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Gen Physiol Biophys 2021 Mar;40(2):127-135

Department of Medical Biochemistry, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University in Bratislava, Martin, Slovakia.

Pyruvate carboxylase (PC) is an enzyme catalyzing the conversion of pyruvate to oxaloacetate, which possesses anaplerotic role in cellular metabolism. The expression of PC was confirmed in cells of several cancer types, in which it ensures several cellular functions, such as growth and division. To investigate the expression of PC in human astrocytoma, glioblastoma and neuroblastoma cells we applied the immunodetection methods. Read More

New Phytol 1993 Sep;125(1):59-71

Institut für Botanik, Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstraße 3-5, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany.

Two case studies are presented illustrating how the behaviour of plants using crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) provides adaptation to salinity. Perennial cacti having constitutive CAM show adaptation at the whole-plant level, engaging regulation of stomata, internal CO -recycling and root physiology with salt exclusion. They are stress avoiders. Read More

New Phytol 1994 Nov;128(3):479-485

Laboratoire de Méthodologie RMN, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Nancy I, BP 239, F-54506, Vandœuvre-Nancy Cedex, France.

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to monitor NH assimilation and amino acid biosynthesis in the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Laccaria bicolor (Maire) Orton. (strain S238). In mycelium growing rapidly on NH , [amido- N]glutamine was the major N-labelled species. Read More

Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2021 Apr 19. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, United States.

We recently reported that compared to males, female mice have increased hepatic mitochondrial respiratory capacity and are protected against high-fat diet-induced steatosis. Here we sought to determine the role of estrogen in hepatic mitochondrial function, steatosis, and bile acid metabolism in female mice, as well as investigate potential benefits of exercise in the absence or presence of estrogen via ovariectomy (OVX). Female C57BL mice (n=6 per group) were randomly assigned to sham surgery (Sham), ovariectomy (OVX), or OVX plus estradiol replacement therapy (OVX+Est). Read More

J Pharm Pharmacol 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Pharmacy School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.

Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the pharmacological activity and therapeutic mechanism of Xiaojin Pills (XJW) on lung cancer.

Methods: Mice were orally administered with Xiaojin Pills for 21 days. Tumour samples were collected to evaluate the antilung cancer effect, and blood samples were collected to identify differential metabolites with metabolomics. Read More

Appl Environ Microbiol 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

Altering metabolic flux at a key branchpoint in metabolism has commonly been accomplished through gene knockouts or by modulating gene expression. An alternative approach to direct metabolic flux preferentially toward a product is decreasing the activity of a key enzyme through protein engineering. In , pyruvate can accumulate from glucose when carbon flux through the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is suppressed. Read More

Life Sci 2021 Apr 13:119487. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Difficult & Complicated Liver Diseases and Artificial Liver Center & Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Liver Failure and Artificial Liver Treatment Research, Beijing YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. Electronic address:

Aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a lipid metabolism disorder. Naringin is a flavanone that has been demonstrated to exert hepatoprotective and antifibrotic effects. The present study aimed to use a novel tissue-engineered fatty liver model to assess the effects and mechanisms of naringin on NAFLD. Read More

Int Immunopharmacol 2021 Apr 13;96:107623. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Pediatrics, Children's Digital Health and Data Center, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China. Electronic address:

Purpose: Sepsis is the primary cause for children's death worldwide. Calycosin (CAL) is an astragalus extract with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-tumor functions. This study aims to probe the role of CAL in alleviating sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Read More

Phytother Res 2021 Apr 15. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee university, Seoul, South Korea.

Since the AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/c-Myc signaling plays a pivotal role in the modulation of aerobic glycolysis and tumor growth, in the present study, the role of AKT/mTOR/c-Myc signaling in the apoptotic effect of Compound K (CK), an active ginseng saponin metabolite, was explored in HepG2 and Huh7 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HCCs). Here, CK exerted significant cytotoxicity, increased sub-G1, and attenuated the expression of pro-Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (pro-PARP) and Pro-cysteine aspartyl-specific protease (pro-caspase3) in HepG2 and Huh7 cells. Consistently, CK suppressed AKT/mTOR/c-Myc and their downstreams such as Hexokinase 2 (HK2) and pyruvate kinase isozymes M2 (PKM2) in HepG2 and Huh7 cells. Read More

J Sci Food Agric 2021 Apr 15. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada.

Background: Styrax tonkinensis is a white-flowered tree with considerable potential as a feedstock source for biodiesel production from the oily seed contained within its nutlike drupes. Transcriptome changes during oil accumulation have been previously reported, but not concurrent changes in the proteome.

Results: Using proteomic analysis of samples collected at 50, 70, 100 and 130 days after flowering (DAF), we identified 1472 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Read More

Mol Med 2021 Apr 13;27(1):38. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

Background: Gemcitabine (GEM) resistance remains a significant clinical challenge in pancreatic cancer treatment. Here, we investigated the therapeutic utility of everolimus (Evr), an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), in targeting the Warburg effect to overcome GEM resistance in pancreatic cancer.

Methods: The effect of Evr and/or mTOR overexpression or GEM on cell viability, migration, apoptosis, and glucose metabolism (Warburg effect) was evaluated in GEM-sensitive (GEM) and GEM-resistant (GEM) pancreatic cancer cells. Read More

Lab Invest 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.

Macrophages play an essential role in alcohol-induced inflammation and oxidative stress. We investigated the effects of nicotinamide riboside (NR), a natural nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) precursor, on alcohol-induced inflammation and oxidative stress in macrophages. NR significantly decreased ethanol-induced inflammatory gene expression, with a concomitant decrease in nuclear translocation of nuclear factor κB p65 in RAW 264. Read More

Infect Immun 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

elapsing ever (RF), caused by spirochetes of the genus , is a globally distributed, vector-borne disease with high prevalence in developing countries. To date, signaling pathways required for infection and virulence of RF spirochetes are unknown. yclic - (c-di-AMP), synthesized by idenylate yclases (DACs), is a second messenger predominantly found in Gram-positive organisms that is linked to virulence and essential physiological processes. Read More

Planta 2021 Apr 12;253(5):98. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Philipps-Universität Marburg, Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie und Biotechnologie, Robert-Koch-Str. 4, 35037, Marburg, Germany.

Main Conclusion: Tyrosine aminotransferase (AaTAT) from the hornwort Anthoceros agrestis Paton (Anthocerotaceae) was amplified and expressed in E. coli. The active enzyme is able to accept a wide range of substrates with distinct preference for L-tyrosine, therefore, possibly catalysing the initial step in rosmarinic acid biosynthesis. Read More

J Adv Res 2021 Mar 9;29:83-94. Epub 2020 Sep 9.

Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.

Introduction: Inflammation is a key factor in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury. Targeting leucocyte-mediated inflammation is an important strategy for MI/R therapy. Iminostilbene (ISB), a simple dibenzoazepine small molecule compound, has a strong anti-neurodegenerative effect. Read More

Oncol Lett 2021 May 26;21(5):416. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Department of General Surgery, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University School of Medicine, Shandong, Qingdao 266000, P.R. China.

Cancer metastasis is the main cause of death in cancer patients, including patients with thyroid cancer (TC). TC is the most common malignant endocrine tumour. In the recent years, increasing evidence has demonstrated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) serve a significant role in the development of many types of human cancer. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2021 Apr 7;216:112213. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Key Laboratory of the Provincial Education Department of Heilongjiang for Common Animal Disease Prevention and Treatment, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB) pollutes foodstuffs and feeds, causing a food safety problem and seriously endangering human and animal health. Liver is the principal organ for AFB accumulation and biotransformation, during which AFB can cause acute and chronic liver damage, however, the specific mechanism is not completely clear. Mitochondria are the primary organelle of cellular bio-oxidation, providing 95% energy for liver to execute its multiple functions. Read More

Environ Pollut 2021 Mar 31;282:117039. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310032, China. Electronic address:

Various microplastics (MPs) are found in the environment and organisms. MP residues in organisms can affect health; however, their impacts on metabolism in aquatic organisms remain unclear. In this study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to polyethylene MPs with sizes ranging from 1 to 4 μm at concentrations of 0, 10, 100, and 1000 μg/L for 7 days. Read More

J Agric Food Chem 2021 Apr 9;69(15):4423-4437. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Food Chemistry and Food Development, Department of Life Technologies, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turun yliopisto, Finland.

Anthocyanins have been reported to possess antidiabetic effects. Recent studies indicate acylated anthocyanins have better stability and antioxidative activity compared to their nonacylated counterparts. This study compared the effects of nonacylated and acylated anthocyanins on hepatic gene expression and metabolic profile in diabetic rats, using full-length transcriptomics and H NMR metabolomics. Read More

Glia 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Discipline of Ophthalmology, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Save Sight Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

The importance of Müller glia for retinal homeostasis suggests that they may have vulnerabilities that lead to retinal disease. Here, we studied the effect of selectively knocking down key metabolic genes in Müller glia on photoreceptor health. Immunostaining indicated that murine Müller glia expressed insulin receptor (IR), hexokinase 2 (HK2) and phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) but very little pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 alpha 1 (PDH-E1α) and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDH-A). Read More

Biosci Rep 2021 Apr;41(4)

Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China.

Recent research has indicated that metabolically related genes play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We evaluated the associations between novel biomarkers and retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) for predicting clinical HCC outcomes, hub-related genes, pathway regulation, and immune cells infiltration. Bioinformatic analyses based on data from The Cancer Genome Atlas were performed using online analysis tools. Read More

Biochemistry (Mosc) 2021 Feb;86(2):179-189

Molecular Physiology Division, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62511, Egypt.

Polydatin (PD) has a broad range of pharmacological activities; however, its effects on diabetic liver damage are poorly studies. This work is aimed to explore possible protective effects of polydatin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (PD-CSNPs) or PD against liver damage associated with diabetes. Diabetes was induced in rats using nicotinamide/streptozotocin treatment. Read More

Biotechnol Bioeng 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning, China, 116024.

Bacillus coagulans, a thermophilic facultative anaerobe, is a favorable chassis strain for the biosynthesis of desired products. In this study, B. coagulans was converted into an efficient malic acid producer by metabolic engineering and promoter engineering. Read More

Front Neurol 2021 22;12:652159. Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Glial Biology in Health, Disease, and Cancer Center, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA, United States.

Given the important functions that glutamate serves in excitatory neurotransmission, understanding the regulation of glutamate in physiological and pathological states is critical to devising novel therapies to treat epilepsy. Exclusive expression of pyruvate carboxylase and glutamine synthetase in astrocytes positions astrocytes as essential regulators of glutamate in the central nervous system (CNS). Additionally, astrocytes can significantly alter the volume of the extracellular space (ECS) in the CNS due to their expression of the bi-directional water channel, aquaporin-4, which are enriched at perivascular endfeet. Read More

Microb Cell Fact 2021 Apr 7;20(1):82. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.

Background: Trehalose, an intracellular protective agent reported to mediate defense against many stresses, can alleviate high-temperature-induced damage in Pleurotus ostreatus. In this study, the mechanism by which trehalose relieves heat stress was explored by the addition of exogenous trehalose and the use of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase 1 (tps1) overexpression transformants.

Results: The results suggested that treatment with exogenous trehalose or overexpression of tps1 alleviated the accumulation of lactic acid under heat stress and downregulated the expression of the phosphofructokinase (pfk) and pyruvate kinase (pk) genes, suggesting an ameliorative effect of trehalose on the enhanced glycolysis in P. Read More

Cell Rep 2021 Apr;35(1):108935

Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada; Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada; Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Electronic address:

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) increases the risk for diabetic cardiomyopathy and is characterized by diastolic dysfunction. Myocardial forkhead box O1 (FoxO1) activity is enhanced in T2D and upregulates pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) kinase 4 expression, which inhibits PDH activity, the rate-limiting enzyme of glucose oxidation. Because low glucose oxidation promotes cardiac inefficiency, we hypothesize that FoxO1 inhibition mitigates diabetic cardiomyopathy by stimulating PDH activity. Read More

Cell Rep 2021 Apr;35(1):108961

Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, Building 220, 2800 Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark. Electronic address:

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) functions as the main determinant of the respiro-fermentative balance because it converts pyruvate to acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA), which then enters the TCA (tricarboxylic acid cycle). PDC is repressed by the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex regulator (PdhR) in Escherichia coli. The deletion of the pdhR gene compromises fitness in aerobic environments. Read More

Plant Signal Behav 2021 Apr 7:1907054. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

College of Tropic Crops, Hainan University, Haikou, China.

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants fix CO at night, exhibiting a reversed regulatory pattern of metabolomic pathways compared with most model plants, which have C3 and C4 pathways. In this study, we used a valuable tropic fruit, red dragon fruit (), as model plant to identify and analyze the circadian regulation genes. Due to the absence of red dragon fruit's whole-genome dataset, we established a full-length transcriptome dataset using single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing method. Read More

Biol Reprod 2021 Apr 6. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Cell Resource Center for Biomedical Research, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer (IDAC), Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.

Fetal ovarian germ cells show characteristic energy metabolism status, such as enhanced mitochondrial metabolism as well as glycolysis, but their roles in early folliculogenesis are unclear. We show here that inhibition of pyruvate uptake to mitochondria by UK5099 in organ cultures of fetal mouse ovaries resulted in repressed early folliculogenesis without affecting energy production, survival of oocytes, or meiosis. In addition, the abnormal folliculogenesis by UK5099 was partially rescued by α-ketoglutarate and succinate, intermediate metabolites in the TCA cycle, suggesting the importance of those metabolites. Read More

J Clin Invest 2021 Apr 6. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.

Anemia in β-thalassemia is related to ineffective erythropoiesis and reduced red cell survival. Excess free heme and accumulation of unpaired α-globin chains impose substantial oxidative stress on β-thalassemic erythroblasts and erythrocytes, impacting cell metabolism. We hypothesized that increased pyruvate kinase activity induced by mitapivat (AG-348) in the Hbbth3/+ mouse model for β-thalassemia would reduce chronic hemolysis and ineffective erythropoiesis through stimulation of red cell glycolytic metabolism. Read More