Changes in dietary fiber intake in mice reveal associations between colonic mucin O-glycosylation and specific gut bacteria.

The colonic mucus layer, comprised of highly O-glycosylated mucins, is vital to mediating host-gut microbiota interactions, yet the impact of dietary changes on colonic mucin O-glycosylation and its associations with the gut microbiota remains unexplored. Here, we used an array of omics techniques including glycomics to examine the effect of dietary fiber consumption on the gut microbiota, colonic mucin O-glycosylation and host physiology of high-fat diet-fed C57BL/6J mice. The high-fat diet group had significantly impaired glucose tolerance and altered liver proteome, gut microbiota composition, and short-chain fatty acid production compared to normal chow diet group. While dietary fiber inclusion did not reverse all high fat-induced modifications, it resulted in specific changes, including an increase in the relative abundance of bacterial families with known fiber digesters and a higher propionate concentration. Conversely, colonic mucin O-glycosylation remained similar between the normal chow and high-fat diet groups, while dietary fiber intervention resulted in major alterations in O-glycosylation. Correlation network analysis revealed previously undescribed associations between specific bacteria and mucin glycan structures. For example, the relative abundance of the bacterium Parabacteroides distasonis positively correlated with glycan structures containing one terminal fucose and correlated negatively with glycans containing two terminal fucose residues or with both an N-acetylneuraminic acid and a sulfate residue. This is the first comprehensive report of the impact of dietary fiber on the colonic mucin O-glycosylation and associations of these mucosal glycans with specific gut bacteria.

Comparing the chemical composition of dietary fibres prepared from sugarcane, psyllium husk and wheat dextrin.

A dietary fibre prepared from sugarcane stalk was compared with psyllium husk and wheat dextrin. In contrast to the other dietary fibres, sugarcane fibre was found to contain significant amounts of insoluble dietary fibre (73-86%), lignin (18.66-20.23%), and rare minerals such as chromium (0.67-2.54 mg/100 g) and manganese (1.07-2.34 mg/100 g). Analysis of the ethanol extract also detected compounds with antioxidant activity. Characterisation of five sugarcane fibres prepared from selected strains, harvest periods (growth or storage phase), and processing conditions showed these factors influenced the final composition. Furthermore, using in vitro digestion, we found that potassium, magnesium, chromium, and zinc in were bioaccessible in sugarcane samples. Also, sodium was shown to bind to the sugarcane fibre potentially indicating bile salt binding activity. Results from this study support the use of sugarcane as a source of dietary fibre in functional foods.

Fiber Supplements Derived From Sugarcane Stem, Wheat Dextrin and Psyllium Husk Have Different In Vitro Effects on the Human Gut Microbiota.

There is growing public interest in the use of fiber supplements as a way of increasing dietary fiber intake and potentially improving the gut microbiota composition and digestive health. However, currently there is limited research into the effects of commercially available fiber supplements on the gut microbiota. Here we used an in vitro human digestive and gut microbiota model system to investigate the effect of three commercial fiber products; NutriKane™, Benefiber® and Psyllium husk (Macro) on the adult gut microbiota. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing results showed dramatic fiber-dependent changes in the gut microbiota structure and composition. Specific bacterial OTUs within the families Bacteroidaceae, Porphyromonadaceae, Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Bifidobacteriaceae showed an increase in the relative abundances in the presence of one or more fiber product(s), while Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae showed a reduction in the relative abundances upon addition of all fiber treatments compared to the no added fiber control. Fiber-specific increases in SCFA concentrations showed correlation with the relative abundance of potential SCFA-producing gut bacteria. The chemical composition, antioxidant potential and polyphenolic content profiles of each fiber product were determined and found to be highly variable. Observed product-specific variations could be linked to differences in the chemical composition of the fiber products. The general nature of the fiber-dependent impact was relatively consistent across the individuals, which may demonstrate the potential of the products to alter the gut microbiota in a similar, and predictable direction, despite variability in the starting composition of the individual gut microbiota.

Polyphenol extracts from dried sugarcane inhibit inflammatory mediators in an in vitro colon cancer model.

Sugarcane is an important crop grown in tropical regions for sugar, and for ethanol production. Sugarcane is also a source of phytochemicals but its nutraceutical potential has been under-explored. We show that ethanol extracts of whole dried sugarcane (WDS) recovers a rich content of polyphenols, flavonoids and antioxidant activity that act on inflammatory mediator proteins. To investigate the mechanisms of this activity, we stimulated SW480 colon cancer cells with lipopolysaccharide, exposed cells to WDS and quantitated changes to the proteome and phosphoproteome using label-free mass spectrometry. The grape-derived anti-inflammatory polyphenol, resveratrol (RSV) was used as a control. Using SWATH-MS we quantitated ~3000 proteins showing that WDS significantly altered the expression of the oxidative stress regulator SELH. WDS induced changes in protein expression predicted the involvement of NFκB pathway members. Reduced NFκB phosphorylation and IL-8 secretion confirmed this effect. In contrast, RSV was predicted to act primarily through modulation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. Phosphoproteomics studies indicate that WDS interfered in the phosphorylation of cell stress regulators c-Jun, EGFR, PKA, PKCß and SIRT1. Confirmed through pharmacological inhibition, kinase enrichment analysis presented C-Raf to modulate WDS activity. These results demonstrate the anti-inflammatory utility of WSD and define aspects of its mechanisms of action. SIGNIFICANCE: Despite the increasing interest of nutraceuticals in health promotion, scientific evidence proving the molecular mechanisms involved is still lacking. This study investigated some of the mechanistic aspects of in vitro use of whole dried sugarcane extracts in the context of regulating cellular inflammation by using proteomics and phosphoproteomics strategies. We determined that WDS extracts regulate key inflammatory pathways including NFκB, while kinase enrichment analysis from phosphoproteomics demonstrated a role for C-Raf in controlling this mechanism. We demonstrated that the mechanism of WDS extracts on controlling inflammation differs from that of the polyphenol, resveratrol. The results presented herein contribute towards unravelling the activity of nutraceuticals extracted from sugarcane.

Design and synthesis of epicocconone analogues with improved fluorescence properties.

Epicocconone is a natural latent fluorophore that is widely used in biotechnology because of its large Stokes shift and lack of fluorescence in its unconjugated state. However, the low photostability and quantum yields of epicocconone have limited its wider use, and in the absence of a total synthesis, this limitation has been a long-standing problem. Here we report a general strategy for the synthesis of epicocconone analogues that relies on a 2-iodoxybenzoic acid-mediated dearomatization and on the replacement of the triene tail of the natural product by an aromatic ring. This design element is general and the synthesis is straightforward, providing ready access to libraries of polyfunctional fluorophores with long Stokes shifts based on the epicocconone core. Our structural modifications resulted in analogues with increased photostability and quantum yields compared with the natural product. Staining proteomic gels with these new analogues showed significant lowering of the detection limit and a 30% increase in the number of low-abundance proteins detected. These epiccoconone analogues will substantially improve the discovery rate of biomarker needles in the proteomic haystack.

Mass spectrometric compatibility of Deep Purple and SYPRO Ruby total protein stains for high-throughput proteomics using large-format two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

In order to identify putative biomarkers from two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis it is necessary to use a visualization technique that is sensitive, has a large dynamic range and does not interfere with the identification of the protein. As mass spectrometry increases in sensitivity more pressure is placed on visualization techniques that facilitate proteomic workflows but do not interfere with downstream processing. Two stains reported to meet these requirements are SYPRO Ruby (Invitrogen) and Deep Purple (GE Healthcare). This study examined the compatibility of these stains with protein identification by selecting spots from replicate 2D gels of human plasma and subjecting these to protein identification using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Using a test of two populations of proportions it was found that proteins were statistically more likely to be identified from gels stained with Deep Purple. Additionally, the identifications from Deep Purple stained gels are of higher quality because they are based on multiple peptides.

Mass spectral compatibility of four proteomics stains.

With the recent introduction of new fluorescence stains to the proteomics market, there is now more choice available. SYPRO Ruby, LavaPurple, Flamingo, and Krypton total protein stains were compared for ease of use, image quality, and compatibility with protein identification by peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) (MALDI-TOF). All four stains produced good images but with slightly different staining patterns. SYPRO was found to inhibit identification of cysteine and tryptophan containing peptides, which reduced protein identification.

The surface activity of purified ocular mucin at the air-liquid interface and interactions with meibomian lipids.

PURPOSE: Ocular mucins are thought to contribute to the stability of the tear film by reducing surface tension. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of different mucins and hyaluronic acid (HA) alone and mixed with meibomian lipids on the surface pressure at an air-liquid interface. METHODS: A Langmuir trough and Wilhelmy balance were used to measure and compare the surface activity of bovine submaxillary gland mucin (BSM), purified BSM, purified bovine ocular mucin and HA, and mixtures of these with meibomian lipids, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylglycerol. Their appearance at the surface of an air-buffer interface was examined using epifluorescence microscopy. RESULTS: Purified ocular mucin had no surface activity even at concentrations that were 100 times more than normally occur in tears. By contrast, commercial BSM caused changes to surface pressure that were concentration dependent. The surface pressure-area profiles showed surface activity with maximum surface pressures of 12.3-22.5 mN/m depending on the concentration. Purified BSM showed no surface activity at low concentrations, whereas higher concentrations reached a maximum surface pressure of 25 mN/m. HA showed no surface activity, at low or high concentrations. Epifluorescence showed that the mucins were located at the air-buffer interface and changed the appearance of lipid films. CONCLUSION: Purified bovine ocular mucin and HA have no surface activity. However, despite having no surface activity in their own right, ocular mucins are likely to be present at the surface of the tear film, where they cause an increase in surface pressure by causing a compression of the lipids (a reorganization of the lipids) and alter the viscoelastic properties at the surface.

Clinical appearance and microscopic analysis of mucin balls associated with contact lens wear.

PURPOSE: The structure of mucin balls collected from silicone hydrogel contact lens wearers was examined to determine their nature. METHODS: Tears containing mucin balls were collected using a capillary tube. These were processed for light microscopic histochemistry, scanning electron microscopy, and electron microscopic elemental analysis. Mucin balls were also observed in vivo using confocal microscopy. RESULTS: Histology showed that the mucin balls were PAS positive, indicating that glycoproteins form a major component. Lipids and bacteria were not detected. Scanning electron microscopy did not show the surface to be smooth but revealed a variation in density across the surface. Elemental analysis was inconclusive. CONCLUSIONS: Mucin balls are likely to be made from collapsed mucin and are unlikely to have been formed as a result of pearling around a silicon, lipid, or bacterial kernel.