| 1. |
- Alderman, J. McKee, et al.
(författare)
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Neuroendocrine inhibition of glucose production and resistance to cancer in dwarf mice
- 2009
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Ingår i: Experimental Gerontology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0531-5565 .- 1873-6815. ; 44:1-2, s. 26-33
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pit1 null (Snell dwarf) and Proph1 null (Ames dwarf) mutant mice lack GH, PRL and TSH. Snell and Ames dwarf mice also exhibit reduced IGF-I, resistance to cancer and a longer lifespan than control mice. Endogenous glucose production during fasting is reduced in Snell dwarf mice compared to fasting control mice. In view of cancer cell dependence on glucose for energy, low endogenous glucose production may provide Snell dwarf mice with resistance to cancer. We investigated whether endogenous glucose production is lower in Snell dwarf mice during feeding. Inhibition of endogenous glucose production by glucose injection was enhanced in 12 to 14 month-old female Snell dwarf mice. Thus, we hypothesize that lower endogenous glucose production during feeding and fasting reduces cancer cell glucose utilization providing Snell dwarf mice with resistance to cancer. The elevation of circulating adiponectin, a hormone produced by adipose tissue, may contribute to the suppression of endogenous glucose production in 12 to 14 month-old Snell dwarf mice. We compared the incidence of cancer at time of death between old Snell dwarf and control mice. Only 18% of old Snell dwarf mice had malignant lesions at the time of death compared to 82% of control mice. The median ages at death for old Snell dwarf and control mice were 33 and 26 months, respectively. By contrast, previous studies showed a high incidence of cancer in old Ames dwarf mice at the time of death. Hence, resistance to cancer in old Snell dwarf mice may be mediated by neuroendocrine factors that reduce glucose utilization besides elevated adiponectin, reduced IGF-I and a lack of GH, PRL and TSH, seen in both Snell and Ames dwarf mice. Proteomics analysis of pituitary secretions from Snell dwarf mice confirmed the absence of GH and PRL, the secretion of ACTH and elevated secretion of Chromogranin B and Secretogranin II. Radioimmune assays confirmed that circulating Chromogranin B and Secretogranin II were elevated in 12 to 14 month-old Snell dwarf mice. In summary, our results in Snell dwarf mice suggest that the pituitary gland and adipose tissue are part of a neuroendocrine loop that lowers the risk of cancer during aging by reducing the availability of glucose.
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| 2. |
- Arnesen, H., et al.
(författare)
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Microbial experience through housing in a farmyard-type environment alters intestinal barrier properties in mouse colons
- 2023
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - 2045-2322. ; 13:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To close the gap between ultra-hygienic research mouse models and the much more environmentally exposed conditions of humans, we have established a system where laboratory mice are raised under a full set of environmental factors present in a naturalistic, farmyard-type habitat-a process we have called feralization. In previous studies we have shown that feralized (Fer) mice were protected against colorectal cancer when compared to conventionally reared laboratory mice (Lab). However, the protective mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Disruption of the protective intestinal barrier is an acknowledged player in colorectal carcinogenesis, and in the current study we assessed colonic mucosal barrier properties in healthy, feralized C57BL/6JRj male mice. While we found no effect of feralization on mucus layer properties, higher expression of genes encoding the mucus components Fcgbp and Clca1 still suggested mucus enforcement due to feralization. Genes encoding other proteins known to be involved in bacterial defense (Itln1, Ang1, Retnlb) and inflammatory mechanisms (Zbp1, Gsdmc2) were also higher expressed in feralized mice, further suggesting that the Fer mice have an altered intestinal mucosal barrier. These findings demonstrate that microbial experience conferred by housing in a farmyard-type environment alters the intestinal barrier properties in mice possibly leading to a more robust protection against disease. Future studies to unravel regulatory roles of feralization on intestinal barrier should aim to conduct proteomic analyses and in vivo performance of the feralized mice intestinal barrier.
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| 3. |
- Carlsson, Henrik, 1987-
(författare)
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Development of an adductomic approach to identify electrophiles in vivo through their hemoglobin adducts
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Humans are exposed to electrophilically reactive compounds, both formed endogenously and from exogenous exposure. Such compounds could react and form stable reaction products, adducts, at nucleophilic sites in proteins and DNA. The formation of adducts constitutes a risk for effects, such as cancer and contact allergy, and plays a role in ageing processes. Adducts to proteins offer a possibility to measure electrophilic compounds in vivo.Adductomic approaches aim to study the totality of adducts, to specific biomolecules, by mass spectrometric screening. This thesis describes the development and application of an adductomic approach for the screening of unknown adducts to N-terminal valine (Val) in hemoglobin (Hb) by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS).The adductomic approach is based on the FIRE procedure, a modified Edman procedure for the analysis of adducts to N-terminal Val in Hb by LC/MS/MS. The adduct screening was performed by stepwise scanning of precursor ions in small mass increments and monitoring four fragments common for derivatives of detached Val adducts, in the multiple reaction monitoring mode. Samples from 12 smokers/nonsmokers were screened with the adductomic approach, and seven previously identified adducts and 19 unknown adducts were detected. A semiquantitative approach was applied for approximate quantification of adduct levels.A strategy for identifying unknown Hb adducts using adductome LC/MS/MS data was formulated and applied for the identification of unknown adducts. Identifications were based on the observed m/z of precursor ions and retention times combined with databases and Log P calculations. Hypothesized adducts were generated in vitro for comparison and matching with the corresponding unknown adducts. Five identified adducts correspond to the precursor electrophiles ethyl vinyl ketone (EVK), glyoxal, methylglyoxal, acrylic acid, and 1-octen-3-one. These adducts, except the adducts corresponding to glyoxal and methylglyoxal, have not been observed as protein adducts before. Probable exposure sources to these electrophiles are diet and/or endogenous formation. The observation of these adducts motivate further studies to evaluate possible contributions to health risks, as well as their potential as biomarkers of exposure.The adduct from EVK was quantitatively assessed through different experiments to estimate the daily internal dose (area under the concentration-time-curve, AUC). EVK is about 2 × 103 more reactive than the reference compound acrylamide. The EVK adduct was shown to be unstable, with a relatively short half-life. The daily AUC in humans of EVK was estimated to be about 20 times lower than the corresponding AUC of acrylamide from intake via food.To confirm the observation of the detected unknown adducts and obtain a statistical foundation, analysis of unknown adducts were performed in large sets of blood samples (n = 50–120) from human cohorts. The majority of the previously detected unknown adducts were found in all analyzed samples, and the levels of many adducts showed large variations between individuals. The cause and significance of these observed variations are not yet clarified, but are of importance for the directions of future studies.In conclusion, a new approach for identification of unknown human exposure to electrophiles was developed and successfully applied.
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| 4. |
- Jakobsson, Hedvig E, et al.
(författare)
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The composition of the gut microbiota shapes the colon mucus barrier.
- 2015
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Ingår i: EMBO reports. - : EMBO. - 1469-3178 .- 1469-221X. ; 16, s. 164-177
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two C57BL/6 mice colonies maintained in two rooms of the same specific pathogen-free (SPF) facility were found to have different gut microbiota and a mucus phenotype that was specific for each colony. The thickness and growth of the colon mucus were similar in the two colonies. However, one colony had mucus that was impenetrable to bacteria or beads the size of bacteria-which is comparable to what we observed in free-living wild mice-whereas the other colony had an inner mucus layer penetrable to bacteria and beads. The different properties of the mucus depended on the microbiota, as they were transmissible by transfer of caecal microbiota to germ-free mice. Mice with an impenetrable mucus layer had increased amounts of Erysipelotrichi, whereas mice with a penetrable mucus layer had higher levels of Proteobacteria and TM7 bacteria in the distal colon mucus. Thus, our study shows that bacteria and their community structure affect mucus barrier properties in ways that can have implications for health and disease. It also highlights that genetically identical animals housed in the same facility can have rather distinct microbiotas and barrier structures.
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| 5. |
- Martella, Giulia, 1993-
(författare)
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DNA adductomics: Method development and integration in biological effect monitoring
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Environmental omics can provide informative biomarkers for identifying pathologies or physiological responses to environmental change. Nucleic acid adductomics, one of the newest omics techniques, is particularly well suited for assessing exposure and effects of environmental contaminants because the technique can capture modifications at the (epi)genome level. However, identifying potential adduct-biomarkers is challenging, especially in non-model organisms. Therefore, the primary aims of this study were to improve the methodology and explore the applicability of nucleic acid adductomics in environmental monitoring of the biological effects of contaminants, using amphipods as sentinel species.From a methodology perspective, this thesis presents a gradual progression in screening and detecting DNA modifications. The mass spectrometry (MS) based approach for identifying candidate DNA adducts utilized the characteristic neutral loss of deoxyribose. In Paper I, the data generated from high resolution MS in Full Scan-Data independent Acquisition mode were analyzed manually using the fragmentation pattern of nucleoside adduct ions. In Paper II, processing time and efficiency were significantly improved by the development of nLossFinder software. Further, TraceFinder software was combined and used to evaluate and quantify detected adducts (Paper III). Another important development was a simultaneous approach for analysis of both DNA and RNA adducts in a single MS run presented in Paper IV. The analysis of amphipod samples based on the existing approaches and methods developed in this thesis showed that reproductive pathologies identified by the microscopic analysis were associated with specific DNA modifications that can be used to classify field-collected individuals according to their health status (Paper I). Moreover, epigenetic marks were the most influential adducts for this classification. Finally, the adduct profile of amphipods differed between the areas with relatively high and low contamination loads based on PAH and trace metal concentrations in the sediment (Paper III). Also, significant correlations were found between DNA adducts and specific contaminants.These method developments and findings uniquely contribute to the field of environmental omics, providing tools for data processing and demonstrating the applicability of nucleic acid adductomics in environmental health research and biological effect monitoring.
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