Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alvaro Costa-Broseta, MariCruz Castillo, Jose Leon
Summary: Nitric oxide (NO) plays a complex role in plants, potentially negatively regulating its own biosynthesis and influencing the activity of nitrate reductases through induced post-translational modifications. The ubiquitylation of proteins following NO-induced PTMs may lead to proteasome-mediated degradation, affecting the assimilation of nitrate and production of NO under complex environmental conditions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Joana C. Xavier, Rebecca E. Gerhards, Jessica L. E. Wimmer, Julia Brueckner, Fernando D. K. Tria, William F. Martin
Summary: Researchers reconstructed the habitat and lifestyle of the last bacterial common ancestor (LBCA) by analyzing 146 LCBA protein families, indicating that the LBCA was rod-shaped and the first lineage to diverge from the ancestral bacterial stem was most similar to modern Clostridia, followed by other autotrophs that harbor the acetyl-CoA pathway.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Barbora Piknova, Ji Won Park, Samantha M. Thomas, Khalid J. Tunau-Spencer, Alan N. Schechter
Summary: Nitric oxide (NO) (co)regulates physiological processes in the body and its availability is affected by aging. Aging leads to changes in nitrate and nitrite contents in tissues, with higher nitrate levels and lower nitrite levels in old rats compared to young rats. However, the nitrate reduction pathway is not affected by aging. Further investigation is needed to understand the changes in NO accessibility during aging.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Rose I. M. Batista, Renato C. Nogueira, Graziele C. Ferreira, Gustavo H. Oliveira-Paula, Lucas C. Pinheiro, Jose E. Tanus-Santos
Summary: Supplementation with L-arginine has been shown to have beneficial effects in hypertension by increasing nitric oxide formation and enhancing nitrate concentrations, but these effects may be prevented by antiseptic mouthwash. Alteration of the nitrate cycle in the body by mouthwash can impact endothelial dysfunction, antihypertensive effects, and antioxidant effects of L-arginine in hypertensive rats. The findings suggest a new mechanism where antibacterial mouth rinse can affect arterial blood pressure and the development of cardiovascular diseases.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Raphael R. Leonard, Eric Sauvage, Valerian Lupo, Amandine Perrin, Damien Sirjacobs, Paulette Charlier, Frederic Kerff, Denis Baurain
Summary: The nature of the last bacterial common ancestor and the characteristics of its cell wall are critical for understanding the evolution of life on Earth. Recent research suggests that all known bacteria may have evolved from a common ancestor with a monoderm cell wall structure, challenging the idea that the appearance of the outer membrane was a unique event.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Kayleigh Griffiths, Jordan J. Lee, Michael P. Frenneaux, Martin Feelisch, Melanie Madhani
Summary: Nitric oxide plays a crucial role in protecting the heart from ischemia reperfusion injury through the 'canonical' NO-sGC-cGMP pathway. A new nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway has been discovered to improve endothelial dysfunction, protect the myocardium and reduce infarct size. Nitrite itself also provides multi-faceted protection independent of nitric oxide against various pathophysiologies of IRI.
PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tijana Suboticki, Olivera Mitrovic Ajtic, Dragoslava Djikic, Marijana Kovacic, Juan F. Santibanez, Milica Tosic, Vladan P. Cokic
Summary: In various systems, hydroxyurea has been shown to stimulate the release of nitric oxide or activate nitric oxide synthase. Through inhibiting nitric oxide metabolites, hydroxyurea is able to inhibit the growth of mature erythroid colonies and impact the presence of iNOS immunoreactive CFU-E.
Review
Plant Sciences
Antoine Berger, Alexandre Boscari, Alain Puppo, Renaud Brouquisse
Summary: In the symbiotic relationship between legumes and rhizobia, nitric oxide (NO) plays a crucial role in defense responses, nitrogen fixation metabolism, and senescence induction, while also regulating gene expression and enzyme activities as a metabolic intermediate in energy regeneration processes. The production and degradation pathways of NO change during symbiosis due to the transition from normoxia to hypoxia during nodule formation and the increasing presence of the bacterial partner in growing nodules.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Raul Bescos, Mark L. Rollason, Tanisha S. Davies, Patricia Casas-Agustench
Summary: This study analyzed the content of nitrate (NO3-) and nitrite (NO2-) in commercial and self-made beetroot juices (BJs), finding that the levels of NO3- can vary with different seasons and storage conditions. The self-made BJ showed complete degradation of NO3- after 3 days at 20 degrees C, but this degradation was attenuated when stored at lower temperatures or with the addition of lemon juice. Additionally, self-made BJs had higher concentrations of NO2- and a higher pH compared to commercial BJs.
FOOD SCIENCE & NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Jessica L. E. Wimmer, Joana C. Xavier, Andrey d. N. Vieira, Delfina P. H. Pereira, Jacqueline Leidner, Filipa L. Sousa, Karl Kleinermanns, Martina Preiner, William F. Martin
Summary: By calculating the free energy change of key biosynthetic reactions, it was found that the majority of core reactions in modern cells are exergonic and primarily driven by carbon bond reactions. These reactions trace back to the last universal common ancestor, revealing a natural thermodynamic tendency of metabolism.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Florentin-Daniel Staicu, Analuce Canha-Gouveia, Cristina Soriano-Ubeda, Juan Carlos Martinez-Soto, Evdochia Adoamnei, Jorge E. Chavarro, Carmen Matas
Summary: The levels of nitrite and nitrate in follicular fluid were found to be related to the yield of MII oocytes, and nitrate levels showed a suggestive inverse correlation with embryos with high potential of implantation. This suggests that nitrite and nitrate concentrations in follicular fluid may be useful in predicting ovarian response and embryo implantation potential.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Andrew J. Crapitto, Amy Campbell, A. J. Harris, Aaron D. Goldman
Summary: Comparing the consensus predictions of multiple studies can provide a more accurate depiction of the core proteome and functional repertoire of the last universal common ancestor (LUCA). These consensus predictions reveal some important functions of the LUCA genome.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Gary D. Miller, Beverly A. Nesbit, Daniel B. Kim-Shapiro, Swati Basu, Michael J. Berry
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the acute response of plasma nitrate and nitrite levels in healthy middle- to older-aged adults to beetroot juice alone and in combination with vitamin C or protein. The results showed no significant differences in plasma nitrate and nitrite levels at 1 h and 3 h after co-ingesting beetroot juice with vitamin C or a whey protein supplement compared to beetroot juice alone.
Article
Physiology
Michaela L. Sundqvist, Jon O. Lundberg, Eddie Weitzberg, Mattias Carlstrom
Summary: The study aimed to investigate potential sex differences in renal nitrate handling during low and high dietary nitrate intake. It was hypothesized that renal clearance and excretion of nitrate are higher in men compared to women. Results showed that women had lower urinary nitrate concentration, amount of nitrate excreted, renal nitrate clearance, and fractional excretion of nitrate compared to men.
Article
Ecology
Gabriela de Carvalho Fernandes, Andreia Carina Turchetto-Zolet, Luciane Maria Pereira Passaglia
Summary: Glutamine synthetase (GS) is an essential enzyme in nitrogen assimilation. Studies have revealed that GS-encoding genes are among the oldest functioning genes and have a complex evolutionary history involving gene duplications and transfers. GS-encoding genes can be classified into three distinct groups, with the Type I family being the most diverse and including subgroups related to polyamine metabolism and noncatalytic GS homologs.
Review
Microbiology
Andrew W. L. Rogers, Renee M. Tsolis, Andreas J. Baumler
Summary: A balanced gut microbiota is important for health, with competition and habitat filters influencing microbiota assembly and maintenance of homeostasis. Once the microbiota has matured, competition and habitat filtering can prevent new microbes from colonizing and protect against opportunistic infections. However, pathogens like Salmonella can overcome colonization resistance through virulence factors that trigger intestinal inflammation, disrupting the normal habitat filtering. This insight is relevant for understanding how inflammation can lead to dysbiosis and noncommunicable diseases.
MICROBIOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Stephanie A. Cevallos, Jee-Yon Lee, Eric M. Velazquez, Nora J. Foegeding, Catherine D. Shelton, Connor R. Tiffany, Beau H. Parry, Annica R. Stull-Lane, Erin E. Olsan, Hannah P. Savage, Henry Nguyen, Star S. Ghanaat, Austin J. Byndloss, Ilechukwu O. Agu, Renee M. Tsolis, Mariana X. Byndloss, Andreas J. Baumler
Summary: 5-Aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) ameliorates colitis in mice by activating PPAR-γ signaling in the intestinal epithelium, and its anti-inflammatory activity requires the activation of epithelial PPAR-γ signaling.
Editorial Material
Immunology
Andreas J. Baumler, Karen M. Ottemann, Anthony R. Richardson
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Brittany M. Miller, Andreas J. Baumler
Summary: An imbalance in the microbiota can lead to human illnesses, prompting efforts to rebalance it by targeting the microbes themselves. However, the host influences microbial growth by providing a habitat, suggesting that targeting the immune system for rebalancing the microbiota could be an alternative. Host control mechanisms shape the microbial habitat and confer colonization resistance against pathogens, with host components acting as habitat filters that select for microbial traits allowing growth and survival in host habitat patches.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF IMMUNOLOGY, VOL 39
(2021)
Editorial Material
Immunology
Manuela Raffatellu, Andreas J. Baumler
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Woongjae Yoo, Jacob K. Zieba, Nora J. Foegeding, Teresa P. Torres, Catherine D. Shelton, Nicolas G. Shealy, Austin J. Byndloss, Stephanie A. Cevallos, Erik Gertz, Connor R. Tiffany, Julia D. Thomas, Yael Litvak, Henry Nguyen, Erin E. Olsan, Brian J. Bennett, Jeffrey C. Rathmell, Amy S. Major, Andreas J. Baumler, Mariana X. Byndloss
Summary: It was found that chronic exposure to a high-fat diet can increase levels of circulating trimethlamine N-oxide, a potentially harmful metabolite generated by gut microbiota.
Article
Microbiology
Hirotaka Hiyoshi, Bevin C. English, Vladimir E. Diaz-Ochoa, Tamding Wangdi, Lillian F. Zhang, Miako Sakaguchi, Takeshi Haneda, Renee M. Tsolis, Andreas J. Baumler
Summary: Intracellular pathogens use virulence factors to generate a complement-dependent find-me signal for efferocytosis, thereby avoiding exposure to the extracellular milieu.
CELL HOST & MICROBE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alba Alfonso-Garcia, Stephanie A. Cevallos, Jee-Yon Lee, Cai Li, Julien Bec, Andreas J. Baumler, Laura Marcu
Summary: This study tested the feasibility of using fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIm) to non-destructively detect inflammation in thick tissue. The results showed that FLIm was sensitive to colon anatomy and colonocyte layer, and could detect changes in epithelial bioenergetics and physical structure related to inflammatory disease treatment.
Article
Microbiology
Megan J. Liou, Brittany M. Miller, Yael Litvak, Henry Nguyen, Dean E. Natwick, Hannah P. Savage, Jordan A. Rixon, Scott P. Mahan, Hirotaka Hiyoshi, Andrew W. L. Rogers, Eric M. Velazquez, Brian P. Butler, Sean R. Collins, Stephen J. McSorley, Rasika M. Harshey, Mariana X. Byndloss, Scott I. Simon, Andreas J. Baumler
Summary: This study found that both commensal Escherichia coli and pathogenic Salmonella enterica utilize nitrate for intestinal growth, but they occupy different niches and compete for nitrate as a resource.
CELL HOST & MICROBE
(2022)
Editorial Material
Biology
Lauren C. Radlinski, Andreas J. Baumler
Summary: Listeria monocytogenes relies on respiration to sustain a risky fermentative lifestyle during infection.
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jee-Yon Lee, Renee M. Tsolis, Andreas J. Baumler
Summary: Changes in gut microbiota composition are linked to various human diseases. However, defining homeostasis or dysbiosis based on the presence or absence of specific microbial species has been unsuccessful. The adult gut microbiota is regulated by diet and host factors, with oxygen and nitrate availability shaping the bacterial community in different parts of the gut. Poor diet weakens host control mechanisms, potentially leading to dysbiosis. Therefore, quantifying host parameters that control microbial growth could offer alternative approaches to define and remediate dysbiosis.
Article
Microbiology
Lillian F. Zhang, Bernd Lepenies, Sayuri Nakamae, Briana M. Young, Renato L. Santos, Manuela Raffatellu, Brian A. Cobb, Hirotaka Hiyoshi, Andreas J. Baeumler
Summary: Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhi is the causative agent of typhoid fever, and the recent emergence of antibiotic-resistant S. Typhi strains highlights the importance of vaccination. The study identified the human C-type lectin receptor DC-SIGN as the receptor for the Vi capsular polysaccharide, which contributes to the pathogenesis of typhoid fever.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kishore R. Alugupalli, Sudeep Kothari, Matthew P. Cravens, Justin A. Walker, Darren T. Dougharty, Gregory S. Dickinson, Louis A. Gatto, Andreas J. Baumler, Tamding Wangdi, Darla R. Miller, Fernando Pardo-Manuel De Villena, Linda D. Siracusa
Summary: To investigate the genetic basis and effective therapeutic strategies for typhoid fever, the study used two recombinant inbred strains, CC003/Unc and CC053/Unc, which have a wider range of genetic diversity. These strains exhibited susceptibility to S. Typhi infection and showed histopathological changes characteristic of human typhoid, making them valuable models for studying typhoid susceptibility, S. Typhi virulence mechanisms, and testing vaccines and therapeutics.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Alfredo Chavez-Arroyo, Andreas J. Baumler
Summary: The spread of multidrug-resistant zoonotic pathogens, such as Salmonella, within livestock is a concern for food safety. Superspreaders, which shed the pathogen at high numbers with their feces, escalate the spread of Salmonella on the farm. However, there are currently no biomarkers to identify potential superspreaders. Kempf and coworkers found that a potent early inflammatory response to Salmonella infection and changes in the microbiota composition are associated with the superspreader phenotype in pigs. Further research is needed to predict animals that have the potential to become superspreaders.
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Anais B. Larabi, Hugo L. P. Masson, Andreas J. Baumler
Summary: Changes in gut microbiota composition are associated with human illnesses, and bile acids play a key role in shaping the microbiota. Bile acids exert antimicrobial activity and activate host signaling pathways to maintain gut homeostasis. Manipulating the composition or size of the bile acid pool could be a promising strategy to address dysbiosis and its associated diseases.