Faecal microbiota and fatty acids in feline chronic enteropathy.

BACKGROUND: Feline chronic enteropathy is a set of disorders defined as the presence of clinical signs of gastrointestinal disease for at least three weeks. The most common final diagnoses are inflammatory bowel disease and alimentary small cell lymphoma. The etiopathogenesis of these diseases is incompletely understood; however, it is hypothesised that they involve a combination of factors, including altered composition and/or functionality of the intestinal microbiome. An important factor in the interplay of the microbiome and host is the production of short- and branched-chain fatty acids.  The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible differences in faecal microbiota diversity, composition and fatty acid production between cats suffering from chronic enteropathy and healthy cats. Sixteen cats suffering from chronic enteropathy and fourteen healthy control cats were enrolled in the study. The microbiota compositions of faecal samples were analysed by using next-generation amplicon sequencing of the V3V4 fragment of the 16S rRNA gene. Fatty acids were evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Both the alpha and beta diversities were significantly lower in samples obtained from cats with chronic enteropathy. The relative abundance of the phylum Proteobacteria, orders Lactobacillales and Enterobacterales, family Enteriobacteriaceae and genus Escherichia Shigella were higher in diseased cats, whereas the abundance of the phylum Bacteroidota and order Peptococcales were higher in control cats. The faecal concentrations of short-chain fatty acids were higher in cats with chronic enteropathy, with lower propionate proportions and higher butyrate proportions. CONCLUSION: The study revealed alterations in microbiota compositions and short-chain fatty acid concentration in cats suffering from chronic enteropathy, which is an important finding both for research on the pathogenesis of the disease and for potential therapeutic interventions in the form of faecal microbiota transplantation and/or probiotic supplementation.

YSL3-mediated copper distribution is required for fertility, seed size and protein accumulation in Brachypodium.

Addressing the looming global food security crisis requires the development of high-yielding crops. In agricultural soils, deficiency in the micronutrient copper significantly decreases grain yield in wheat (Triticum aestivum), a globally important crop. In cereals, grain yield is determined by inflorescence architecture, flower fertility, grain size, and weight. Whether copper is involved in these processes, and how it is delivered to the reproductive organs is not well understood. We show that copper deficiency alters not only the grain set but also flower development in both wheat and its recognized model, Brachypodium distachyon. We then show that the Brachypodium yellow stripe-like 3 (YSL3) transporter localizes to the phloem, transports copper in frog (Xenopus laevis) oocytes, and facilitates copper delivery to reproductive organs and grains. Failure to deliver copper, but not iron, zinc, or manganese to these structures in the ysl3 CRISPR-Cas9 mutant results in delayed flowering, altered inflorescence architecture, reduced floret fertility, grain size, weight, and protein accumulation. These defects are rescued by copper supplementation and are complemented by YSL3 cDNA. This knowledge will help to devise sustainable approaches for improving grain yield in regions where soil quality is a major obstacle for crop production. Copper distribution by a phloem-localized transporter is essential for the transition to flowering, inflorescence architecture, floret fertility, size, weight, and protein accumulation in seeds.