CYP1A2 polymorphisms modify the association of habitual coffee consumption with appetite, macronutrient intake, and body mass index: results from an observational cohort and a cross-over randomized study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Evidence regarding the influence of coffee on appetite and weight control is equivocal and the influence of covariates, such as genetic variation in caffeine metabolism, remains unknown. Herein, we addressed the novel hypothesis that genetic variation in CYP1A2, a gene responsible for more than 95% of caffeine metabolism, differentially impacts the association of coffee consumption with appetite and BMI among individuals with different genetic predispositions to obesity. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A cross-over randomized intervention study involving 18 volunteers assessed the effects of coffee consumption on dietary intake, appetite, and levels of the appetite-controlling hormones asprosin and leptin. Data on habitual coffee intake, BMI, and perceived appetite were obtained from an observational cohort of 284 volunteers using validated questionnaires. Participants were stratified according to a validated genetic risk score (GRS) for obesity and to the -163C > A (rs762551) polymorphism of CYP1A2 as rapid (AA), intermediate (AC), or slow (CC) caffeine metabolizers. RESULTS: Coffee consumption led to lower energy and dietary fat intake and circulating asprosin levels (P for interaction of rs762551 genotype*coffee consumption=0.056, 0.039, and 0.043, respectively) as compared to slow/intermediate metabolizers. High coffee consumption was more prevalent in rapid compared to slow metabolizers (P = 0.008 after adjustment for age, sex, and BMI) and was associated with lower appetite perception and lower BMI only in rapid metabolizers (P for interaction of rs762551 genotype*coffee consumption = 0.002 and 0.048, respectively). This differential association of rs762551 genotype and coffee consumption with BMI was more evident in individuals at higher genetic risk of obesity (mean adjusted difference in BMI = -5.82 kg/m2 for rapid versus slow/intermediate metabolizers who consumed more than 14 cups of coffee per week). CONCLUSIONS: CYP1A2 rs762551 polymorphism modifies the association of habitual coffee consumption with BMI, in part by influencing appetite, energy intake and circulating levels of the orexigenic hormone asprosin. This association is more evident in subjects with high genetic predisposition to obesity. ClinicalTrials.gov: registered Clinical Trial NCT04514588.

Hormesis with glyphosate depends on coffee growth stage.

Weed management systems in almost all Brazilian coffee plantations allow herbicide spray to drift on crop plants. In order to evaluate if there is any effect of the most commonly used herbicide in coffee production, glyphosate, on coffee plants, a range of glyphosate doses were applied directly on coffee plants at two distinct plant growth stages. Although growth of both young and old plants was reduced at higher glyphosate doses, low doses caused no effects on growth characteristics of young plants and stimulated growth of older plants. Therefore, hormesis with glyphosate is dependent on coffee plant growth stage at the time of herbicide application.

A role for ferritin in the antioxidant system in coffee cell cultures.

Iron (Fe) is an essential nutrient for plants, but it can generate oxidative stress at high concentrations. In this study, Coffea arabica L. cell suspension cultures were exposed to excess Fe (60 and 240 µM) to investigate changes in the gene expression of ferritin and antioxidant enzymes. Iron content accumulated during cell growth, and Western blot analysis showed an increase of ferritin in cells treated with Fe. The expression of two ferritin genes retrieved from the Brazilian coffee EST database was studied. CaFER1, but not CaFER2, transcripts were induced by Fe exposure. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that CaFER1 is not similar to CaFER2 or to any ferritin that has been characterised in detail. The increase in ferritin gene expression was accompanied by an increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione reductase activities increased in cells grown in the presence of excess Fe, especially at 60 µM, while the activity of glutathione S-transferase decreased. These data suggest that Fe induces oxidative stress in coffee cell suspension cultures and that ferritin participates in the antioxidant system to protect cells against oxidative damage. Thus, cellular Fe concentrations must be finely regulated to avoid cellular damage most likely caused by increased oxidative stress induced by Fe. However, transcriptional analyses indicate that ferritin genes are differentially controlled, as only CaFER1 expression was responsive to Fe treatment.

Variability of Lecanicillium spp. Mycoparasite of Coffee Leaf Rust Pathogen (Hemileia vastatrix) in Indonesia.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Coffee leaf rust disease caused by <i>Hemileia vastatrix</i> resulted in high yield loss and difficult to control. Several chemical fungicides have been used to control this disease. However, the effectiveness of chemical control is low, so it is necessary to find other methods such as biological control. <i>Lecanicillium</i> spp. is well-known as mycoparasite on <i>H. vastatrix</i> uredospores but the study in Indonesia is still limited. This study aimed to collect and investigated the genetic variability of <i>Lecanicillium</i> spp. at various coffee plantations in Indonesia. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Samples of <i>Lecanicillium </i>spp. were collected from 20 districts in 7 provinces throughout Indonesia. Morphology of colony and conidia were identified by visual examination and by viewed under the light microscope. Genetic variability was conducted using Rep-PCR and clustered with UPGMA. <b>Results:</b> Morphological observation in this study revealed all isolates collected from uredospores of <i>H. vastatrix</i> were similar with <i>Lecanicillium </i>spp. Genetic variability analysis clustered the 80 isolates into eight clusters with their specific characters. <b>Conclusion:</b> Morphological identification in this study showed that 80 isolates of mycoparasite on <i>H. vastatrix</i> belong to <i>Lecanicillium</i> spp. Further study using the molecular technique is needed to identity the species of <i>Lecanicillium</i>.

Changes in some characteristics between the wild and Al-tolerant coffee (Coffea arabica L.) cell line.

An aluminium (Al)-tolerant cell line (LAMt) of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) was obtained from a cell suspension culture and biochemically and molecularly characterized in an MS medium at half ionic strength and low pH. LAMt grew 30% more than the control line (susceptible to Al) in the presence of different concentrations of Al, showed a lower free Al concentration in the medium and had higher phospholipase C specific activity (80%). Membrane integrity of the LAMt was 50% greater than the control line when both were incubated in the presence of different Al concentrations (measured by Evans Blue uptake). Finally, the use of microsatellite primers revealed no difference in the DNA pattern of both cell lines.

Coffee, caffeine, and risk of completed suicide: results from three prospective cohorts of American adults.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between coffee and caffeine consumption and suicide risk in three large-scale cohorts of US men and women. METHODS: We accessed data of 43,599 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS, 1988-2008), 73,820 women in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS, 1992-2008), and 91,005 women in the NHS II (1993-2007). Consumption of caffeine, coffee, and decaffeinated coffee, was assessed every 4 years by validated food-frequency questionnaires. Deaths from suicide were determined by physician review of death certificates. Multivariate adjusted relative risks (RRs) were estimated with Cox proportional hazard models. Cohort specific RRs were pooled using random-effect models. RESULTS: We documented 277 deaths from suicide. Compared to those consuming ≤ 1 cup/week of caffeinated coffee (< 8 oz/237 ml), the pooled multivariate RR (95% confidence interval [CI]) of suicide was 0.55 (0.38-0.78) for those consuming 2-3 cups/day and 0.47 (0.27-0.81) for those consuming ≥ 4 cups/day (P trend < 0.001). The pooled multivariate RR (95% CI) for suicide was 0.75 (0.63-0.90) for each increment of 2 cups/day of caffeinated coffee and 0.77 (0.63-0.93) for each increment of 300 mg/day of caffeine. CONCLUSIONS: These results from three large cohorts support an association between caffeine consumption and lower risk of suicide.

Photosynthesis and photoprotection in coffee leaves is affected by nitrogen and light availabilities in winter conditions.

Coffee is native to shady environments but often grows better and produces higher yields without shade, though at the expense of high fertilization inputs, particularly nitrogen (N). Potted plants were grown under full sunlight and shade (50%) conditions and were fertilized with nutrient solutions containing either 0 or 23 mM N. Measurements were made in southeastern Brazil during winter conditions, when relatively low night temperatures and high diurnal insolation are common. Overall, the net carbon assimilation rate was quite low, which was associated with diffusive, rather than biochemical, constraints. N deficiency led to decreases in the concentrations of chlorophylls (Chl) and total carotenoids as well as in the Chl/N ratio. These conditions also led to qualitative changes in the carotenoid composition, e.g., increased antheraxanthin (A) and zeaxanthin (Z) pools on a Chl basis, particularly at high light, which was linked to increased thermal dissipation of absorbed light. The variable-to-maximum fluorescence ratio at predawn decreased with increasing A+Z pools and decreased linearly with decreasing N. We showed that this ratio was inadequate for assessing photoinhibition under N limitation. Expressed per unit mass, the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase were not altered with the treatments. In contrast, ascorbate peroxidase activity was lower in low N plants, particularly under shade, whereas catalase activity was lower in shaded plants than in sun-grown plants, regardless of the N level. Glutamine synthetase activity was greater in sun-grown plants than in shaded individuals at a given N level and decreased with decreasing N application. Our results suggest that the photoprotective and antioxidant capacity per amount of photons absorbed was up-regulated by a low N supply; nevertheless, this capacity, regardless of the light conditions, was not enough to prevent oxidative damage, as judged from the increases in the H(2)O(2) and malondialdehyde concentrations and electrolyte leakage. We demonstrated that N fertilization could adequately protect the coffee plants against photodamage independently of the anticipated positive effects of N on the photosynthetic capacity.

[Establisment of a genetic transformation method of coffee (Coffea arabica cv. Catimor) and incorporation of bar gene for ammonium glufosinate resistance]. / Establecimiento de un metodo para la transformacion genetica de cafe (Coffea arabica cv. Catimor) e incorporacion del gen bar que confiere resistencia al herbicida "glufosinato de amonio".

In order to establish a successful method of genetic transformation in Coffea arabica cv. Catimor, different conditions of generation and electroporation were evaluated on different plant tissues. Cell suspension system was improved using one hormone only (BA), obtaining high yields of primary and secondary somatic embryo production. For selection of viable and potentially transformed cells, MTT (1%) method and ammonium glufosinate concentration (1 mg/L in leaf, callus and embryos; and 5 mg/L in cells) were established. Different conditions were evaluated to electroporate different explants (embryogenic callus, vitroplants leaves, globular and torpedo embryos). The highest gus gene expression percentage by explant were found on enzymatic treated tissues at 375 V/cm in callus, and at 625 V/cm in leaves and embryos. Torpedo embryos cultured on liquid medium were the only type of tissue that could regenerate into plants, where secondary somatic embryos were obtained. Those embryos were positive to the gus gene histochemical test and to the gus and bar genes amplification on a PCR reaction.