Reduced infant rhesus macaque growth rates due to environmental enteric dysfunction and association with histopathology in the large intestine

Environmental enteric dysfunction is associated with malnutrition as well as infant growth stunting and has been classically defined by villous blunting, decreased crypt-to-villus ratio, and inflammation in the small intestine. Here, we characterized environmental enteric dysfunction among infant rhesus macaques that are naturally exposed to enteric pathogens commonly linked to human growth stunting. Remarkably, despite villous atrophy and histological abnormalities observed in the small intestine, poor growth trajectories and low serum tryptophan levels were correlated with increased histopathology in the large intestine. This work provides insight into the mechanisms underlying this disease and indicates that the large intestine may be an important target for therapeutic intervention.

Comprehensive quantitative analysis of alternative splicing variants reveals the HNF1B mRNA splicing pattern in various tumour and non-tumour tissues

Hepatocyte nuclear factor-1-beta (HNF1B) is a transcription factor and putative biomarker of solid tumours. Recently, we have revealed a variety of HNF1B mRNA alternative splicing variants (ASVs) with unknown, but potentially regulatory, functions. The aim of our work was to quantify the most common variants and compare their expression in tumour and non-tumour tissues of the large intestine, prostate, and kidney. The HNF1B mRNA variants 3p, Δ7, Δ7–8, and Δ8 were expressed across all the analysed tissues in 28.2–33.5%, 1.5–2%, 0.8–1.7%, and 2.3–6.9% of overall HNF1B mRNA expression, respectively, and occurred individually or in combination. The quantitative changes of ASVs between tumour and non-tumour tissue were observed for the large intestine (3p, Δ7–8), prostate (3p), and kidney samples (Δ7). Decreased expression of the overall HNF1B mRNA in the large intestine and prostate cancer samples compared with the corresponding non-tumour samples was observed (p = 0.019 and p = 0.047, respectively). The decreased mRNA expression correlated with decreased protein expression in large intestine carcinomas (p < 0.001). The qualitative and quantitative pattern of the ASVs studied by droplet digital PCR was confirmed by next-generation sequencing, which suggests the significance of the NGS approach for further massive evaluation of the splicing patterns in a variety of genes.

Gut Microbiota Reveals the Environmental Adaption in Gastro-intestinal Tract of Wild Boar in Karst Region of Southwest China

BackgroundGut microbes, has become one of the research hotspots in animal ecology, playing an important role in monitoring dietary adaptation and health status of host. However, there are few studies on the gut microbiota in the stomach, small intestine (ileum) and large intestine (cecum, colon and rectum) of wild boar. ResultsAlpha diversity and Beta diversity showed there were significant differences in the abundance and distribution of microbes in gastrointestinal tract of wild boar. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the most dominant phyla in stomach, cecum, colon and rectum of wild boar, while Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were the most dominant in ileum. At genus level, there were different leading genera in stomach (Prevotella and Lactobacillus), small intestine (Escherichia-Shigella and Lactobacillus) and large intestine (Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005, Christensenellaceae_R-7_group and Escherichia-Shigella). PICRUSt function predictive analysis suggested that there were significant differences in microbial metabolic pathways among five locations of wild boar. ConclusionsThis study comprehensively revealed the differences in composition of microbial community in gastrointestinal trac of wild boar. Future work links microbes with the metabolites to accurately reveal the health of wild boar.

Colonic Mucosa-associated Mycobiota in Individuals With Normal Colons

To characterize the spatial variation of the mucosa-associated adherent mycobiota along the large intestine in individuals with a normal-colon, we performed eukaryotic rRNA operon’s internal transcribed spacer-2 sequencing to profile fungal community composition and structure in 70 mucosal biopsies taken from the cecum, ascending, transverse, descending colon, and rectum of 14 polyp-free individuals. The bacteriome of these samples was previously characterized by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. We identified 64 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) with the relative abundance no less than 0.05% from these colonic mucosa samples. Each individual has a unique community composition of the gut mycobiome (P = 0.001 for beta diversity). Alpha-diversity and beta-diversity did not differ significantly across the colon segments. The most common phyla (relative abundance) were Ascomycota (45.4%) and Basidiomycota (45.3%). The most common genera were Malassezia (28.2%) and Candida (13.4%). Malassezia was found in 13 of 14 individuals. Other fungi genera were sporadically found in the large intestine. The most common species were Malassezia restricta (22.7%), Candida albicans (11.9%), Malasseziales sp. (8.80%), unclassified fungi (7.80%), and Penicillium paneum (5.70%). Malasseziaceae was co-abundant with Enterobacteriaceae and co-exclusive with Barnesiellaceae, Rikenellaceae, and Acidaminococcaceae. Malassezia was widely colonized whereas other fungal genera were sporadically colonized in the large intestine. The physiologic and pathogenic functions of fungi in human gastrointestinal tract including Malasseziaceae that may interact with several bacterial families remain to be fully elucidated.

Structural Features of Glands in the Sphincter Zones of the Large Intestine of an Adult

The aim is to study macro- and microscopic structure, as well as the cellular composition of the glands of the sphincter zones of large intestine of adults of different age groups.Material and methods. On autopsy material obtained from 30 people, without signs of pathology of the digestive tract of three age groups: 20–29 years, 50–59 years, 90–99 years, the structure of the glandular apparatus of the sphincter zones was studied. The areas of the Gerlach flap, Girsch sphincters, Payr–Strauss, Bally, O'bern–Pirogov–Moutier were considered. Quantitative morphometry was performed on histological preparations stained with methylene blue, followed by fixation in a saturated solution of ammonium molybdenum (picric acid), hematoxylin-eosin, picrofuchsin according to Van Gieson. Methods of parametric statistics based on the Statistica 6.0 program were used for statistical data processing.Results. The analysis of the number, size and cellular composition of the glands of the sphincter zones of the large intestine revealed an increase in both the number of glands and their size in all age groups compared to the proximally adjacent areas of the intestine, on average by 1.3–1.5 times. In a similar range, individual indicators of the number of epithelial cells in the glands of the sphincter zones of the colon increased. At the same time, the cellular composition of the glands of the sphincter zones and adjacent areas of the intestinal wall was similar to neighboring areas, with predominant goblet-shaped epithelial cells (52.9–54.2% of cells on the longitudinal section of the gland) and the presence of absorption cells (29.9–31.2%), undifferentiated – 11.9–13.2% and argyrophilic endocrinocytes – 1.4–5.3%.Conclusion. Against the background of narrowing of the lumen of the large intestine in the area of the sphincters and changes in the nature of the mucous membrane, there is an increase in the size and density of the localization of glands in all age groups. This confirms the thesis about the formation of a protective barrier that provides a local adaptive potential of this area of the intestinal wall, against the background of increased mechanical effects of intestinal masses.

Infant-gut associated Bifidobacterium dentium strains utilize the galactose moiety and release lacto-N-triose from the human milk oligosaccharides lacto-N-tetraose and lacto-N-neotetraose

Much evidence suggests a role for human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) in establishing the infant microbiota in the large intestine, but the response of particular bacteria to individual HMOs is not well known. Here twelve bacterial strains belonging to the genera Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, Limosilactobacillus, Lactobacillus, Lacticaseibacillus, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus were isolated from infant faeces and their growth was analyzed in the presence of the major HMOs, 2′-fucosyllactose (2′FL), 3-fucosyllactose (3FL), 2′,3-difucosyllactose (DFL), lacto-N-tetraose (LNT) and lacto-N-neo-tetraose (LNnT), present in human milk. Only the isolated Bifidobacterium strains demonstrated the capability to utilize these HMOs as carbon sources. Bifidobacterium infantis Y538 efficiently consumed all tested HMOs. Contrarily, Bifidobacterium dentium strains Y510 and Y521 just metabolized LNT and LNnT. Both tetra-saccharides are hydrolyzed into galactose and lacto-N-triose (LNTII) by B. dentium. Interestingly, this species consumed only the galactose moiety during growth on LNT or LNnT, and excreted the LNTII moiety. Two β-galactosidases were characterized from B. dentium Y510, Bdg42A showed the highest activity towards LNT, hydrolyzing it into galactose and LNTII, and Bdg2A towards lactose, degrading efficiently also 6′-galactopyranosyl-N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetyl-lactosamine and LNnT. The work presented here supports the hypothesis that HMOs are mainly metabolized by Bifidobacterium species in the infant gut.

Histopathological Evaluation of Ficus Capensis Aqueous Extract on Liver, Kidney, Intestine and its Potentials in Treatment of Anaemia

Ficus capensi is a nature of Nigerian multi ethnic group and it is been identified and called differently dy ethnic groups for example, igbo call it akporo, hausa -uwaryara,etc. The aim of the this research titlled; Histopathologica evaluation of ficus capensis ethanol extract on liver, kidney, intestine and it potentials in the treatment of anaemia is to evaluate the effect of leaf and stem back extract of ficus capensis in the treatment potential of anaemia and it’s histopathological effect on liver, kidney, and large intestine of wister rat. The animals were grouped into 5(A, B, C, D & E) and anaemia induced with cirfuroxime in all the groups except group E which is the negative control whereas other groups were treated with vitamins and leaf & stem bark of Ficuscapensis ethanol extract; group C wasn’t treated and it’s regarded as positive control. The blood sample were collected suing cardiac puncture and liver,kidney and large intestine were all harvested following dissection upon 14 days treatment and experimental termination. All the samples collected were analysed using standard methods. There was significant difference in body weight, same was observed in multiple comparism test on packed cell volume and haemoglobin after treatment with Vitamins, leaf and stem bark of Ficus capensis ethanol extract. It was also observed that there was relative distortion of large intestinal lumen, kidney and hepatocytes. Ficusis capensis leaf and bark has shown antianaemic potentials, however; its toxic effect on the selected organs (liver, Kidney and large intestine) called for caution among users.