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Endurance and flat race are entirely different efforts and thus require completely different organism adaptations to achieve the performance. This study aimed to examine the difference in basal lipid metabolism in Arabian horses undergoing different training regimens for endurance and race and possible gender differences. The study enrolled sixty male and female' Arabian horses; thirty were trained for race, and thirty were trained for 80 km endurance races. The analyses included body condition score, body weight, body mass index, % body fat, and blood collected to determine triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density proteins, high-density proteins, and non-esterified fatty acids. Ultrasonography was used to measure the thickness of the subcutaneous fat layer in the longissimus dorsi muscle, as well as the thickness of the rump fat and the cross-section of the gluteus medius muscle. This study showed that lipid profile is more influenced by type of exercise than by gender, being more efficient on endurance horses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Brazil, glyphosate is present in more than 130 commercial formulations, and its toxic effects have already been tested in different species to understand its impact on biota Decapod crustaceans are widely used as experimental models due to their biology, sensitivity to pollutants, ease of collection, and maintenance under laboratory conditions. We evaluated the changes in metabolism (hemolymph) and oxidative balance markers (gill and hepatopancreas) of a crayfish (Parastacus promatensis) after exposure to Roundup® (active ingredient: glyphosate). The crayfish were captured in the Garapiá stream within the Center for Research and Conservation of Nature Pró-Mata, Brazil. We collected adult animals outside (fall) and during (spring) the breeding season. The animals were transported in buckets with cooled and aerated water from the collection site to the aquatic animal maintenance room at the university. After acclimatization, the animals were exposed to different concentrations of glyphosate (0, 65, 260, 520, and 780 µg/L). The results showed a significant variation in the hemolymph glucose, lactate, and protein levels. We observed variations in the tissue antioxidant enzymatic activity after exposure to glyphosate. Finally, the increase in oxidative damage required a high energy demand from the animals to maintain their fitness, which makes them more vulnerable to stress factors added to the habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating the effects of temperature variations on animals plays an important role in understanding the threat of climate warming. The effects of developmental temperature on offspring performance are critical in evaluating the effects of warming temperatures on the fitness of oviparous species, but the physiological and biochemical basis of this developmental plasticity is largely unknown. In this study, we incubated eggs of the turtle Pelodiscus sinensis at low (24 °C), medium (28 °C), and high (32 °C) temperatures, and evaluated the effects of developmental temperature on offspring fitness, and metabolic enzymes in the neck and limb muscles of hatchlings. The hatchlings from eggs incubated at the medium temperature showed better fitness-related performance (righting response and swimming capacity) and higher activities of metabolic enzymes (hexokinase, HK; lactate dehydrogenase, LDH) than hatchlings from the eggs incubated at high or low temperatures. In addition, the swimming speed and righting response were significantly correlated with the HK activities in limb (swimming speed) and neck (righting response) muscles, suggesting that the developmental plasticity of energy metabolic pathway might play a role in determining the way incubation temperature affects offspring phenotypes. Integrating the fitness-related performance and the activities of metabolic enzymes, we predict that the P. sinensis from high latitude would not face the detrimental effects of climate warming until the average nest temperatures reach 32 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During their long evolutionary history, jellyfish have faced changes in multiple environmental factors, to which they may selectively fix adaptations, allowing some species to survive and inhabit diverse environments. Previous findings have confirmed the jellyfish's ability to synthesize large ATP amounts, mainly produced by mitochondria, in response to environmental challenges. This study characterized the respiratory chain from the mitochondria of the jellyfish Stomolophus sp2 (previously misidentified as Stomolophus meleagris). The in-gel activity from isolated jellyfish mitochondria confirmed that the mitochondrial respiratory chain contains the four canonical complexes I to IV and F0F1-ATP synthase. Specific additional activity bands, immunodetection, and mass spectrometry identification confirmed the occurrence of four alternative enzymes integrated into a branched mitochondrial respiratory chain of Stomolophus sp2: an alternative oxidase and three dehydrogenases (two NADH type II enzymes and a mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase). The analysis of each transcript sequence, their phylogenetic relationships, and each protein's predicted models confirmed the mitochondrial alternative enzymes' identity and specific characteristics. Although no statistical differences were found among the mean values of transcript abundance of each enzyme in the transcriptomes of jellyfish exposed to three different temperatures, it was confirmed that each gene was expressed at all tested conditions. These first-time reported enzymes in cnidarians suggest the adaptative ability of jellyfish's mitochondria to display rapid metabolic responses, as previously described, to maintain energetic homeostasis and face temperature variations due to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Endurance and flat race are entirely different efforts and thus require completely different organism adaptations to achieve the performance. This study aimed to examine the difference in basal lipid metabolism in Arabian horses undergoing different training regimens for endurance and race and possible gender differences. The study enrolled sixty male and female’ Arabian horses; thirty were trained for race, and thirty were trained for 80 km endurance races. The analyses included body condition score, body weight, body mass index, % body fat, and blood collected to determine triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density proteins, high-density proteins, and non-esterified fatty acids. Ultrasonography was used to measure the thickness of the subcutaneous fat layer in the longissimus dorsi muscle, as well as the thickness of the rump fat and the cross-section of the gluteus medius muscle. This study showed that lipid profile is more influenced by type of exercise than by gender, being more efficient on endurance horses.

Metabolomics is a powerful data-driven tool for in-depth biological phenotyping that could help identify the specific metabolic profile of cryptogenic strokes, for which no precise cause has been identified. We performed a targeted quantitative metabolomics study in West African patients who had recently suffered an ischemic stroke, which was either cryptogenic (n = 40) or had a clearly identified cause (n = 39), compared to a healthy control group (n = 40). Four hundred fifty-six metabolites were accurately measured. Multivariate analyses failed to reveal any metabolic profile discriminating between cryptogenic ischemic strokes and those with an identified cause but did show superimposable metabolic profiles in both groups, which were clearly distinct from those of healthy controls. The blood concentrations of 234 metabolites were significantly affected in stroke patients compared to controls after the Benjamini–Hochberg correction. Increased methionine sulfoxide and homocysteine concentrations, as well as an overall increase in saturation of fatty acids, were indicative of acute oxidative stress. This signature also showed alterations in energetic metabolism, cell membrane integrity, monocarbon metabolism, and neurotransmission, with reduced concentrations of several metabolites known to be neuroprotective. Overall, our results show that cryptogenic strokes are not pathophysiologically distinct from ischemic strokes of established origin, and that stroke leads to intense metabolic remodeling with marked oxidative and energetic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increases in fatty acid (FA) biosynthesis meet the higher lipid demand by intensely proliferating cancer cells and promoting their progression. Stearoyl‐CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) is the key enzyme in FA biosynthesis, converting saturated FA (SFA) into monounsaturated FA (MUFA). Increases in the MUFA/SFA ratio and SCD1 expression have been observed in cancers of various origins and correlate with their aggressiveness. However, much is still unknown about the SCD1‐dependent molecular mechanisms that promote specific changes in metabolic pathways of cancer cells. The present study investigated the involvement of SCD1 in shaping glucose and lipid metabolism in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Excess FAs that derive from de novo lipogenesis are stored in organelles, called lipid droplets (LDs), mainly in the form of triacylglycerol (TAG) and cholesteryl esters. LD accumulation is associated with key features of cancer development and progression. Consistent with our findings, the pharmacological inhibition of SCD1 activity affects CRC cell viability and impairs TAG accumulation and LD formation in these cells through the activation of lipolytic and lipophagic pathways. We showed that SCD1 suppression affects crucial lipogenic processes that promote lipid accumulation in CRC cells but in a sterol regulatory element‐binding protein 1‐independent manner. We propose that adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase contributes to these changes through the activation of lipolysis and inhibition of TAG synthesis. We also provide evidence of the involvement of SCD1 in the regulation of glucose uptake and utilization in CRC cells. These findings underscore the importance of SCD1 in regulating cellular processes that promote cancer development and progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms that underpin aging are still elusive. In this study, we suggest that the ability of mitochondria to oxidize different substrates, which is known as metabolic flexibility, is involved in this process. To verify our hypothesis, we used honey bees (Apis mellifera carnica) at different ages, to assess mitochondrial oxygen consumption and enzymatic activities of key enzymes of the energetic metabolism as well as ATP5A1 content (subunit of ATP synthase) and adenylic energy charge (AEC). We also measured mRNA abundance of genes involved in mitochondrial functions and the antioxidant system. Our results demonstrated that mitochondrial respiration increased with age and favored respiration through complexes I and II of the electron transport system (ETS) while glycerol‐3‐phosphate (G3P) oxidation was relatively decreased. In addition, glycolytic, tricarboxylic acid cycle and ETS enzymatic activities increased, which was associated with higher ATP5A1 content and AEC. Furthermore, we detected an early decrease in the mRNA abundance of subunits of NADH ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit B2 (NDUFB2, complex I), mitochondrial cytochrome b (CYTB, complex III) of the ETS as well as superoxide dismutase 1 and a later decrease for vitellogenin, catalase and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1, complex IV). Thus, our study suggests that the energetic metabolism is optimized with aging in honey bees, mainly through quantitative and qualitative mitochondrial changes, rather than showing signs of senescence. Moreover, aging modulated metabolic flexibility, which might reflect an underpinning mechanism that explains lifespan disparities between the different castes of worker bees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin (DOX) may manifest at the beginning/during treatment or years after, compromising patients' quality of life. We intended to study the cardiac pathways one week (short-term, control 1 [CTRL1] and DOX1 groups) or five months (long-term, CTRL2 and DOX2 groups) after DOX administration in adult male CD-1 mice. Control groups were given saline, and DOX groups received a 9.0 mg/Kg cumulative dose. In the short-term, DOX decreased the content of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) while the electron transfer flavoprotein-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (ETF-QO) increased compared to CTRL1, suggesting the upregulation of fatty acids oxidation. Moreover, mitofusin1 (Mfn1) content was decreased in DOX1, highlighting decreased mitochondrial fusion. In addition, increased B-cell lymphoma-2 associated X-protein (BAX) content in DOX1 pointed to the upregulation of apoptosis. Conversely, in the long-term, DOX decreased the citrate synthase (CS) activity and the content of Beclin1 and autophagy protein 5 (ATG5) compared to CTRL2, suggesting decreased mitochondrial density and autophagy. Our study demonstrates that molecular mechanisms elicited by DOX are modulated at different extents over time, supporting the differences on clinic cardiotoxic manifestations with time. Moreover, even five months after DOX administration, meaningful heart molecular changes occurred, reinforcing the need for the continuous cardiac monitoring of patients and determination of earlier biomarkers before clinical cardiotoxicity is set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the effects of sunflower meal (SFM) inclusion on the performance, nutrient digestibility, and respirometric parameters in sheep. Twenty-four Dorper × Santa Inês uncastrated males, with an average age of 5 mo and initial body weight (BW) of 27.91±6.0 kg, were distributed in a randomized block design with four treatment diets containing 0, 100, 200, and 300 g of SFM/kg of total dry matter, replacing soybean meal. Intake, weight gain, ingestive behavior, and in vitro digestibility were evaluated according to the SFM inclusion. The respirometric parameters were evaluated in an open-circuit respirometric chamber. There was a quadratic response in dry matter intake expressed according to the SFM inclusion, with minimum points of 90.56 g/kg 0.75 BW for inclusion levels of 96 g of SFM/kg. A linear decrease in the in vivo digestibility of dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, and non-fibrous carbohydrate and in vitro fermentation of dry matter and fibrous carbohydrates was observed in response to SFM inclusion. These results reflect the higher fiber content of the byproduct, which reduced the non-fibrous carbohydrates in the diets. Despite the change in nutrient availability, average daily gain (299 g/day), O 2 consumption (26.24 L/kg 0.75 BW), and CH 4 production (2.25 L/kg 0.75 BW) were not influenced by the SFM inclusion, indicating that changes in the nutritional value of the diet did not affect the animals’ energetic metabolism. Sunflower meal inclusion decreased the digestibility but did not affect the animal gain and the respirometric parameters. The SFM can replace soybean meal in the diet of growing lambs; however, it has a maximum inclusion point of 88 g SFM/kg for feed conversion, which is a necessary factor for evaluating the replacement cost.

Summary: Background: Asthenozoospermia is the primary cause of male infertility; however, its genetic aetiology remains poorly understood. Adenylate kinase 9 (AK9) is highly expressed in the testes of humans and mice and encodes a type of adenosine kinase that is functionally involved in cellular nucleotide homeostasis and energy metabolism. We aimed to assess whether AK9 is involved in asthenozoospermia. Methods: One-hundred-and-sixty-five Chinese men with idiopathic asthenozoospermia were recruited. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing were performed for genetic analyses. Papanicolaou staining, Haematoxylin and eosin staining, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to observe the sperm morphology and structure. Ak9-knockout mice were generated using CRISPR-Cas9. Sperm adenosine was detected by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Targeted sperm metabolomics was performed. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was used to treat patients. Findings: We identified five patients harbouring bi-allelic AK9 mutations. Spermatozoa from men harbouring bi-allelic AK9 mutations have a decreased ability to sustain nucleotide homeostasis. Moreover, bi-allelic AK9 mutations inhibit glycolysis in sperm. Ak9-knockout male mice also presented similar phenotypes of asthenozoospermia. Interestingly, ICSI was effective in bi-allelic AK9 mutant patients in achieving good pregnancy outcomes. Interpretation: Defects in AK9 induce asthenozoospermia with defects in nucleotide homeostasis and energy metabolism. This sterile phenotype could be rescued by ICSI. Funding: The National Natural Science Foundation of China (82071697), Medical Innovation Project of Fujian Province (2020-CXB-051), open project of the NHC Key Laboratory of Male Reproduction and Genetics in Guangzhou (KF202004), Medical Research Foundation of Guangdong Province (A2021269), Guangdong Provincial Reproductive Science Institute Innovation Team grants (C-03), and Outstanding Young Talents Program of Capital Medical University (B2205).

The activation of the microglia plays an important role in the neuroinflammation induced by different stimulations associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Different stimulations, such as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and cytokines, trigger a consequence of activation in the microglia with diverse changes of the microglial cell type response in AD. The activation of the microglia is often accompanied by metabolic changes in response to PAMPs, DAMPs and cytokines in AD. Actually, we do not know the distinct differences on the energetic metabolism of microglia when subject to these stimuli. This research assessed the changes of the cell type response and energetic metabolism in mouse-derived immortalized cells (BV-2 cells) induced by a PAMP (LPS), DAMPs (Aβ and ATP) and a cytokine (IL-4) in mouse-derived immortalized cells (BV-2 cells) and whether the microglial cell type response was improved by targeting the metabolism. We uncovered that LPS, a proinflammatory stimulation of PAMPs, modified the morphology from irregular to fusiform, with stronger cell viability, fusion rates and phagocytosis in the microglia accompanied by a metabolic shift to the promotion of glycolysis and the inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Aβ and ATP, which are two known kinds of DAMPs that trigger microglial sterile activation, induced the morphology from irregular to amoebic, and significantly decreased others in the microglia, accompanied by boosting or reducing both glycolysis and OXPHOS. Monotonous pathological changes and energetic metabolism of microglia were observed under IL-4 exposure. Further, the inhibition of glycolysis transformed the LPS-induced proinflammatory morphology and decreased the enhancement of LPS-induced cell viability, the fusion rate and phagocytosis. However, the promotion of glycolysis exerted a minimal effect on the changes of morphology, the fusion rate, cell viability and phagocytosis induced by ATP. Our study reveals that microglia induced diverse pathological changes accompanied by various changes in the energetic metabolism in response to PAMPs, DAMPs and cytokines, and it may be a potential application of targeting the cellular metabolism to interfere with the microglia-mediated pathological changes in AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise is now recognized as a new form of pollution in marine coastal habitats. The development of marine renewable energies has introduced new sonorous perturbations, as the wind farm installation requires pile driving and drilling operations producing low frequency sounds at high sound pressure levels. Exponential expansion of offshore wind farms is occurring worldwide, making impact studies, particularly on benthic species highly abundant and diverse in the coastal area used for wind farming, a necessity. As larval recruitment is the basis for establishing a population, we conducted an experimental study to assess the interactive effects of pile driving or drilling sounds and larval rearing temperature on the endobenthic bivalve Venus verrucosa. In ectothermic animals, temperature modifies the organism’s physiology, resulting in performance variability. We hypothesize that temperature modulation could change larval responses to noise and explore the potential interacting effects of temperature and noise. Using two distinct rearing temperatures, physiologically different batches of larvae were produced with contrasting fatty acid content and composition in the neutral and polar lipid fractions. Without defining any absolute audition threshold for the larvae, we demonstrate that the effects of temperature and noise were ontogenic-dependent and modulated larval performance at the peri-metamorphic stage, acting on the metamorphosis dynamic. At the pediveligers stage, a strong interaction between both factors indicated that the response to noise was highly related to the physiological condition of the larvae. Finally, we suggest that underwater noise reduces the compensatory mechanisms established to balance the temperature increase.

Metabolomics is a powerful data-driven tool for in-depth biological phenotyping that could help identify the specific metabolic profile of cryptogenic strokes, for which no precise cause has been identified. We performed a targeted quantitative metabolomics study in West African patients who had recently suffered an ischemic stroke, which was either cryptogenic (n = 40) or had a clearly identified cause (n = 39), compared to a healthy control group (n = 40). Four hundred fifty-six metabolites were accurately measured. Multivariate analyses failed to reveal any metabolic profile discriminating between cryptogenic ischemic strokes and those with an identified cause but did show superimposable metabolic profiles in both groups, which were clearly distinct from those of healthy controls. The blood concentrations of 234 metabolites were significantly affected in stroke patients compared to controls after the Benjamini–Hochberg correction. Increased methionine sulfoxide and homocysteine concentrations, as well as an overall increase in saturation of fatty acids, were indicative of acute oxidative stress. This signature also showed alterations in energetic metabolism, cell membrane integrity, monocarbon metabolism, and neurotransmission, with reduced concentrations of several metabolites known to be neuroprotective. Overall, our results show that cryptogenic strokes are not pathophysiologically distinct from ischemic strokes of established origin, and that stroke leads to intense metabolic remodeling with marked oxidative and energetic stresses.

Identification of new modifications and the association with diet patterns are essential for the prevention of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To address this problem, we feed rats with high caloric diets based on high sucrose (HSD) and high fat (HFD) and analysed metabolic and mitochondrial alterations. Both diets induce moderated obesity and fat accumulation in the liver after 8, 10 and 12 months of diet. The HSD induces both hyperleptinemia and hyperinsulinemia, as well as up-regulation of transcription factors SRBEP1 and PPARγ along slight increase nitrosylation of proteins and increased mitochondrial fission. In contrast, HFD induced hyperleptinemia without changes in neither insulin levels nor oxidative stress, SREBP1, PPARγ, or mitochondrial dynamics. In conclusion, chronic consumption of high sucrose content diets induces more pathological and metabolic alteration in liver in comparison with consumption of high-fat content diets, although both induces obesity and liver steatosis in these animal models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Similar to the seeds of higher plants, resting cysts, a non-motile, benthic, and dormant stage in the life history of many dinoflagellate species, play vital roles via germination in the seasonal dynamics and particularly the initiation of harmful algal blooms (HABs) of dinoflagellates. It is thus crucial for resting cysts to balance between the energetic catabolism for viability maintenance and the energy preservation for germination during their dormancy. Despite this importance, studies on how resting cysts of dinoflagellates accomplish energetic metabolism in marine sediment have been virtually absent. In this study, using the cosmopolitan HABs-causing species Scrippsiella acuminata as a representative, we measured the transcriptional activity of the most efficient pathway of the energy catabolism tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, cell viability (via neutral red staining), and the cellular ATP content of resting cysts under a set of mock conditions in marine sediments (e.g., 4 °C, darkness, and anoxia) for a maximum period of one year. Based on the correlation analyses among the expression levels of genes, cyst viability, and ATP content, we revealed that the TCA cycle was still a crucial pathway of energetic catabolism for resting cysts under aerobic conditions, and its expression was elevated at higher temperatures, light irradiation, and the early stage of dormancy. Under anaerobic conditions, however, the TCA cycle pathway ceased expression in resting cysts, as also supported by ATP measurements. Our results have laid a cornerstone for the comprehensive revelation of the energetic metabolism and biochemical processes of dormancy of resting cysts in marine sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease, which is characterized by the accumulation and aggregation of amyloid in brain. Neuronostatin (NST) is an endogenous peptide hormone that participates in many fundamental neuronal processes. However, the metabolism and function of NST in neurons of AD mice are not known. In this study, by combining the structural analyses, primary cultures, knockout cells, and various assessments, the behavior, histopathology, brain-wide expression and cellular signaling pathways in the APP/PS1 mice were investigated. It was found that NST directly bound to GPR107, which was primarily expressed in neurons. NST modulated the neuronal survivability and neurite outgrowth induced by Aβ via GPR107 in neurons. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of NST attenuated learning and memory abilities, reduced the synaptic protein levels of hippocampus, but improved amyloid plaques in the cortex and hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice. NST modulated glucose metabolism of hypothalamus-hippocampus-cortex axis in APP/PS1 mice and decreased ATP levels via the regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in response to Aβ, suppressed energetic metabolism, and mitochondrial function in neurons via GPR107/protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway. In summary, our findings suggest that NST regulates neuronal function and brain energetic metabolism in AD mice via the GPR107/PKA signaling pathway, which can be a promising target for the treatment of AD. • Neuronostatin directly binds to a pocket of GPR107 via a network of hydrogen bonds. • Neuronostatin impairs learning and memory abilities in APP/PS1 mice. • Neuronostatin improves the synaptic loss and plaques by GPR107/PKA signaling. • Neuronostatin regulates brain glucose metabolism through GPR107 in APP/PS1 mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin (DOX) may manifest at the beginning/during treatment or years after, compromising patients’ quality of life. We intended to study the cardiac pathways one week (short-term, control 1 [CTRL1] and DOX1 groups) or five months (long-term, CTRL2 and DOX2 groups) after DOX administration in adult male CD-1 mice. Control groups were given saline, and DOX groups received a 9.0 mg/Kg cumulative dose. In the short-term, DOX decreased the content of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) while the electron transfer flavoprotein-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (ETF-QO) increased compared to CTRL1, suggesting the upregulation of fatty acids oxidation. Moreover, mitofusin1 (Mfn1) content was decreased in DOX1, highlighting decreased mitochondrial fusion. In addition, increased B-cell lymphoma-2 associated X-protein (BAX) content in DOX1 pointed to the upregulation of apoptosis. Conversely, in the long-term, DOX decreased the citrate synthase (CS) activity and the content of Beclin1 and autophagy protein 5 (ATG5) compared to CTRL2, suggesting decreased mitochondrial density and autophagy. Our study demonstrates that molecular mechanisms elicited by DOX are modulated at different extents over time, supporting the differences on clinic cardiotoxic manifestations with time. Moreover, even five months after DOX administration, meaningful heart molecular changes occurred, reinforcing the need for the continuous cardiac monitoring of patients and determination of earlier biomarkers before clinical cardiotoxicity is set.

BackgroundOsteocalcin plays a role in glucose metabolism in mice, but its relevance in human energetic metabolism is controversial. Its relationship with markers of energetic metabolism in the pediatric population has not been systematically addressed in infants and adolescents.ObjectiveThis study aims to assess the mean differences between tOC, ucOC, and cOC among healthy children and children with type 1 or type 2 diabetes (T1D or T2D) and the correlation of these bone molecules with metabolic markers.MethodsA systematic review and metanalysis were performed following PRISMA criteria to identify relevant observational studies published in English and Spanish using PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, and Web of Science databases. The risk of bias was assessed using New Castle–Ottawa scale. Effect size measures comprised standardized mean difference (SMD) and Pearson correlations. Heterogeneity and meta-regressions were performed.ResultsThe 20 studies included were of high quality and comprised 3,000 pediatric patients who underwent tOC, cOC, or ucOC measurements. Among healthy subjects, there was a positive correlation of ucOC with WC and weight, a positive correlation of tOC with FPG, HDL-c, WC, height, and weight, and a negative correlation between tOC and HbA1c. Among diabetic subjects, a negative correlation of ucOC with HbA1c and glycemia in both T1D and T2D was found and a negative correlation between tOC and HbA1c in T1D but not in T2D. The ucOC concentrations were lower in T2D, T1D, and patients with abnormal glucose status than among controls. The serum concentrations of tOC concentrations were lower among T1D than in controls. The patient's age, altitude, and HbA1c influenced the levels of serum tOC.ConclusionOsteocalcin is involved in energy metabolism in pediatric subjects because it is consistently related to metabolic and anthropometric parameters.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42019138283.

Simple Summary: The aim of this study is to evaluate the age and post-prandial variations in selected metabolites' concentration during the preweaning period, which may indicate a shift in metabolism, from pre-ruminant to a functional ruminant, according to the liquid diet (whole milk or milk replacer) fed to dairy calves. An additional goal was to evaluate fructosamine concentrations as a replacement for glucose to better understand the glycemic status and possible use of it as a biomarker of rumen development. Plasma glucose concentration did not differ between the liquid diets. The sampling time to study the glycemic status varies with the liquid diet. The best collection time is 1 and 4 hours after being fed whole milk or milk replacer, respectively. Fructosamine was not informative for an indirect evaluation of ruminal development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the age and post-prandial variations in selected metabolite concentration that may indicate a shift in metabolism, from pre- to functional ruminant, according to the liquid diet fed to dairy calves. Sixteen newborn Holstein calves were included in the study in a randomized complete block experimental design. The calves were individually housed and fed 6 L/d with whole milk (WM) or milk replacer (MR). Blood samples were collected weekly at 0 h (before feeding), 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, and 8 h after morning feeding to evaluate glucose, β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), fructosamine, total protein, and albumin. Calves fed WM had higher performance (p < 0.01) than did calves fed MR. The different liquid diets did not affect the average concentrations of plasma glucose. However, BHB was higher for WM-fed calves (p < 0.01). The concentration of plasma glucose reached the highest concentration at 1 and 4 hours after feeding WM or MR, respectively. Thus, these would be the most appropriate sampling times to study the glycemic status of calves according to the liquid diet fed. Fructosamine did not prove to be an informative metabolite to understand the shift in metabolism, as a function of rumen development, due to a small reduction as a function of age and a sampling time effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microcystins (MC) are hepatotoxic for organisms. Liver MC accumulation and structural change are intensely studied, but the functional hepatic enzymes and energy metabolism have received little attention. This study investigated the liver and hepatocyte structures and the activity of key hepatic functional enzymes with emphasis on energetic metabolism changes after subchronic fish exposure to cyanobacterial crude extract (CE) containing MC. The Neotropical erythrinid fish, Hoplias malabaricus, were exposed intraperitoneally to CE containing 100 μg MC‐LR eq kg−1 for 30 days and, thereafter, the plasma, liver, and white muscle was sampled for analyses. Liver tissue lost cellular structure organization showing round hepatocytes, hyperemia, and biliary duct obstruction. At the ultrastructural level, the mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum exhibited disorganization. Direct and total bilirubin increased in plasma. In the liver, the activity of acid phosphatase (ACP) increased, and the aspartate aminotransferase (AST) decreased; AST increased in plasma. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were unchanged in the liver, muscle, and plasma. Glycogen stores and the energetic metabolites as glucose, lactate, and pyruvate decrease in the liver; pyruvate decreased in plasma and lactate decreased in muscle. Ammonia levels increased and protein concentration decreased in plasma. CE alters liver morphology by causing hepatocyte intracellular disorder, obstructive cholestasis, and dysfunction in the activity of key liver enzymes. The increasing energy demand implies glucose mobilization and metabolic adjustments maintaining protein preservation and lipid recruitment to supply the needs for detoxification allowing fish survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA fragmentation factor 40 (DFF40), or the caspase-activated DNase (CAD), is an endonuclease specific for double-stranded DNA. Alterations in its function and expression have been linked to apoptosis resistance, a mechanism likely used by cancer cells. However, how the DFF40-related apoptosis resistance pathway occurs remains unclear. Here, we sought to determine if DFF40 expression could be linked to cell metabolism through the regulation of mitochondrial integrity and function. We demonstrated that DFF40-deficient cells are more resistant to staurosporine and tributyltin (TBT)-induced apoptosis, and express higher levels of Mcl-1 at basal state. Treatment with TBT induces higher Bcl-2 and caspase-9 mRNA transcripts in DFF40 KO Jurkat cells, as well as enhanced Bcl-2 phosphorylation. A loss of DFF40 expression induces a higher mitochondrial mass, mtDNA copy number, mitochondrial membrane potential, and glycolysis rates in resting T cells. DFF40-deficient cells exhibit the Warburg effect phenotype, where they rely significantly more on glycolysis than oxidative phosphorylation and have a higher proliferative state, demonstrated by a higher Ki-67 transcription factor expression and AKT phosphorylation. Finally, we demonstrated with cell fractioning that DFF40 can translocate to the mitochondria following apoptosis induction. Our study reveals that DFF40 may act as a regulator of mitochondria during cell death and its loss could compromise mitochondrial integrity and cause an energetic reprogramming in pathologies such as cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activation of the microglia plays an important role in the neuroinflammation induced by different stimulations associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Different stimulations, such as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and cytokines, trigger a consequence of activation in the microglia with diverse changes of the microglial cell type response in AD. The activation of the microglia is often accompanied by metabolic changes in response to PAMPs, DAMPs and cytokines in AD. Actually, we do not know the distinct differences on the energetic metabolism of microglia when subject to these stimuli. This research assessed the changes of the cell type response and energetic metabolism in mouse-derived immortalized cells (BV-2 cells) induced by a PAMP (LPS), DAMPs (Aβ and ATP) and a cytokine (IL-4) in mouse-derived immortalized cells (BV-2 cells) and whether the microglial cell type response was improved by targeting the metabolism. We uncovered that LPS, a proinflammatory stimulation of PAMPs, modified the morphology from irregular to fusiform, with stronger cell viability, fusion rates and phagocytosis in the microglia accompanied by a metabolic shift to the promotion of glycolysis and the inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Aβ and ATP, which are two known kinds of DAMPs that trigger microglial sterile activation, induced the morphology from irregular to amoebic, and significantly decreased others in the microglia, accompanied by boosting or reducing both glycolysis and OXPHOS. Monotonous pathological changes and energetic metabolism of microglia were observed under IL-4 exposure. Further, the inhibition of glycolysis transformed the LPS-induced proinflammatory morphology and decreased the enhancement of LPS-induced cell viability, the fusion rate and phagocytosis. However, the promotion of glycolysis exerted a minimal effect on the changes of morphology, the fusion rate, cell viability and phagocytosis induced by ATP. Our study reveals that microglia induced diverse pathological changes accompanied by various changes in the energetic metabolism in response to PAMPs, DAMPs and cytokines, and it may be a potential application of targeting the cellular metabolism to interfere with the microglia-mediated pathological changes in AD.

The use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) worldwide has increased exponentially over the last two decades increasing the environmental risk to marine and coastal habitats. The present study investigated the effects of GBHs at environmentally relevant concentrations (0, 10, 50, 100, 250, and 500 μg·L−1) on the physiology and biochemistry (photosynthesis, pigment, and lipid composition, antioxidative systems and energy balance) of Ulva lactuca, a cosmopolitan marine macroalgae species. Although GBHs cause deleterious effects such as the inhibition of photosynthetic activity, particularly at 250 μg·L−1, due to the impairment of the electron transport in the chloroplasts, these changes are almost completely reverted at the highest concentration (500 μg·L−1). This could be related to the induction of tolerance mechanisms at a certain threshold or tipping point. While no changes occurred in the energy balance, an increase in the pigment antheraxanthin is observed jointly with an increase in ascorbate peroxidase activity. These mechanisms might have contributed to protecting thylakoids against excess radiation and the increase in reactive oxygen species, associated with stress conditions, as no increase in lipid peroxidation products was observed. Furthermore, changes in the fatty acids profile, usually attributed to the induction of plant stress response mechanisms, demonstrated the high resilience of this macroalgae. Notably, the application of bio-optical tools in ecotoxicology, such as pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), allowed separation of the control samples and those treated by GBHs in different concentrations with a high degree of accuracy, with PAM more accurate in identifying the different treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Deep-water habitats are the largest ecosystem on the planet: over half of the Earth's surface is covered with a water layer deeper than 200 m and remains poorly explored. Lake Baikal is the only freshwater body inhabited by animals adapted to the deep-water zone independently from their marine counterparts. Comparing these convergently evolved freshwater and marine animals is invaluable for revealing the basic mechanisms of adaptation to high hydrostatic pressure. However, laboratory experiments on deep-water organisms still usually require lifting them to the water's surface and exposing them to potentially hazardous decompression, while endemics from Lake Baikal are poorly studied in this regard. Here, we compared metabolic reactions to such pressure decreases in two Baikal deep-water amphipods (shrimp-like crustaceans) from the genus Ommatogammarus: one species is known to tolerate pressures close to atmospheric levels, while the second was only observed at the pressures from 5 atm and above. We expected that the energy metabolism of the shallower-dwelling species would function better under the atmospheric pressure but found no substantial differences. Thus, despite some difference in long-term survival at atmospheric pressure, both species are suitable for laboratory studies as freshwater model objects adapted to large pressure variations. Lake Baikal is the only freshwater reservoir inhabited by deep-water fauna, which originated mostly from shallow-water ancestors. Ommatogammarus flavus and O. albinus are endemic scavenger amphipods (Amphipoda, Crustacea) dwelling in wide depth ranges of the lake covering over 1300 m. O. flavus had been previously collected close to the surface, while O. albinus has never been found above the depth of 47 m. Since O. albinus is a promising model species for various research, here we tested whether O. albinus is less metabolically adapted to atmospheric pressure than O. flavus. We analyzed a number of energy-related traits (contents of glucose, glycogen and adenylates, as well as lactate dehydrogenase activity) and oxidative stress markers (activities of antioxidant enzymes and levels of lipid peroxidation products) after sampling from different depths and after both species' acclimation to atmospheric pressure. The analyses were repeated in two independent sampling campaigns. We found no consistent signs of metabolic disturbances or oxidative stress in both species right after lifting. Despite O. flavus surviving slightly better in laboratory conditions, during long-term acclimation, both species showed comparable reactions without critical changes. Thus, the obtained data favor using O. albinus along with O. flavus for physiological research under laboratory conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of the upper and lower motor neurons (MNs). About 10% of patients have a family history (familial, fALS); however, most patients seem to develop the sporadic form of the disease (sALS). SOD1 (Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase-1) is the first studied gene among the ones related to ALS. Mutant SOD1 can adopt multiple misfolded conformation, lose the correct coordination of metal binding, decrease structural stability, and form aggregates. For all these reasons, it is complicated to characterize the conformational alterations of the ALS-associated mutant SOD1, and how they relate to toxicity. In this work, we performed a multilayered study on fibroblasts derived from two ALS patients, namely SOD1L145F and SOD1S135N, carrying the p.L145F and the p.S135N missense variants, respectively. The patients showed diverse symptoms and disease progression in accordance with our bioinformatic analysis, which predicted the different effects of the two mutations in terms of protein structure. Interestingly, both mutations had an effect on the fibroblast energy metabolisms. However, while the SOD1L145F fibroblasts still relied more on oxidative phosphorylation, the SOD1S135N fibroblasts showed a metabolic shift toward glycolysis. Our study suggests that SOD1 mutations might lead to alterations in the energy metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Similar to the seeds of higher plants, resting cysts, a non-motile, benthic, and dormant stage in the life history of many dinoflagellate species, play vital roles via germination in the seasonal dynamics and particularly the initiation of harmful algal blooms (HABs) of dinoflagellates. It is thus crucial for resting cysts to balance between the energetic catabolism for viability maintenance and the energy preservation for germination during their dormancy. Despite this importance, studies on how resting cysts of dinoflagellates accomplish energetic metabolism in marine sediment have been virtually absent. In this study, using the cosmopolitan HABs-causing species Scrippsiella acuminata as a representative, we measured the transcriptional activity of the most efficient pathway of the energy catabolism tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, cell viability (via neutral red staining), and the cellular ATP content of resting cysts under a set of mock conditions in marine sediments (e.g., 4 °C, darkness, and anoxia) for a maximum period of one year. Based on the correlation analyses among the expression levels of genes, cyst viability, and ATP content, we revealed that the TCA cycle was still a crucial pathway of energetic catabolism for resting cysts under aerobic conditions, and its expression was elevated at higher temperatures, light irradiation, and the early stage of dormancy. Under anaerobic conditions, however, the TCA cycle pathway ceased expression in resting cysts, as also supported by ATP measurements. Our results have laid a cornerstone for the comprehensive revelation of the energetic metabolism and biochemical processes of dormancy of resting cysts in marine sediments.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the age and post-prandial variations in selected metabolite concentration that may indicate a shift in metabolism, from pre- to functional ruminant, according to the liquid diet fed to dairy calves. Sixteen newborn Holstein calves were included in the study in a randomized complete block experimental design. The calves were individually housed and fed 6 L/d with whole milk (WM) or milk replacer (MR). Blood samples were collected weekly at 0 h (before feeding), 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, and 8 h after morning feeding to evaluate glucose, β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), fructosamine, total protein, and albumin. Calves fed WM had higher performance (p < 0.01) than did calves fed MR. The different liquid diets did not affect the average concentrations of plasma glucose. However, BHB was higher for WM-fed calves (p < 0.01). The concentration of plasma glucose reached the highest concentration at 1 and 4 hours after feeding WM or MR, respectively. Thus, these would be the most appropriate sampling times to study the glycemic status of calves according to the liquid diet fed. Fructosamine did not prove to be an informative metabolite to understand the shift in metabolism, as a function of rumen development, due to a small reduction as a function of age and a sampling time effect.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the biochemical responses of the skeletal muscle and cardiac tissues of the urban pigeon as a bioindicator organism tested in diverse environments (Szpęgawa as a rural environment and Słupsk as an urban environment, Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland), resulting in changes in the level of lipid peroxidation at the initial and final stages of this process and the activities of Krebs cycle enzymes (succinate dehydrogenase, pyruvate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, and alfa-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase). Szpęgawa village was chosen due to the intensive use of the European motorway A1 with significant traffic and pollution levels. The concentration of Pb was higher in the soil and feathers of pigeons nesting in the polluted areas (Szpęgawa). Our studies have shown that the presence of lead in soil and feathers of the pigeons resulted in the activation of lipid peroxidation, destabilization and increased activity of lysosomal membranes, and activation of mitochondrial enzymes of the Krebs cycle with energy deficiency (reduction of ATP levels) in cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) worldwide has increased exponentially over the last two decades increasing the environmental risk to marine and coastal habitats. The present study investigated the effects of GBHs at environmentally relevant concentrations (0, 10, 50, 100, 250, and 500 μg·L−1) on the physiology and biochemistry (photosynthesis, pigment, and lipid composition, antioxidative systems and energy balance) of Ulva lactuca, a cosmopolitan marine macroalgae species. Although GBHs cause deleterious effects such as the inhibition of photosynthetic activity, particularly at 250 μg·L−1, due to the impairment of the electron transport in the chloroplasts, these changes are almost completely reverted at the highest concentration (500 μg·L−1). This could be related to the induction of tolerance mechanisms at a certain threshold or tipping point. While no changes occurred in the energy balance, an increase in the pigment antheraxanthin is observed jointly with an increase in ascorbate peroxidase activity. These mechanisms might have contributed to protecting thylakoids against excess radiation and the increase in reactive oxygen species, associated with stress conditions, as no increase in lipid peroxidation products was observed. Furthermore, changes in the fatty acids profile, usually attributed to the induction of plant stress response mechanisms, demonstrated the high resilience of this macroalgae. Notably, the application of bio-optical tools in ecotoxicology, such as pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), allowed separation of the control samples and those treated by GBHs in different concentrations with a high degree of accuracy, with PAM more accurate in identifying the different treatments.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a crucial contributor to heart diseases. Alterations in energetic metabolism affect crucial homeostatic processes, such asATP production, the generation of reactive oxygen species, and the release of pro-apoptotic factors, associated with metabolic abnormalities. In response to energetic deficiency, the cardiomyocytes activate the Mitochondrial Quality Control (MQC), a critical process in maintaining mitochondrial health. This process is compromised in cardiovascular diseases depending on the pathology’s severity and represents, therefore, a potential therapeutic target. Several potential targeting molecules within this process have been identified in the last years, and therapeutic strategies have been proposed to ameliorate mitochondria monitoring and function. In this context, physical exercise is considered a non-pharmacological strategy to protect mitochondrial health. Physical exercise regulates MQC allowing the repair/elimination of damaged mitochondria and synthesizing new ones, thus recovering the metabolic state. In this review, we will deal with the effect of physical exercise on cardiac mitochondrial function tracing its ability to modulate specific steps in MQC both in physiologic and pathologic conditions.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a crucial contributor to heart diseases. Alterations in energetic metabolism affect crucial homeostatic processes, such asATP production, the generation of reactive oxygen species, and the release of pro-apoptotic factors, associated with metabolic abnormalities. In response to energetic deficiency, the cardiomyocytes activate the Mitochondrial Quality Control (MQC), a critical process in maintaining mitochondrial health. This process is compromised in cardiovascular diseases depending on the pathology's severity and represents, therefore, a potential therapeutic target. Several potential targeting molecules within this process have been identified in the last years, and therapeutic strategies have been proposed to ameliorate mitochondria monitoring and function. In this context, physical exercise is considered a non-pharmacological strategy to protect mitochondrial health. Physical exercise regulates MQC allowing the repair/elimination of damaged mitochondria and synthesizing new ones, thus recovering the metabolic state. In this review, we will deal with the effect of physical exercise on cardiac mitochondrial function tracing its ability to modulate specific steps in MQC both in physiologic and pathologic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress (HS) in dairy cows can be classified into short-term heat stress (STHS) and long-term heat stress (LTHS) according to the number of consecutive days in HS. The comparative study of these 2 types of HS is limited in terms of their effects on the production and energy metabolism of cows. In this study, 4 lactating Holstein cows (102.5 ± 12 days in milk, 605 ± 22 kg of body weight, second parity) fitted with rumen fistulae were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups in a 2 × 2 crossover design and allocated to 1 of 2 climate-controlled chambers. This study contained 2 periods, each with a control phase and a HS phase. There was a recovery phase between 2 periods. The HS phase comprised either STHS (3 d) or LTHS (7 d) treatments. Data collected from the 3 d of STHS and the last 3 d of LTHS were compared. The chambers were set at thermal neutral conditions (20°C, 50% humidity) during the control and recovery phases or cyclical HS conditions (26–38°C, 50% humidity) during the HS phase. Compared with STHS, LTHS decreased milk yield by 17.2% and dry matter intake by 12.6%, indicating that LTHS caused a more severe decline in milk production and feed intake. In addition, LTHS decreased milk protein concentration by 6.8% and milk protein yield by 22.4%. In comparison with STHS, LTHS decreased rumen liquor volatile fatty acid (29.7%), blood glucose (11.6%), and nonesterified fatty acid (13.6%) concentrations, but increased milk urea nitrogen by 15.1%, blood urea nitrogen by 8.6%, and creatine concentrations by 15.4%. Our results suggest that although reduced feed intake may be mainly responsible for reduced milk production during STHS, impaired rumen metabolism and suppressed mobilization of adipose tissue could be the main reasons for further reduction in milk yield during LTHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Obesity is a metabolic disease which has now reached epidemic proportions, becoming a major health, social, and economic problem worldwide. Untreated obesity is associated with decreased quality of life and is a significant risk factor for the development of other serious health problems, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. For this reason, new approaches to prevent excess body mass and to support its reduction if necessary are being examined. Catechins extracted from green tea – especially epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) – are one of the most widely investigated biologically active substances. In addition to the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic properties of the catechins, they also exhibit a role in maintaining normal fat mass and body mass. There are numerous research studies showing that regular green tea consumption is associated with lower body mass, BMI, and waist circumference. In vitro and animal experiments confirm beneficial effects of catechins on the energetic metabolism. These compounds lower lipid and carbohydrates absorption in the intestine. Additionally, they affect energetic metabolism, lowering the rate of lipogenesis and adipogenesis, while stimulating lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation, and increasing energy expenditure. Moreover, it has been established that green tea catechins have an effect on the glucose uptake in the insulin-dependent manner – by GLUT4. The aim of the following paper was to review and summarize the literature data concerning the role of green tea catechins in the prevention and treatment of obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sperm capacitation is broadly defined as a suite of biochemical and biophysical changes resulting from the acquisition of fertilization ability. To gain insights into the regulation mechanism of crustacean sperm capacitation, 4D label-free quantitative proteomics was first applied to analyze the changes of sperm in Eriocheir sinensis under three sequential physiological conditions: seminal vesicles (X2), hatched with the seminal receptacle content (X3), and incubated with egg water (X5). In total, 1536 proteins were identified, among which 880 proteins were quantified, with 82 and 224 proteins significantly altered after incubation with the seminal receptacle contents and egg water. Most differentially expressed proteins were attributed to biological processes by Gene Ontology annotation analysis. As the fundamental bioenergetic metabolism of sperm, the oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis, and the pentose phosphate pathway presented significant changes under the treatment of seminal receptacle contents, indicating intensive regulation for sperm in the seminal receptacle. Additionally, the seminal receptacle contents also significantly increased the oxidation level of sperm, whereas the enhancement of abundance in superoxide dismutase, peroxiredoxin 1, and glutathione S-transferase after incubation with egg water significantly improved the resistance against oxidation. These results provided a new perspective for reproduction studies in crustaceans.

The effect of He–Ne laser irradiation on fishery parameters as well as on biochemical state, including the lipids and fatty acids, the activity of energy metabolism enzymes and the proteome in the blastula stage and in underyearlings of wild Atlantic salmon after irradiation at the cleavage stage/early blastula (considered as the stages when the cell has a high potential for differentiation) was studied. Low mortality rates of eggs were determined during embryogenesis, as well as increased weight gain and lower morality rates of underyearlings in the experimental group. This is confirmed by changes in a number of interrelated indicators of lipid metabolism: a decrease in total lipids content, including diacylglycerols, triacylglycerols, cholesterol esters, and the phospholipids content remained unchanged. The embryos in the blastula stage (experimental group) had higher aerobic capacity and an increase in pentose phosphate pathway activity. The proteome profiles of eggs in the blastula stage were 131 proteins, of which 48 were significantly identified. The major protein was found to be phosvitin. The proteomes of underyearlings were represented by 2018 proteins, of which 49 were unique for the control and 39 for the experimental group. He–Ne laser irradiation had a strong effect on the contents of histone proteins.

The effects of ground pistachio kernel extracts have been evaluated on cellular viability, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cell death in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Results showed a significant decrease in cell viability in a dose and time dependent manner. 48 h-treatments with different concentrations of the extracts induced intracellular ROS generation and showed that cell death was in an apoptosis-independent manner. It was also found that 48 h-treatments led to a dose dependent reduction in both extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) and oxygen consumption rate (OCR) with respect to untreated cells. Therefore, a considerable alteration of cell bioenergetics would occur as consequence of such treatments. Combination of oxidative stress and bioenergetic alterations could be responsible, at least in part, of the cell death observed in the present model. In conclusion, pistachio kernel extract showed promising beneficial effects that could be exploited as a “natural adjuvant” in combination with chemotherapy treatment.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of peripartum period and lactation class on serum β-hydroxybutyrate, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), insulin and glucose concentration in dairy cows. Thirty-five multiparous Holstein cows were selected from a high-producing dairy farm. The animals were divided according to their lactation class: second lactation group (L2, n = 16), third lactation group (L3, n = 10) and fourth lactation group (L4, n = 9). Blood sampling were performed 7 ± 5 days before calving (Pre/C) and 7 ± 5 days after calving (Post/C). Two-way analysis of variance was applied to determine significant effects of lactation class (L2, L3 and L4) and period (Pre/C and Post/C) on studied parameters. Increased NEFA values and lower insulin levels were found in Post/C respect to Pre/C in L2 and L4. These changes highlight the difficulty of dairy cows to cope with the energy demand characterizing the transition period. Improving in knowledge of energetic metabolism changes may help to supply a new strategy of farm management and reproductive performance in dairy cows during the transition period.

Featured Application: Application of non-invasive bio-optical techniques to evaluate the ecotoxicity of glyphosate-based pesticide in marine diatoms with confirmation by classical biochemical tools. Glyphosate is the main active component of the commercial formulation Roundup®, the most widely used chemical herbicide worldwide. However, its potential high toxicity to the environment and throughout trophic webs has come under increasing scrutiny. The present study aims to investigate the application of bio-optical techniques and their correlation to physiological and biochemical processes, including primary productivity, oxidative stress, energy balance, and alterations in pigment and lipid composition in Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a representative species of marine diatoms, using the case study of its response to the herbicide glyphosate-based Roundup® formulation, at environmentally relevant concentrations. Cultures were exposed to the herbicide formulation representing effective glyphosate concentrations of 0, 10, 50, 100, 250, and 500 μg L−1. Results showed that high concentrations decreased cell density; furthermore, the inhibition of photosynthetic activity was not only caused by the impairment of electron transport in the thylakoids, but also by a decrease of antioxidant capacity and increased lipid peroxidation. Nevertheless, concentrations of one of the plastidial marker fatty acids had a positive correlation with the highest concentration as well as an increase in total protein. Cell energy allocation also increased with concentration, relative to control and the lowest concentration, although culture growth was inhibited. Pigment composition and fatty acid profiles proved to be efficient biomarkers for the highest glyphosate-based herbicide concentrations, while bio-optical data separated controls from intermediate concentrations and high concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P MRS) is currently not accepted as a diagnostic tool in the neuro-oncological practice, although it provides useful non-invasive information about biochemical processes ongoing in the intracranial tumours. This pilot study was aimed to present the diagnostic capability of the 31P MRS in brain tumour examination, even its application on clinical 1.5T MR scanner. Seven patients with brain tumorous lesions (four glioblastomas, one ependymoma, and two lung metastasis) underwent multivoxel in vivo 31P MRS performed on clinical 1.5 T MR scanner within measurement time of 20 minutes. Comparing two selected voxels, one in the tumour and the other one in the normal-appearing brain tissue, enabled to investigate their metabolic differences. Enhanced markers of membrane phospholipids synthesis (significantly increased phosphomonoesters ratios) than markers of their degradation (significantly decreased phosphodiesters ratios) manifested a higher cell proliferation ongoing in tumours. High energetic tumorous tissue demands leading to anaerobic metabolic turnover were present as a significant decline in phosphocreatine ratios and adenosine triphosphates. Intracellular pH evaluation showed a tumorous tendency to alkalize. 31P MRS enables the non-invasive metabolic characterization of intracranial tumours and thus appears to be a clinically useful method for the determination of ongoing tumour pathomechanisms (Fig. 2, Ref. 26). Text in PDF www.elis.sk [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acanthamoeba castellanii is a free-living amoeba and the etiological agent of granulomatous amoebic encephalitis and amoebic keratitis. A. castellanii can be present as trophozoites or cysts. The trophozoite is the vegetative form of the cell and has great infective capacity compared to the cysts, which are the dormant form that protect the cell from environmental changes. Phosphate transporters are a group of proteins that are able to internalize inorganic phosphate from the extracellular to intracellular medium. Plasma membrane phosphate transporters are responsible for maintaining phosphate homeostasis, and in some organisms, regulating cellular growth. The aim of this work was to biochemically characterize the plasma membrane phosphate transporter in A. castellanii and its role in cellular growth and metabolism. To measure inorganic phosphate (Pi) uptake, trophozoites were grown in liquid PYG medium at 28 °C for 2 days. The phosphate uptake was measured by the rapid filtration of intact cells incubated with 0.5 μCi of 32Pi for 1 h. The Pi transport was linear as a function of time and exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics with a Km = 88.78 ± 6.86 μM Pi and Vmax = 547.5 ± 16.9 Pi × h−1 × 10−6 cells. A. castellanii presented linear phosphate uptake up to 1 h with a cell density ranging from 1 × 105 to 2 × 106 amoeba × ml−1. The Pi uptake was higher in the acidic pH range than in the alkaline range. The oxygen consumption of living trophozoites increased according to Pi addition to the extracellular medium. When the cells were treated with FCCP, no effect from Pi on the oxygen flow was observed. The addition of increasing Pi concentrations not only increased oxygen consumption but also increased the intracellular ATP pool. These phenomena were abolished when the cells were treated with FCCP or exposed to hypoxia. Together, these results reinforce the hypothesis that Pi is a key nutrient for Acanthamoeba castellanii metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activity of the oxidative phosphorylation complexes rely on intimately associated subunits encoded by the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. Given the key role of this system in adenosine triphosphate production, genes from both genomes must coevolve. A combination of northern redbelly dace (Chrosomus eos) or finescale dace (C. neogaeus) mitochondrial genome with a C. eos nuclear genome allows for a close examination of a naturally occurring disruption of mitonuclear coevolution. We, therefore, investigated the combined effect of mitonuclear genotypes, acclimation, and temperature on the activity of enzymes linked with the energy metabolism in a sympatric population of wild type and cybrid. As expected, the activity of the nuclear‐encoded citrate synthase was only influenced by temperature while the cytochrome c oxidase (composed of nuclear and mitochondrial subunits from wild type and cybrid individuals) responded differently to temperature. This study provides clear evidence of the extent by which mitonuclear coadaptation could influence aerobic metabolism. Research Highlights: Interaction of mitochondrial DNA and temperature significantly affected the cytochrome c oxidase activity of thermally acclimated cybrids and wild types. This showed how disruption of mitonuclear coevolution influences aerobic metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During their life cycle, trypanosomatids are exposed to stress conditions and adapt their energy and antioxidant metabolism to colonize their hosts. Strigomonas culicis is a monoxenous protist found in invertebrates with an endosymbiotic bacterium that completes essential biosynthetic pathways for the trypanosomatid. Our research group previously generated a wild-type H 2 O 2 -resistant (WTR) strain that showed improved mitochondrial metabolism and antioxidant defenses, which led to higher rates of Aedes aegypti infection. Here, we assess the biological contribution of the S. culicis endosymbiont and reactive oxygen species (ROS) resistance to oxidative and energy metabolism processes. Using high-throughput proteomics, several proteins involved in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, the pentose phosphate pathway and glutathione metabolism were identified. The results suggest that ROS resistance decreases glucose consumption and indicate that the metabolic products from gluconeogenesis are key to supplying the protist with high-energy and reducing intermediates. Our hypothesis was confirmed by biochemical assays showing opposite profiles for glucose uptake and hexokinase and pyruvate kinase activity levels in the WTR and aposymbiotic strains, while the enzyme glucose-6P 1-dehydrogenase was more active in both strains. Regarding the antioxidant system, ascorbate peroxidase has an important role in H 2 O 2 resistance and may be responsible for the high infection rates previously described for A. aegypti. In conclusion, our data indicate that the energy-related and antioxidant metabolic processes of S. culicis are modulated in response to oxidative stress conditions, providing new perspectives on the biology of the trypanosomatid-insect interaction as well as on the possible impact of resistant parasites in accidental human infection. Image 1 • H 2 O 2 resistance reduces glycolytic profile and upregulates gluconeogenic pathway. • Apo shows reduced mitochondrial proteins content and high glycolytic activity. • Ascorbate peroxidase is the main enzyme in S. culicis ROS resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogen interactions with cultured fish populations are well studied, but their effects on native fishes have not been characterized. In Chile, the disease caused by bacterial species Piscirickettsia salmonis represents one of the main issues and is considered to be one of the important pathogens in the field of aquaculture. They have been found to infect native fish. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the impact of P. salmonis on native species of local commercial value, as well as the potential impact associated with the emergence of antibiotic‐resistant strains of P. salmonis. Due to this purpose, the native fish Eleginops maclovinus was used in our study. Fish were randomly distributed in tanks and intraperitoneally inoculated with two strains of P. salmonis. No mortality was recorded during the experiment. Cortisol, glucose and total α‐amino acid levels increased in fish injected with AUSTRAL‐005 strain compared to sham‐injected and LF‐89‐inoculated fish. Moreover, results showed an increase in the activity of carbohydrates and lipids metabolism in liver; and an increase in the carbohydrates, lipids and total α‐amino acid metabolism in muscle after injection with AUSTRAL‐005. Our results suggest that P. salmonis modulates the physiology of E. maclovinus and the physiological impact increase in the presence of the antibiotic‐resistant strain AUSTRAL‐005. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioenergetic regularities determining the maximal biomass yield in aerobic microbial growth on various substrates have been considered. The approach is based on the method of mass-energy balance and application of GenMetPath computer program package. An equation system describing the balances of quantities of 1) metabolite reductivity and 2) high-energy bonds formed and expended has been formulated. In order to formulate the system, the whole metabolism is subdivided into constructive and energetic partial metabolisms. The constructive metabolism is, in turn, subdivided into two parts: forward and standard. The latter subdivision is based on the choice of nodal metabolites. The forward constructive metabolism is substantially dependent on growth substrate: it converts the substrate into the standard set of nodal metabolites. The latter is, then, converted into biomass macromolecules by the standard constructive metabolism which is the same on various substrates. Variations of flows via nodal metabolites are shown to exert minor effects on the standard constructive metabolism. As a separate case, the growth on substrates requiring the participation of oxygenases and/or oxidase is considered. The bioenergetic characteristics of the standard constructive metabolism are found from a large amount of data for the growth of various organisms on glucose. The described approach can be used for prediction of biomass growth yield on substrates with known reactions of their primary metabolization. As an example, the growth of a yeast culture on ethanol has been considered. The value of maximal growth yield predicted by the method described here showed very good consistency with the value found experimentally.