartmentalized overexpression of IL-15 in the lamina propria shifts the distribution of γδ T cells from the epithelial compartment to the lamina propria. This mislocalization could be rescued by epithelial IL-15 overexpression, indicating that epithelial IL-15 is essential for γδ IEL migration into the epithelium. Furthermore, in vitro analyses demonstrated that exogenous IL-15 stimulates γδ IEL migration into cultured epithelial monolayers, and inhibition of IL-2Rβ significantly attenuates the basal motility of these cells. Intravital microscopy showed that impaired IL-2Rβ signaling induced γδ IEL idling within the lateral intercellular space, which resulted in increased early pathogen invasion. Similarly, the redistribution of γδ T cells to the lamina propria due to local IL-15 overproduction also enhanced bacterial translocation. These findings thus reveal a novel role for IL-15 in mediating γδ T cell localization within the intestinal mucosa and regulating γδ IEL motility and patrolling behavior as a critical component of host defense.

Immune Response to Rotavirus and Gluten Sensitivity

Rotavirus is a double-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family of Reoviridae. The virus is transmitted by the faecal-oral route and infects intestinal cells causing gastroenteritis. Rotaviruses are the main cause of severe acute diarrhoea in children less than 5 years of age worldwide. In our previous work we have shown a link between rotavirus infection and celiac disease. Nonceliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is emerging as new clinical entity lacking specific diagnostic biomarkers which has been reported to occur in 6–10% of the population. Clinical manifestations include gastrointestinal and/or extraintestinal symptoms which recede with gluten withdrawal. The pathogenesis of the disease is still unknown. Aim of this work is to clarify some aspects of its pathogenesis using a gene array approach. Our results suggest that NCGS may have an autoimmune origin. This is based both on gene expression data (i.e., TH17-interferon signatures) and on the presence of TH17 cells and of serological markers of autoimmunity in NCGS. Our results also indicate a possible involvement of rotavirus infection in the pathogenesis of nonceliac gluten sensitivity similarly to what we have previously shown in celiac disease.

Glutamine-Induced Secretion of Intestinal Secretory Immunoglobulin A: A Mechanistic Perspective

Secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) is one important line of defense in the intestinal mucosal surface to protect the intestinal epithelium from enteric toxins and pathogenic microorganisms. Multiple factors, such as intestinal microbiota, intestinal cytokines, and nutrients are highly involved in production of SIgA in the intestine. Recently, glutamine has been shown to affect intestinal SIgA production; however, the underlying mechanism by which glutamine stimulates secretion of intestinal SIgA is unknown. Here, we review current knowledge regarding glutamine in intestinal immunity and show that glutamine-enhanced secretion of SIgA in the intestine may involve intestinal microbiota, intestinal antigen sampling and presentation, induction pathways for SIgA production by plasma cells (both T-dependent and T-independent pathway), and even transport of SIgA. Altogether, the glutamine-intestinal SIgA axis has broad therapeutic implications for intestinal SIgA-associated diseases, such as celiac disease, allergies, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Effects of n-3 PUFAs on Intestinal Mucosa Innate Immunity and Intestinal Microbiota in Mice after Hemorrhagic Shock Resuscitation

n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can improve the function of the intestinal barrier after damage from ischemia-reperfusion or hemorrhagic shock resuscitation (HSR). However, the effects of n-3 PUFAs on intestinal microbiota and the innate immunity of the intestinal mucosa after HSR remain unclear. In the present study, 40 C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to five groups: control, sham, HSR, HSR + n-3 PUFAs and HSR + n-6 PUFAs. Mice were sacrificed 12 h after HSR. Liver, spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes and terminal ileal tissues were collected. Intestinal mucosae were scraped aseptically. Compared with the HSR group, the number of goblet cells increased, expression of mucin 2 was restored and disturbed intestinal microbiota were partly stabilized in the PUFA-administered groups, indicating that both n-3 and n-6 PUFAs reduced overproliferation of Gammaproteobacteria while promoting the growth of Bacteroidetes. Notably, n-3 PUFAs had an advantage over n-6 PUFAs in improving ileal tissue levels of lysozyme after HSR. Thus, PUFAs, especially n-3 PUFAs, partly improved the innate immunity of intestinal mucosa in mice after HSR. These findings suggest a clinical rationale for providing n-3 PUFAs to patients recovering from ischemia-reperfusion.

Maternal high fat intake affects the development and transcriptional profile of fetal intestine in late gestation using pig model

Background

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal high fat intake on intestinal development and transcriptional profile.

Methods

Eight gilts with similar age and body weight were randomly allocated into 2 groups receiving the control and high fat diets (HF diet) from d 30 to 90 of gestation, with 4 gilts each group and one gilt each pen. At d 90 of gestation, two fetuses each gilt were removed by cesarean section. Intestinal samples were collected for analysis of morphology, enzyme activities and transcriptional profile.

Results

The results showed that feeding HF diet markedly increased the fetal weight and lactase activity, also tended to increase intestinal morphology. Porcine Oligo Microarray analysis indicated that feeding HF diet inhibited 64 % of genes (39 genes down-regulated while 22 genes up-regulated),which were related to immune response, cancer and metabolism, also markedly modified 33 signal pathways such as antigen processing and presentation, intestinal immune network for IgA production, Jak-STAT and TGF-ß signaling transductions, pathways in colorectal cancer and glycerolipid metabolism.

Conclusion

Collectively, it could be concluded that maternal high fat intake was able to increase fetal weight and lactase activity, however, it altered the intestinal immune response, signal transduction and metabolism.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12944-016-0261-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Effect of intestinal alkaline phosphatase on expression of Muc2, Stat4 and P-Stat4 in colitis in mice

AIM: To investigate the effect of intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) on the expression of Muc2, Stat4 and phospholated-Stat4 (P-Stat4) in colitis in mice.

METHODS: Forty-five mice were divided into three groups randomly: a control group, a TNBS group and a TNBS/IAP group. Mice in the latter two groups had TNBS induced colitis. The TNBS/IAP group was treated with TNBS and IAP (200 IU/d; via gavage). One week later, colonic pathology was observed by HE staining. Immunochemistry and Western blot were employed to assess the expression of Muc2, Stat4 and phospholated-Stat4 (P-Stat4).

RESULTS: The grade of colonic inflammation in the TNBS group increased significantly compared with that in the control group, and improvements were observed in the TNBS/IAP group. The positive expression rates of Muc2 among three groups were significantly different (χ² = 19.62, P < 0.05); the rate was significantly lower in the TNBS group than in the control group (13.33% vs 93.3%, χ² = 19.29, P < 0.05), but was significantly higher in the TNBS/IAP group than in the TNBS group (60.00% vs 13.3%, χ² = 7.033, P < 0.05). The positive expression rates of Stat4 among three groups were significantly different (χ² = 7.22, P < 0.05); the rate was significantly higher in the TNBS group than in the control group (66.67% vs 20.00%, χ² = 6.652, P < 0.05), but had no significant difference between the TNBS/IAP group (50.00%) and TNBS group (50.00% vs 66.67%, χ² = 3.333, P > 0.05). The positive expression rates of P-Stat4 among the three groups were significantly different (χ² = 12.95, P < 0.05); the rate was significantly higher in the TNBS group than in the control group (60.00% vs 6.67%, χ² = 9.6, P < 0.05, but was significantly lower in the TNBS/IAP group than in the TNBS group (13.33% vs 60.00%, χ² = 7.033, P < 0.05). After pretreatment with IAP, the expression of Stat4 and P-Stat4 in DC2.4 cells was down-regulated.

CONCLUSION: The therapeutic role of IAP may be associated with the down-regulation of Stat4 pathway and the increase of Muc2 expression in mice with colitis.

JAK inhibition using tofacitinib for inflammatory bowel disease treatment: a hub for multiple inflammatory cytokines

The inflammatory diseases ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease constitute the two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). They are characterized by chronic, relapsing inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, significantly impacting on patient quality of life and often requiring prolonged treatment. Existing therapies for IBD are not effective for all patients, and an unmet need exists for additional therapies to induce and maintain remission. Here we describe the mechanism of action of the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, tofacitinib, for the treatment of IBD and the effect of JAK inhibition on the chronic cycle of inflammation that is characteristic of the disease. The pathogenesis of IBD involves a dysfunctional response from the innate and adaptive immune system, resulting in overexpression of multiple inflammatory cytokines, many of which signal through JAKs. Thus JAK inhibition allows multiple cytokine signaling pathways to be targeted and is expected to modulate the innate and adaptive immune response in IBD, thereby interrupting the cycle of inflammation. Tofacitinib is an oral, small molecule JAK inhibitor that is being investigated as a targeted immunomodulator for IBD. Clinical development of tofacitinib and other JAK inhibitors is ongoing, with the aspiration of providing new treatment options for IBD that have the potential to deliver prolonged efficacy and clinically meaningful patient benefits.

Type 3 innate lymphoid cells maintain intestinal epithelial stem cells after tissue damage

Disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier allows bacterial translocation and predisposes to destructive inflammation. To ensure proper barrier composition, crypt-residing stem cells continuously proliferate and replenish all intestinal epithelial cells within days. As a consequence of this high mitotic activity, mucosal surfaces are frequently targeted by anticancer therapies, leading to dose-limiting side effects. The cellular mechanisms that control tissue protection and mucosal healing in response to intestinal damage remain poorly understood. Type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) are regulators of homeostasis and tissue responses to infection at mucosal surfaces. We now demonstrate that ILC3s are required for epithelial activation and proliferation in response to small intestinal tissue damage induced by the chemotherapeutic agent methotrexate. Multiple subsets of ILC3s are activated after intestinal tissue damage, and in the absence of ILC3s, epithelial activation is lost, correlating with increased pathology and severe damage to the intestinal crypts. Using ILC3-deficient Lgr5 reporter mice, we show that maintenance of intestinal stem cells after damage is severely impaired in the absence of ILC3s or the ILC3 signature cytokine IL-22. These data unveil a novel function of ILC3s in limiting tissue damage by preserving tissue-specific stem cells.

Analysis of protein expression changes of the Vero E6 cells infected with classic PEDV strain CV777 by using quantitative proteomic technique

Recent outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) have caused widespread concern. The identification of proteins associated with PEDV infection might provide insight into PEDV pathogenesis and facilitate the development of novel antiviral strategies. We analyzed the differential protein profile of PEDV-infected Vero E6 cells using mass spectrometry and an isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification. A total of 126 proteins were identified that were differentially expressed between the PEDV-infected and mock-infected groups (P<0.05, quantitative ratio ≥1.2), among which the expression of 58 proteins was up-regulated and that of 68 proteins was down-regulated in the PEDV-infected Vero E6 cells, involving in integrin β2/β3, cystatin-C. The Gene Ontology analysis indicated that the molecular function of the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) was primarily related to binding and catalytic activity, and that the biological functions in which the DEPs are involved included metabolism, organismal systems, cellular processes, genetic information processing, environmental information processing, and diseases. Among the disease-related functions, certain anti-viral pathways and proteins, such as the RIG-I-like receptor, Rap1, autophagy, mitogen-activated protein kinase, PI3K-Akt and Jak-STAT signaling pathways, and integrin β2/β3 and cystatin-C proteins, represented potential factors in PEDV infection. Our findings provide valuable insight into PEDV-Vero E6 cell interactions.

Bovine osteopontin modifies the intestinal transcriptome of formula-fed infant rhesus monkeys to be more similar to those that were breastfed

BACKGROUND

Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional protein found in human milk at high concentration.

OBJECTIVE

The impact of supplemental bovine OPN on growth, body composition, and the jejunal transcriptome was assessed.

METHODS

Newborn rhesus monkeys were randomly assigned to be breastfed (n = 4) or to receive formula [formula fed (FF), n = 6] or formula supplemented with 125 mg/L of bovine OPN (bOPN, n = 6) for 3 mo. Jejunal mRNA was extracted and subjected to microarray analysis.

RESULTS

Growth was similar among all the treatment groups, but breastfed monkeys were ∼25% leaner at 3 mo. Pairwise comparisons demonstrated that 1017 genes were differentially expressed between breastfed and FF groups, 217 between breastfed and bOPN groups, and 119 between FF and bOPN groups. The data were also analyzed with the use of weighted gene coexpression network analysis, which revealed 6 modules of coexpressed genes that differed among the 3 treatments. Nearly 50% of genes were assigned to one module in which breastfed differed from FF and bOPN expression was intermediate. This module was enriched for genes related to cell adhesion and motility, cytoskeletal remodeling, wingless and integration site signaling, and neuronal development. Most of these canonical pathways centered on integrins, which are receptors for OPN.

CONCLUSIONS

The intestinal transcriptome of breastfed and FF monkeys differs, but bovine OPN at levels similar to human milk shifts gene expression profiles to be more similar to breastfed monkeys.

Whole proteome analysis of mouse lymph nodes in cutaneous anthrax

This study aimed to characterize a soluble proteome of popliteal lymph nodes during lymphadenitis induced by intradermal injection of Bacillus anthracis Sterne spores in mice using tandem LC-MS/MS and reverse-phase protein microarray with antibodies specific to epitopes of phosphorylated proteins. More than 380 proteins were detected in the normal intra-nodal lymph, while the infectious process resulted in the profound changes in the protein abundances and appearance of 297 unique proteins. These proteins belong to an array of processes reflecting response to wounding, inflammation and perturbations of hemostasis, innate immune response, coagulation and fibrinolysis, regulation of body fluid levels and vascular disturbance among others. Comparison of lymph and serum revealed 83 common proteins. Also, using 71 antibodies specific to total and phosphorylated forms of proteins we carried initial characterization of circulating lymph phosphoproteome which brought additional information regarding signaling pathways operating in the lymphatics. The results demonstrate that the proteome of intra-nodal lymph serves as a sensitive sentinel of the processes occurring within the lymph nodes during infection. The acute innate response of the lymph nodes to anthrax is accompanied by cellular damage and inflammation with a large number of up- and down-regulated proteins many of which are distinct from those detected in serum. MS data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001342.