Search Results (1,789)

Background: Sulfur-containing amino acids (SCAAs) are essential for fetal growth and development, but their metabolism during pregnancy remains poorly understood, with conflicting reports regarding the effect of exercise training. This study investigates the effects of physical activity (PA) interventions on maternal plasma concentrations of SCAAs and their associations with neonatal outcomes. Methods: The FitMum randomized controlled trial included 220 healthy, inactive, pregnant women enrolled before gestation age (GA) 15+0 weeks. Participants were randomized to supervised exercise training (EXE), motivational counseling on PA (MOT), or standard care (CON). This secondary analysis includes all participants with an eligible blood sample (n = 214). Maternal plasma concentrations of SCAAs were measured at four time points (GA ≤15+0, 28+0-6, 34+0-6, and delivery), and umbilical cord venous plasma was measured at delivery. Results: Longitudinally, maternal methionine and taurine concentrations decreased significantly (p < 0.001 for both) during pregnancy, while total cysteine (tCys) concentrations increased (p < 0.001). At GA 28+0-6 weeks, methionine concentrations were significantly higher in EXE (p = 0.031) and MOT (p = 0.006) groups compared to CON, and tCys was higher in the MOT group (p = 0.017) versus CON. Maternal taurine was positively associated with birth weight (p = 0.034) and birth weight/placental weight ratio (p = 0.010), while maternal tCys was negatively associated with head circumference (p < 0.001). Additionally, increased moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) was associated with a smaller maternal–umbilical venous difference for methionine (p = 0.025), suggesting enhanced placental transport. Conclusions: Pregnancy significantly alters maternal metabolism of SCAAs. PA interventions may modulate maternal methionine and tCys concentrations, and our results suggest that maternal taurine status is linked to offspring birth weight, highlighting the potential of PA to influence key nutrients required for fetal development. Full article

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive zoonotic pathogen responsible for listeriosis, a severe foodborne disease with high mortality in humans and animals. This study aimed to investigate the molecular epidemiology and genomic characteristics of L. monocytogenes isolated from raw yak meat in Nyingchi, Xizang, China. A total of 231 yak-related samples were collected in Nyingchi, consisting of 214 retail raw yak meat samples, 14 farm environmental samples, and 3 nearby water source samples. L. monocytogenes isolates were identified and characterized using culture-based methods, PCR serotyping, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Bioinformatic analyses were performed for virulence, antimicrobial resistance, and functional gene annotation using KEGG and COG databases. The overall contamination rate of Lm was 13.08% (28/214) for retail raw yak meat samples, whereas no isolates were recovered from 14 farm environmental samples (0.00%, 0/14) and 3 nearby water source samples (0.00%, 0/3). The serotypes of isolates were 1/2a (9/28, 32.14%), 1/2b (7/28, 25.00%), and 1/2c (12/28, 42.86%). These 28 isolates exhibited varied antimicrobial resistance profiles, with universal resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, high resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin, and low resistance to vancomycin. MLST analysis revealed seven sequence types (STs): ST9 (12/28, 42.86%), ST619 (6/28, 21.43%), ST8 (6/28, 21.43%), ST7 (1/28, 3.57%), ST87 (1/28, 3.57%), ST121 (1/28, 3.57%), ST297 (1/28, 3.57%). ST619 isolates harbored multiple virulence genes, including those located on Listeria pathogenicity islands LIPI-1, LIPI-3, and LIPI-4, indicating high genomic potential for virulence. Representative isolate Y2 (ST619) possessed a 3,009,858 bp genome with 3036 coding genes, four genomic islands, and two prophages. Functional annotation revealed enrichment of genes involved in carbohydrate transport and metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis pathways. Our findings provide the first genomic insight into L. monocytogenes contamination in yak meat from Nyingchi, Xizang, China, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen food safety monitoring and hygiene management in this region. Full article

Clothianidin (CLO), a widely used neonicotinoid insecticide, may pose a health risk to waterfowl through contaminated feed ingredients and agricultural residues. This study investigated whether dietary Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BA) could alleviate CLO-induced growth suppression and liver oxidative injury in goslings. Fourteen-day-old Holdobagy goslings were assigned to five treatments for 21 days: control, 2.5 mg/kg CLO, 2.5 mg/kg CLO plus 60 ppm BA, 10 mg/kg CLO, and 10 mg/kg CLO plus 60 ppm BA. CLO exposure reduced final body weight and average daily gain, increased liver index, elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (AKP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and decreased liver total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities (p < 0.05). Histological analysis further showed hepatocyte disorganization, vacuolar degeneration, congestion, and inflammatory infiltration, which were partially alleviated by BA supplementation. Serum untargeted metabolomics showed clear separation among treatment groups. CLO exposure altered 130 and 215 differential metabolites at the low and high doses, respectively, whereas BA supplementation regulated 115 and 170 differential metabolites under the corresponding CLO backgrounds (p < 0.05). These metabolites were mainly enriched in amino acid metabolism, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, purine metabolism, riboflavin metabolism, glutathione metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and fatty acid biosynthesis/degradation pathways. Liver transcriptomic analysis identified 761 and 1283 differentially expressed genes after low- and high-dose CLO exposure, respectively, while BA supplementation altered 338 and 440 genes (p < 0.05). Enriched pathways included peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling, fatty acid metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, pentose phosphate pathway, glutathione metabolism, cell adhesion molecules, and adipocytokine signaling. This study adds new evidence on the protective role of BA against CLO-induced toxicity in goslings by combining physiological, histological, metabolomic, and transcriptomic observations. Overall, BA partially mitigated CLO-induced growth inhibition and liver oxidative injury, potentially through coordinated regulation of redox homeostasis, lipid and energy metabolism, and liver metabolic remodeling. Full article

Parkinsonian syndromes comprise overlapping neurodegenerative and non-degenerative disorders, making aetiological diagnosis difficult, while existing procedural guidance does not fully integrate tracer-specific biology with clinical decision-making, multimodal strategies, and emerging quantitative and pathology-directed biomarkers. This review synthesises evidence on the molecular targets, radiopharmaceutical characteristics, biological interpretation, and clinical applications of dopaminergic single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET), focusing on the dopamine transporter (DAT), aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 (VMAT2), dopamine D₂/D₃ receptors, differential diagnosis, semiquantification, kinetic modelling, and artificial intelligence-assisted interpretation. The evidence confirms that DAT SPECT with [¹²³I]ioflupane ([¹²³I]FP-CIT) remains the most established method for demonstrating or arguing against presynaptic nigrostriatal dysfunction, but an abnormal result cannot establish aetiology, and a normal result can redirect evaluation towards non-degenerative mimics; target-specific PET provides complementary biological information, although availability, standardisation, and prospective validation remain limiting. By additionally integrating genetic and prodromal applications, question-driven multimodal imaging, emerging acquisition approaches, α-synuclein imaging and seed amplification assays, and contemporary biological staging frameworks, this review extends procedural guidance and positions dopaminergic imaging as a targeted functional biomarker selected according to the unresolved clinical question rather than as a stand-alone disease label. Full article

Background/Objectives: The whole plant of Tetrastigma hemsleyanum is used medicinally, but the tuberous root is by far the most commonly used part, and the way in which its metabolites are partitioned among organs and among geographic origins underpins both the rational choice of the medicinal part and the evaluation of herb quality. Methods: Here, untargeted metabolomics based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry was used to compare roots, stems and leaves collected from nine regions of southern China (81 samples) with tuberous roots collected from 17 sites in seven provinces (51 samples). Annotations were graded according to the Metabolomics Standards Initiative (MSI), curated with explicit plausibility rules, and every conclusion was re-tested across five nested annotation subsets. Results: Organ identity was the dominant source of metabolic variation: the three organs were completely separable (random forest out-of-bag accuracy 100%), the organ effect was about four times larger than that of sampling region (PERMANOVA pseudo-F 16.7 versus 4.1), and this contrast was essentially unchanged from the complete set of 615 annotations down to the most stringent subset of 19 flavonoids and phenolic acids. The organ-level pattern was chemically coherent: amino acids and lipids were relatively enriched in the tuberous root, soluble sugars and phenolic acids in the stem, and flavonoids and alkaloids in the leaf, matching the contrasting roles of a storage, a transport and a photosynthetic organ. Geographic differences among tuberous roots were, by contrast, weak and largely local: although provinces could be separated with 88.9% out-of-bag accuracy, accuracy fell to 42.2% when an entire, previously unseen collection site was held out (chance level 20%), and to 52.9% for a coarse macro-geographic zone (chance level 25%), whereas holding out an entire sampling region left organ classification unaffected (100%). Conclusions: The present data therefore document a strong, generalisable and chemically interpretable organ division of labour, but do not support the use of this metabolome for origin authentication. Because most annotations remain at MSI Level 3, individual compounds are reported as putative throughout, and all conclusions rest on multivariate and class-level evidence. Full article

Oxidative stress is a major consequence of environmental, metabolic, and disease-related challenges in poultry and can compromise cellular integrity and function. Although antioxidant defense mechanisms are broadly conserved across vertebrates, oxidative-stress responses in avian cells remain less well characterized than those in mammalian systems. Superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) is a key antioxidant enzyme, but how elevated SOD1 expression influences both oxidative injury and stress-responsive transcription in chicken cells remains incompletely understood. In this study, we established a stable SOD1-overexpressing chicken DF-1 fibroblast cell line and induced acute oxidative stress using hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Cellular responses were evaluated using CCK-8 viability assays and Hoechst 33342/propidium iodide staining, followed by RNA sequencing and transcriptomic analyses. SOD1 overexpression markedly improved cell viability under H₂O₂ challenge and substantially reduced necrotic cell death, whereas its effect on apoptosis-associated changes was comparatively limited. Transcriptomic profiling showed that H₂O₂ induced extensive transcriptional reprogramming, while SOD1 overexpression reshaped this response by attenuating a subset of stress-inducible gene programs. Trend clustering further identified an H₂O₂-responsive module associated mainly with basic amino acid transport and stress-related regulatory processes that was less strongly induced in SOD1-overexpressing cells. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that elevated SOD1 expression enhances resistance to acute oxidative injury and modifies stress-responsive transcription in chicken fibroblasts. This study extends our current understanding of SOD1-mediated antioxidant cytoprotection in an avian cellular model and provides a molecular basis for further investigation of oxidative-stress regulation in poultry. Full article

L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1), which controls the neutral amino acid uptake across the cell membranes, has been frequently overexpressed in various human cancers. Overexpression of LAT1 is associated with higher proliferation and shorter patient survival in tumors. Here, upregulated LAT1 expression was observed in patient-derived canine bladder cancers (BCs), and a small-molecule LAT1 inhibitor (JPH203) successfully reduced BC tumor growth both in vitro and in vivo. Patient-derived cancer cells were collected from dogs with naturally occurring tumors at veterinary clinics in Japan, and the 2.5D cancer organoid culture system was generated following our previous studies. Compared with other canine cancers or normal bladder cells, the increased LAT1 expression was observed in 2 strains of BC organoids. JPH203 inhibited boronophenylalanine (BPA) uptake activity by more than 90% and suppressed cell proliferation dose-dependently. Deprivation of BPA uptake activity by JPH203 also regulated the phosphorylation of mTOR-related proteins. Furthermore, intraperitoneal administration of JPH203 decreased the growth and tumor weight of BC organoid-derived xenograft in immunodeficient mice with an induction of apoptosis and a decrease in LAT1 expression compared to vehicle-administered mice. Therefore, the present study demonstrates that JPH203 exerts anti-tumor effects in canine BC through modulation of the mTOR signaling pathway and supports further investigation of LAT1-targeted therapy for canine BC. Full article

Bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) are of great importance and have high productive potential in Brazil, especially in the Northeast region; however, their production is limited due to salinity problems in water and soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate sources and methods of calcium application for mitigating salt stress in bell pepper plants grown in a substrate-based hydroponic system. The experiment was conducted using a split-plot design in a 2 × 2 × 3 layout with four replicates, consisting of two application methods (substrate and spray), two ECiw levels (0.5 and 5.0 dS m⁻¹), and three calcium sources (no calcium—NCa; calcium nitrate—Ca(NO₃)₂; calcium complexed with amino acids—Ca-AA). Forty-two days after transplanting, gas exchange analysis, chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophyll indices, chlorophyll fluorescence, fruit number and weight, and yield per plant were measured. Ca-AA showed higher photosystem II efficiency when applied via the substrate and higher stomatal conductance (28.10%), resulted in higher fruit yield compared to the other treatments, and contributed to a reduction in apical rot. Meanwhile, the application of Ca(NO₃)₂ improved electron transport in photosystem II by 5.46%, gas exchange, and increased chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll indices by 29.62% and 10.93%, respectively. It is concluded that the application of Ca sources, especially Ca-AA, has the potential to mitigate the effects of salt stress on bell pepper plants in a substrate-based hydroponic system, improving their photosynthetic and productive performance. Full article

Background: Low maternal folate status is associated with placental dysfunction and adverse pregnancy outcomes; however, the mechanisms linking reduced folate availability to altered placental function remain incompletely understood. We investigated whether folate deficiency directly alters trophoblast function and microRNA (miRNA) expression, and whether folate-responsive miRNAs mediate these functional changes. Methods and Results: Human placental villous explants, BeWo choriocarcinoma cells, and primary human cytotrophoblasts were cultured under physiological or folate-deficient conditions to assess the direct impact of reduced folate availability. Although intracellular folate depletion was achieved in all models, only primary cytotrophoblasts reproduced functional changes consistent with those observed in placentas from folate-deficient pregnancies, exhibiting increased apoptosis and reduced system A amino acid transport. Of sixteen miRNAs previously associated with low maternal folate status, miR-30e-3p and miR-34b-5p were significantly reduced in trophoblast following folate depletion. Targeted inhibition of either miRNA did not alter apoptosis or system A activity. Pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes following miRNA inhibition identified processes related to cytoskeletal organisation, cell adhesion, PI3K/AKT and MAPK signalling. Conclusions: Folate deficiency directly impairs trophoblast survival, amino acid transport, and miRNA expression in primary trophoblasts. Our findings demonstrate that only a subset of folate-associated placental miRNAs respond directly to folate depletion and that inhibition of individual folate-responsive miRNAs is insufficient to reproduce the trophoblast phenotype. These results indicate that trophoblast adaptation to reduced folate availability is likely mediated through coordinated nutrient-sensitive regulatory networks rather than individual miRNAs acting in isolation. Full article

Macrobrachium nipponense is a commercially significant freshwater prawn species in China, with larger individuals commanding higher market prices than smaller ones. Previous transcriptomic analyses have shown that a facilitated trehalose transporter gene Tret1-like (Tret1) exhibits significantly elevated expression levels in fast-growing individuals compared to their slow-growing counterparts, suggesting a potential involvement of this gene in modulating growth performance. In the present study, we explored the functional roles of Mn-Tret1 in growth regulation using reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) and RNA interference (RNAi) techniques. The full-length cDNA sequence of Mn-Tret1 spans 1605 bp and encodes a 535 amino acid (aa) protein. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the deduced amino acid sequence of Mn-Tret1 shares the closest evolutionary relationship with that of Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Tissue distribution analysis via RT-qPCR revealed that Mn-Tret1 is ubiquitously expressed across all examined tissues, implying its potential involvement in multiple physiological processes. Notably, the highest transcript abundance was detected in muscle tissue, further suggesting its putative role in governing growth performance in M. nipponense. Subsequent RT-qPCR analysis validated the knockdown efficacy of the synthesized dsTret1 on Mn-Tret1 expression. Compared with the dsGFP-injected control group, the dsTret1-injected group exhibited a statistically significant reduction in body mass gain percentage, with the divergence becoming apparent from day 6 in females and day 12 in males (p < 0.05). Moreover, histopathological examination revealed abdominal muscle atrophy in individuals subjected to dsTret1 treatment. Collectively, these findings substantiate a positive regulatory role of Mn-Tret1 in governing growth performance. This study thereby contributes to a deeper mechanistic understanding of growth regulation in M. nipponense. Full article

Although tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) is an economically important tobamovirus, the physiological and molecular events occurring during the asymptomatic phase of infection remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the early responses of Nicotiana tabacum cv. Samsun to ToMV infection using an integrated physiological, biochemical, photosynthetic, and molecular approach. Viral accumulation was quantified via RT-PCR. Oxidative stress markers, antioxidant systems, photosynthetic performance, and gene expression were analyzed at 7 days post inoculation (DPI), before visible symptoms developed. Although infected plants remained symptomless, ToMV was detected in 80% of inoculated plants. Early infection induced oxidative stress, evidenced by increased malondialdehyde content, reduced free amino acid levels, and enhanced activities of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase. Total glutathione, phenolic compounds, and phenylpropanoids remained unchanged, whereas flavonoid content decreased significantly. ToMV infection also impaired the photosynthetic apparatus, resulting in reduced chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, decreased electron transport efficiency, and increased energy dissipation within photosystem II. Gene expression analysis revealed significant upregulation of defense- and stress-related genes (WRKY1, HSP70, GR, and DHAR), as well as chloroplast-associated genes (psaA and rbcL). Correlation analyses demonstrated coordinated relationships among viral accumulation, oxidative stress, antioxidant responses, and photosynthetic performance. These findings provide new insights into the asymptomatic phase of ToMV infection and identify potential early markers of host responses to viral infection. Full article

Herpetospermum pedunculosum is an endangered cucurbitaceous medicinal plant whose functional genomic and metabolic studies are constrained by the lack of efficient aseptic seedling and genetic transformation systems. Here, we established a rapid aseptic seedling production method and a RUBY-assisted hairy root transformation platform integrated with metabolomic evaluation. The cotton-supported liquid culture method provided a favorable balance between germination performance and experimental operability. Microsyringe-mediated stem-base inoculation with Rhizobium rhizogenes K599 carrying 35S::RUBY enabled rapid visual screening of RUBY-positive hairy roots, with a maximum transformation efficiency of 93.33%. Widely targeted metabolomics identified 242 metabolites and revealed major differences in amino acid/nitrogen and sugar metabolism, lipid-related metabolism, specialized metabolite biosynthesis, hormone-related pathways, and ABC transporters among wild-type, vector-free K599-induced, and RUBY-expressing roots. In addition, 80 HpRHL-like bHLH genes were identified. As a proof of concept, RT-qPCR confirmed HpRHL76 overexpression, which was associated with an increase in mean root hair length from approximately 0.4 to 1.1 mm. Together, this integrated framework provides a practical basis for preliminary candidate gene assessment, functional genomic studies, and future metabolic engineering of medicinally relevant compounds in H. pedunculosum, and may serve as a methodological reference for other difficult-to-transform medicinal plants. Full article

Background: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) effluent of kidney failure patients represents an accessible liquid biopsy of the peritoneal cavity, yet the mechanisms determining its molecular composition remain poorly understood. We applied an integrative multi-omics approach to characterize the composition, transport dynamics, and molecular origin of the PD effluentome. Methods: Cell-free effluent, effluent cells, and plasma were collected from stable PD patients during standardized peritoneal equilibration tests in a randomized clinical trial. Targeted metabolomics, proteomics, and transcriptomic profiling were integrated with a reference human plasma proteome to investigate temporal molecular changes, peritoneal transport characteristics, and protein origin. Results: A total of 207 metabolites and 2970 proteins were identified in PD effluent. Metabolites exhibited distinct class-specific transport kinetics, with rapid equilibration of amino acids and biogenic amines, whereas lipids remained markedly underrepresented despite prolonged dwell times, indicating that transport is governed by physicochemical properties beyond molecular size alone. The effluent proteome underwent concordant alteration, with dwell time-dependent enrichment of pathways related to extracellular matrix organization, angiogenesis, coagulation, and tissue repair. Integrative analysis of the effluent proteome, effluent-cell transcriptome, and human plasma proteome resolved distinct plasma-associated, effluent cell-associated, resident peritoneal tissue-associated, and mixed-origin protein populations. Conclusions: This study establishes the first systems-level approach describing the composition, transport dynamics, and molecular origin of the PD effluentome. By transforming PD effluent into a biologically interpretable molecular readout of peritoneal membrane biology, this work provides a reference for the mechanistic interpretation of effluent-derived biomarkers and supports future therapeutic monitoring and precision medicine in PD. Full article

This study evaluated the synergistic effects of sodium chloride (NaCl) and cytidine monophosphate (CMP) on enhancing the co-production of astaxanthin and fatty acids while suppressing secondary cell wall (SCW) formation in Haematococcus lacustris (synonym: H. pluvialis) under high-light stress. An orthogonal design identified the optimal combination (0.5 g/L NaCl and 0.5 mM CMP), which significantly increased astaxanthin yield by over 35.6% and total fatty acid yield by 28%, while maintaining 96.8% of cells in motile state (SCW-deficient). Physiological analyses revealed elevated reactive oxygen species levels, concomitant with higher actual photochemical efficiency (Fv′/Fm′) and relative electron transport rates II (rETR(II)) along with enhanced non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) capacity, and metabolic reprogramming characterized by the accumulation of lipids, sugars, and starch alongside decreased protein yield. Metabolomics indicated reduced carbon supply for SCW polysaccharide biosynthesis, coupled with decreased protein yield and altered amino acid profiles characteristic of nitrogen-limited metabolism, which collectively favored the reallocation of carbon resources toward nitrogen-free high-value products. Transcriptomics confirmed the downregulation of SCW component biosynthetic genes and the upregulation of the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway and astaxanthin biosynthetic pathway. Scale-up experiments validated this strategy for producing astaxanthin-rich motile cells, offering a promising approach for microalgal biorefinery. Full article

To investigate the differences in pulp metabolites among four varieties of Pouteria caimito fruit (JZL1, JZL3, JZL5, and JZL6), ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was employed for the separation and identification of metabolites. A total of 1285 metabolites were identified, including 648 in positive ion mode and 637 in negative ion mode. At the class level, carboxylic acids and derivatives (14.32%) and organooxygen compounds (11.83%) accounted for the highest proportions; at the subclass level, amino acids, peptides, and analogues (12.53%) as well as carbohydrates and carbohydrate conjugates (9.49%) were the main categories. PLS-DA analysis revealed significant differences in metabolite profiles among the four varieties, with numerous up-regulated and down-regulated metabolites in each comparison group, and some metabolites showed fold changes > 10 or <0.1. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis further indicated that differential metabolites were primarily enriched in pathways such as ABC transporters, citrate cycle (TCA cycle), starch and sucrose metabolism, and linoleic acid metabolism. This study provides an important metabolomic basis for variety identification, nutritional quality evaluation, and functional component development of Pouteria caimito fruit. Full article