Ascophyllum nodosum polysaccharide regulates gut microbiota metabolites to protect against colonic inflammation in mice.

Ascophyllum nodosum polysaccharide (ANP) can protect against colonic inflammation but the underlying mechanism is still unclear. This study has determined the metabolites of gut microbiota regulated by ANP to reveal the mechanism of the anti-inflammation effect of ANP. Using an in vitro colonic fermentation model, the results indicate that gut microbiota could utilize a proportion of ANP to increase the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and decrease ammonia content. Metabolomics revealed that 46 differential metabolites, such as betaine, L-carnitine, and aminoimidazole carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR), could be altered by ANP. Metabolic pathway analysis showed that ANP mainly up-regulated the phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, which were negatively correlated with inflammation progression. Interestingly, these metabolites associated with inflammation were also up-regulated by ANP in colitis mice, including betaine, L-carnitine, AICAR, N-acetyl-glutamine, tryptophan, and valine, which were mainly associated with amino acid metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis. Furthermore, the metabolites modulated by ANP were associated with the relative abundances of Akkermansia, Bacteroides, Blautia, Coprobacillus, Enterobacter, and Klebsiella. Additionally, based on VIP values, betaine is a key metabolite after the ANP supplement in vitro and in vivo. As indicated by these findings, ANP can up-regulate the production of SCFAs, betaine, L-carnitine, and AICAR and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis to protect against colonic inflammation and maintain intestinal health.

Improvement of in vitro-transcribed amber suppressor tRNAs toward higher suppression efficiency in wheat germ extract.

In vitro-transcribed, unmodified, and non-aminoacylated amber suppressor tRNAs that are recognized by natural aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase were improved toward higher suppression efficiency in batch-mode cell-free translation in wheat germ extract. The suppression efficiency of the suppressor obtained through four sequence optimization steps (anticodon alteration of natural tRNAs (the first generation); chimerization of the efficient suppressors in the first generation; investigation and optimization of the effective parts in the second generation; combination of the optimized parts in the third generation) and by the terminal tuning was approximately 60%, which was 2.4-fold higher than that of the best suppressor in the first generation. In addition, an eRF1 aptamer further increased the efficiency up to 85%. This highly efficient suppression system also functioned well in a dialysis-based large-scale protein synthesis.

Messenger RNA methylation, translation and degradation in extracts of interferon-treated cells.

Extracts from interferon-treated, not virus infected EAT cells differ in several biochemical characteristics from extracts of untreated cells. Some of these differences are manifested only if the extracts are supplemented with ds RNA and ATP. Thus, in the extracts from interferon-treated cells these supplements activate a protein kinase and an endonuclease activity as well as an inhibitor of the translation of messenger RNA. The effect of the same supplements in extracts of untreated cells is much less pronounced. Other differences between the two types of extracts do not seem to depend on the addition of ds RNA and ATP. These include an impairment of mRNA cap methylation and an inhibition of peptide chain elongation that can be overcome by the addition of tRNA. The treatment of human (HeLa S3) cells with human interferon is manifested in the cell extract similarly to the treatment of EAT cells with mouse interferon. Studies are underway to isolate and characterize the ds RNA activated enzymes and the inhibitors and to establish how the presence of these in extracts from interferon-treated cells can account for the impairment of virus replication by interferon.

Regulation of RNA synthesis in Escherichia coli. III. Degradation of guanosine 5'-diphosphate 3'-diphosphate in cold-shocked cells.

Cold-shocked cells of Escherichia coli can degrade intracellularly accumulated guanosine 5'-diphosphate 3'-diphosphate (ppGpp). The rate of ppGpp degradation is governed, as in whole cells, by the spoT gene; a rapid breakdown reaction is associated with the presence of the spoT+ allele and at least a five-fold slower decay occurs in spoT-minus mutants. The two degradation reactions in shocked cells display the following similarities: (i) the rates of degradation are equivalent to whole cell estimates, (ii) both require a full complement of activated amino acids, (iii) both are dependent upon supplements in the reaction mixture which stimulate the availability of energy-rich compounds and (iv) neither is inhibited by concentrations of ribosomal antibiotics which severely restrict protein synthesis. Apart from characteristic rate differences, decay of ppGpp in shocked cells derived from spoT-minus strains is discerned from spoT+ mediated decay in shocked cells by sensitivity to high concentrations of tetracycline and by manganese ion dependence.