| 1. |
- Blacher, E., et al.
(författare)
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Potential roles of gut microbiome and metabolites in modulating ALS in mice
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 572:7770
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder, in which the clinical manifestations may be influenced by genetic and unknown environmental factors. Here we show that ALS-prone Sod1 transgenic (Sod1-Tg) mice have a pre-symptomatic, vivarium-dependent dysbiosis and altered metabolite configuration, coupled with an exacerbated disease under germ-free conditions or after treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics. We correlate eleven distinct commensal bacteria at our vivarium with the severity of ALS in mice, and by their individual supplementation into antibiotic-treated Sod1-Tg mice we demonstrate that Akkermansia muciniphila (AM) ameliorates whereas Ruminococcus torques and Parabacteroides distasonis exacerbate the symptoms of ALS. Furthermore, Sod1-Tg mice that are administered AM are found to accumulate AM-associated nicotinamide in the central nervous system, and systemic supplementation of nicotinamide improves motor symptoms and gene expression patterns in the spinal cord of Sod1-Tg mice. In humans, we identify distinct microbiome and metabolite configurations-including reduced levels of nicotinamide systemically and in the cerebrospinal fluid-in a small preliminary study that compares patients with ALS with household controls. We suggest that environmentally driven microbiome-brain interactions may modulate ALS in mice, and we call for similar investigations in the human form of the disease.
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| 2. |
- Hickey, C. A., et al.
(författare)
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Colitogenic Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Antigens Access Host Immune Cells in a Sulfatase-Dependent Manner via Outer Membrane Vesicles
- 2015
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Ingår i: Cell Host & Microbe. - : Elsevier BV. - 1931-3128. ; 17:5, s. 672-680
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Microbes interact with the host immune system via several potential mechanisms. One essential step for each mechanismis themethod by which intestinal microbes or their antigens access specific host immune cells. Using genetically susceptible mice (dnKO) that develop spontaneous, fulminant colitis, triggered by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (B. theta), we investigated the mechanism of intestinal microbial access under conditions that stimulate colonic inflammation. B. theta antigens localized to host immune cells through outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that harbor bacterial sulfatase activity. We deleted the anaerobic sulfatase maturating enzyme (anSME) from B. theta, which is required for post-translational activation of all B. theta sulfatase enzymes. This bacterial mutant strain did not stimulate colitis in dnKO mice. Lastly, access of B. theta OMVs to host immune cells was sulfatase dependent. These data demonstrate that bacterial OMVs and associated enzymes promote inflammatoryimmune stimulation in genetically susceptible hosts.
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| 3. |
- Bosmans, J W A M, et al.
(författare)
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Functional mucous layer and healing of proximal colonic anastomoses in an experimental model.
- 2017
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Ingår i: The British journal of surgery. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1365-2168 .- 0007-1323. ; 104:5, s. 619-630
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Anastomotic leakage (AL) is the most dreaded complication after colorectal surgery, causing high morbidity and mortality. Mucus is a first line of defence against external factors in the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, the structural mucus protein Muc2 was depleted in genetically engineered mice and the effect on healing of colonic anastomoses studied in an experimental model.Mice of different Muc2 genotypes were used in a proximal colonic AL model. Tissues were scored histologically for inflammation, bacterial translocation was determined by quantitative PCR of bacterial 16S ribosomal DNA, and epithelial cell damage was determined by assessing serum levels of intestinal fatty acid-binding protein.Of 22 Muc2-deficient (Muc2(-/-) ) mice, 20 developed AL, compared with seven of 22 control animals (P <0·001). Control mice showed normal healing, whereas Muc2(-/-) mice had more inflammation with less collagen deposition and neoangiogenesis. A tendency towards higher bacterial translocation was seen in mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen in Muc2(-/-) mice. Intestinal fatty acid-binding protein levels were significantly higher in Muc2(-/-) mice compared with controls (P = 0·011).A functional mucous layer facilitates the healing of colonic anastomoses. Clinical relevance Colorectal anastomotic leakage remains the most dreaded complication after colorectal surgery. It is known that the aetiology of anastomotic leakage is multifactorial, and a role is suggested for the interaction between intraluminal content and mucosa. In this murine model of proximal colonic anastomotic leakage, the authors investigated the mucous layer at the intestinal mucosa, as the first line of defence, and found that a normal, functioning mucous layer is essential in the healing process of colonic anastomoses. Further research on anastomotic healing should focus on positively influencing the mucous layer to promote better postoperative recovery.
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| 4. |
- Earle, K. A., et al.
(författare)
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Quantitative Imaging of Gut Microbiota Spatial Organization
- 2015
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Ingår i: Cell Host and Microbe. - : Elsevier BV. - 1931-3128. ; 18:4, s. 478-488
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Summary Genomic technologies have significantly advanced our understanding of the composition and diversity of host-associated microbial populations. However, their spatial organization and functional interactions relative to the host have been more challenging to study. Here we present a pipeline for the assessment of intestinal microbiota localization within immunofluorescence images of fixed gut cross-sections that includes a flexible software package, BacSpace, for high-throughput quantification of microbial organization. Applying this pipeline to gnotobiotic and human microbiota-colonized mice, we demonstrate that elimination of microbiota-accessible carbohydrates (MACs) from the diet results in thinner mucus in the distal colon, increased proximity of microbes to the epithelium, and heightened expression of the inflammatory marker REG3β. Measurements of microbe-microbe proximity reveal that a MAC-deficient diet alters monophyletic spatial clustering. Furthermore, we quantify the invasion of Helicobacter pylori into the glands of the mouse stomach relative to host mitotic progenitor cells, illustrating the generalizability of this approach. © 2015 Elsevier Inc.
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| 5. |
- Ermund, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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The normal trachea is cleaned by MUC5B mucin bundles from the submucosal glands coated with the MUC5AC mucin
- 2017
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Ingår i: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications - BBRC. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-291X .- 1090-2104. ; 492:3, s. 331-337
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To understand the mucociliary clearance system, mucins were visualized by light, confocal and electron microscopy, and mucus was stained by Alcian blue and tracked by video microscopy on tracheal explants of newborn piglets. We observed long linear mucus bundles that appeared at the submucosal gland openings and were transported cephalically. The mucus bundles were shown by mass spectrometry and immunostaining to have a core made of MUC5B mucin and were coated with MUC5AC mucin produced by surface goblet cells. The transport speed of the bundles was slower than the airway surface liquid flow. We suggest that the goblet cell MUC5AC mucin anchors the mucus bundles and thus controls their transport. Normal clearance of the respiratory tree of pigs and humans, both rich in submucosal glands, is performed by thick and long mucus bundles. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
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| 6. |
- Fakih, Dalia, et al.
(författare)
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Attached stratified mucus separates bacteria from the epithelial cells in COPD lungs
- 2018
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Ingår i: Jci Insight. - : American Society for Clinical Investigation. - 2379-3708. ; 3:17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The respiratory tract is normally kept essentially free of bacteria by cilia-mediated mucus transport, but in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis (CF), bacteria and mucus accumulates instead. To address the mechanisms behind the mucus accumulation, the proteome of bronchoalveolar lavages from COPD patients and mucus collected in an elastase-induced mouse model of COPD was analyzed, revealing similarities with each other and with the protein content in colonic mucus. Moreover, stratified laminated sheets of mucus were observed in airways from patients with CF and COPD and in elastase-exposed mice. On the other hand, the mucus accumulation in the elastase model was reduced in Muc5b-KO mice. While mucus plugs were removed from airways by washing with hypertonic saline in the elastase model, mucus remained adherent to epithelial cells. Bacteria were trapped on this mucus, whereas, in non-elastase-treated mice, bacteria were found on the epithelial cells. We propose that the adherence of mucus to epithelial cells observed in CF, COPD, and the elastase-induced mouse model of COPD separates bacteria from the surface cells and, thus, protects the respiratory epithelium.
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| 7. |
- Jabbar, Karolina S., et al.
(författare)
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Highly Accurate Identification of Cystic Precursor Lesions of Pancreatic Cancer Through Targeted Mass Spectrometry: A Phase IIc Diagnostic Study
- 2018
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Ingår i: Clinical Oncology. - : American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). - 0936-6555 .- 1433-2981. ; 36:4, s. 367-375
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose Pancreatic cystic lesions are common incidental findings on imaging, but up to half may be forerunners of pancreatic cancer. Therefore, accurate differential diagnosis is crucial for correct patient management. Unfortunately, currently available diagnostic methods cannot robustly identify premalignant and malignant pancreatic cystic lesions. Cyst fluid samples obtained by routine endoscopic ultrasound-guided aspiration were used for the analyses. In a cohort of 24 patients, eight biomarker candidates for malignant potential and high-grade dysplasia/cancer were identified by an explorative proteomic approach. Subsequently, a quantitative analysis, using 30 heavy-labeled peptides from the biomarkers and parallel reaction monitoring mass spectrometry, was devised, tested in a training cohort of 80, and prospectively evaluated in a validation cohort of 68 patients. End points were surgical pathology diagnosis/clinical follow-up. Diagnostic assessments were blinded to mass spectrometry results. The optimal set of markers for detecting malignant potential was a panel of peptides from mucin-5AC and mucin-2, which could discriminate premalignant/malignant lesions from benign with an accuracy of 97% (95% CI, 89% to 99%) in the validation cohort. This result compared favorably with the accuracy of standard analyses: cyst fluid carcinoembryonic antigen (61%; 95% CI, 46% to 74%; P <.001) and cytology (84%; 95% CI, 71% to 92%; P =.02). A combination of proteins mucin-5AC and prostate stem-cell antigen could identify high-grade dysplasia/cancer with an accuracy of 96% (95% CI, 90% to 99%), and detected 95% of malignant/severely dysplastic lesions, compared with 35% and 50% for carcinoembryonic antigen and cytology (P <.001 and P =.003, respectively). Targeted mass spectrometry analysis of just three cyst fluid biomarkers provides highly accurate identification and assessment of cystic precursors to pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Additional studies should determine whether the method can facilitate timely cancer diagnosis, successful intervention, and prevention.
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| 8. |
- Lang, Tiange, 1976, et al.
(författare)
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Searching the Evolutionary Origin of Epithelial Mucus Protein Components-Mucins and FCGBP
- 2016
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Ingår i: Molecular Biology and Evolution. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0737-4038 .- 1537-1719. ; 33:8, s. 1921-1936
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The gel-forming mucins are large glycosylated proteins that are essential components of the mucus layers covering epithelial cells. Using novel methods of identifying mucins based on profile hidden Markov models, we have found a large number of such proteins in Metazoa, aiding in their classification and allowing evolutionary studies. Most vertebrates have 5-6 gel-forming mucin genes and the genomic arrangement of these genes is well conserved throughout vertebrates. An exception is the frog Xenopus tropicalis with an expanded repertoire of at least 26 mucins of this type. Furthermore, we found that the ovomucin protein, originally identified in chicken, is characteristic of reptiles, birds, and amphibians. Muc6 is absent in teleost fish, but we now show that it is present in animals such as ghost sharks, demonstrating an early origin in vertebrate evolution. Public RNA-Seq data were analyzed with respect tomucins in zebrafish, frog, and chicken, thus allowing comparison in regard of tissue and developmental specificity. Analyses of invertebrate proteins reveal that gel-forming-mucin type of proteins is widely distributed also in this group. Their presence in Cnidaria, Porifera, and in Ctenophora (comb jellies) shows that these proteins were present early in metazoan evolution. Finally, we examined the evolution of the FCGBP protein, abundant in mucus and related to gel-forming mucins in terms of structure and localization. We demonstrate that FCGBP, ubiquitous in vertebrates, has a conserved N-terminal domain. Interestingly, this domain is also present as an N-terminal sequence in a number of bacterial proteins.
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| 9. |
- Trillo-Muyo, Sergio, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Granule-stored MUC5B mucins are packed by the non-covalent formation of N-terminal head-to-head tetramers
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - : American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. - 0021-9258 .- 1083-351X. ; 293:15, s. 5746-5754
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Most MUC5B mucin polymers in the upper airways of humans and pigs are produced by submucosal glands. MUC5B forms N-terminal covalent dimers that are further packed into larger assemblies because of low pH and high Ca2+ in the secretory granule of the mucin-producing cell. We purified the recombinant MUC5B N-terminal covalent dimer and used single-particle electron microscopy to study its structure under intracellular conditions. We found that, at intragranular pH, the dimeric MUC5B organized into head-to-head noncovalent tetramers where the von Willebrand D1-D2 domains hooked into each other. These N-terminal tetramers further formed long linear complexes from which, we suggest, the mucin domains and their C termini project radially outwards. Using conventional and video microscopy, we observed that, upon secretion into the submucosal gland ducts, a flow of bicarbonate-rich fluid passes the mucin-secreting cells. We suggest that this unfolds and pulls out the MUC5B assemblies into long linear threads. These further assemble into thicker mucin bundles in the glandular ducts before emerging at the gland duct opening. We conclude that the combination of intracellular packing of the MUC5B mucin and the submucosal gland morphology creates an efficient machine for producing linear mucin bundles.
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| 10. |
- Wichert, R., et al.
(författare)
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Mucus Detachment by Host Metalloprotease Meprin beta Requires Shedding of Its Inactive Pro-form, which Is Abrogated by the Pathogenic Protease RgpB
- 2017
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Ingår i: Cell Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2211-1247. ; 21:8, s. 2090-2103
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The host metalloprotease meprin beta is required for mucin 2 (MUC2) cleavage, which drives intestinal mucus detachment and prevents bacterial over-growth. To gain access to the cleavage site in MUC2, meprin b must be proteolytically shed from epithelial cells. Hence, regulation of meprin b shedding and activation is important for physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Here, we demonstrate that meprin b activation and shedding are mutually exclusive events. Employing ex vivo small intestinal organoid and cell culture experiments, we found that ADAM-mediated shedding is restricted to the inactive pro-form of meprin beta and is completely inhibited upon its conversion to the active form at the cell surface. This strict regulation of meprin beta activity can be overridden by pathogens, as demonstrated for the bacterial protease Arg-gingipain (RgpB). This secreted cysteine protease potently converts membrane-bound meprin beta into its active form, impairing meprin beta shedding and its function as a mucus-detaching protease.
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