Gut microbiota has been implicated as a pivotal contributing factor in diet-related obesity; however, its role in development of disease phenotypes in human genetic obesity such as Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) remains elusive. In this hospitalized intervention trial with PWS (n = 17) and simple obesity (n = 21) children, a diet rich in non-digestible carbohydrates induced significant weight loss and concomitant structural changes of the gut microbiota together with reduction of serum antigen load and alleviation of inflammation. Co-abundance network analysis of 161 prevalent bacterial draft genomes assembled directly from metagenomic datasets showed relative increase of functional genome groups for acetate production from carbohydrates fermentation. NMR-based metabolomic profiling of urine showed diet-induced overall changes of host metabotypes and identified significantly reduced trimethylamine N-oxide and indoxyl sulfate, host-bacteria co-metabolites known to induce metabolic deteriorations. Specific bacterial genomes that were correlated with urine levels of these detrimental co-metabolites were found to encode enzyme genes for production of their precursors by fermentation of choline or tryptophan in the gut. When transplanted into germ-free mice, the pre-intervention gut microbiota induced higher inflammation and larger adipocytes compared with the post-intervention microbiota from the same volunteer. Our multi-omics-based systems analysis indicates a significant etiological contribution of dysbiotic gut microbiota to both genetic and simple obesity in children, implicating a potentially effective target for alleviation.Research in contextPoorly managed diet and genetic mutations are the two primary driving forces behind the devastating epidemic of obesity-related diseases. Lack of understanding of the molecular chain of causation between the driving forces and the disease endpoints retards progress in prevention and treatment of the diseases. We found that children genetically obese with Prader–Willi syndrome shared a similar dysbiosis in their gut microbiota with those having diet-related obesity. A diet rich in non-digestible but fermentable carbohydrates significantly promoted beneficial groups of bacteria and reduced toxin-producers, which contributes to the alleviation of metabolic deteriorations in obesity regardless of the primary driving forces.

Chronic infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV), is strongly associated with hepatitis, fatty liver and hepatocellular carcinoma. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, we characterize the metabolic features of host cells infected with the virus using systems biological approach. The results show that HBV replication induces systematic metabolic alterations in host cells. HBV infection up-regulates the biosynthesis of hexosamine and phosphatidylcholine by activating glutamine-fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase 1 (GFAT1) and choline kinase alpha (CHKA) respectively, which were reported for the first time for HBV infection. Importantly suppressing hexosamine biosynthesis and phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis can inhibit HBV replication and expression. In addition, HBV induces oxidative stress and stimulates central carbon metabolism and nucleotide synthesis. Our results also indicate that HBV associated hepatocellular carcinoma could be attributed to GFAT1 activated hexosamine biosynthesis and CHKA activated phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. This study provides further insights into the pathogenesis of HBV-induced diseases, and sheds new light on drug target for treating HBV infection.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been associated with several types of human cancers. In the host, EBV can establish two alternative modes of life cycle, known as latent or lytic and the switch from latency to the lytic cycle is known as EBV reactivation. Although EBV in cancer cells is found mostly in latency, a small number of lytically-infected cells promote carcinogenesis through the release of growth factors and oncogenic cytokines. This review focuses on the mechanisms by which EBV reactivation is controlled by cellular and viral factors, and discusses how EBV lytic infection contributes to human malignancies.

L-2-hydroxyglutarate (L-2HG) has emerged as a putative oncometabolite that is capable of inhibiting enzymes involved in metabolism, chromatin modification, and cell differentiation. However, despite the ability of L-2HG to interfere with a broad range of cellular processes, this molecule is often characterized as a metabolic waste product. Here, we demonstrate that Drosophila larvae use the metabolic conditions established by aerobic glycolysis to both synthesize and accumulate high concentrations of L-2HG during normal developmental growth. A majority of the larval L-2HG pool is derived from glucose and dependent on the Drosophila estrogen-related receptor (dERR), which promotes L-2HG synthesis by up-regulating expression of the Drosophila homolog of lactate dehydrogenase (dLdh). We also show that dLDH is both necessary and sufficient for directly synthesizing L-2HG and the Drosophila homolog of L-2-hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase (dL2HGDH), which encodes the enzyme that breaks down L-2HG, is required for stage-specific degradation of the L-2HG pool. In addition, dLDH also indirectly promotes L-2HG accumulation via synthesis of lactate, which activates a metabolic feedforward mechanism that inhibits dL2HGDH activity and stabilizes L-2HG levels. Finally, we use a genetic approach to demonstrate that dLDH and L-2HG influence position effect variegation and DNA methylation, suggesting that this compound serves to coordinate glycolytic flux with epigenetic modifications. Overall, our studies demonstrate that growing animal tissues synthesize L-2HG in a controlled manner, reveal a mechanism that coordinates glucose catabolism with L-2HG synthesis, and establish the fly as a unique model system for studying the endogenous functions of L-2HG during cell growth and proliferation.ne of the hallmarks of cancer is a dramatic reprograming of cellular metabolism that results in enhanced biosynthesis (1). These metabolic changes are particularly apparent in tumors that use the Warburg effect, also referred to as aerobic glycolysis, a metabolic program characterized by elevated levels of glucose consumption and enhanced lactate production (1, 2). By activating aerobic glycolysis, tumors are able to synthesize macromolecules rapidly from glycolytic intermediates. In addition, elevated levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity allow proliferating cells to synthesize lactate and maintain the NAD + levels required for high rates of glucose catabolism and biomass production (1).The metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells, however, extends beyond biosynthesis, as many tumors also generate progrowth metabolites, or oncometabolites, that promote tumor formation via nonmetabolic means. Most notable among these compounds is D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2HG), which is associated with cancers such as gliomas and acute myelogenous leukemias (3). Although D-2HG is generated as a normal byproduct of γ-hydroxybutyrate metabolism (4), oncogenic D-2HG production is the result of neomorphic mutations in the active site of isocitrate dehydrogenas...

Sphingolipids (SLs) are structurally diverse lipids that are defined by the presence of a long-chain base (LCB) backbone. Typically, LCBs contain a single Δ4E double bond (DB) (mostly d18:1), whereas the dienic LCB sphingadienine (d18:2) contains a second DB at the Δ14Z position. The enzyme introducing the Δ14Z DB is unknown. We analyzed the LCB plasma profile in a gender-, age-, and BMI-matched subgroup of the CoLaus cohort (n = 658). Sphingadienine levels showed a significant association with gender, being on average ∼30% higher in females. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) revealed variants in the fatty acid desaturase 3 (FADS3) gene to be significantly associated with the plasma d18:2/d18:1 ratio (p = −log 7.9). Metabolic labeling assays, FADS3 overexpression and knockdown approaches, and plasma LCB profiling in FADS3-deficient mice confirmed that FADS3 is a bona fide LCB desaturase and required for the introduction of the Δ14Z double bond. Moreover, we showed that FADS3 is required for the conversion of the atypical cytotoxic 1-deoxysphinganine (1-deoxySA, m18:0) to 1-deoxysphingosine (1-deoxySO, m18:1). HEK293 cells overexpressing FADS3 were more resistant to m18:0 toxicity than WT cells. In summary, using a combination of metabolic profiling and GWAS, we identified FADS3 to be essential for forming Δ14Z DB containing LCBs, such as d18:2 and m18:1. Our results unravel FADS3 as a Δ14Z LCB desaturase, thereby disclosing the last missing enzyme of the SL de novo synthesis pathway.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation into the lytic cycle plays certain roles in the development of EBV-associated diseases, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma and lymphoma. In this study, we investigated the effects of the tea polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on EBV spontaneous lytic infection and the mechanism(s) involved in EBV-positive cells. We found that EGCG could effectively inhibit the constitutive lytic infection of EBV at the DNA, gene transcription and protein levels by decreasing the phosphorylation and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and Akt. By using cellular signaling pathway-specific inhibitors, we also explored the signaling mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effects of EGCG on EBV spontaneous lytic infection in cell models. Results show that specific inhibitors of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase (MEK) (PD98059) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase [PI3-K (LY294002)] markedly downregulated gene transcription and expression of BZLF1 and BMRF1 indicating that the MEK/ERK1/2 and PI3-K/Akt pathways are involved in the EBV spontaneous lytic cycle cascade. Therefore, one of the mechanisms by which EGCG inhibits EBV spontaneous lytic infection appears to involve the suppression of the activation of MEK/ERK1/2 and PI3-K/Akt signaling.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) causes human lymphoid malignancies, and the EBV product latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) has been identified as an oncogene in epithelial carcinomas such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). EBV can epigenetically reprogram lymphocyte specific processes and induce cell immortalization. However, the interplay between LMP1 and the NPC host cell remains largely unknown. Here, we report that LMP1 is important to establish the Hox gene expression signature in NPC cell lines and tumor biopsies. LMP1 induces repression of several Hox genes in part via stalling of RNA Pol II. Pol II stalling can be overcome by irradiation involving the epigenetic regulator TET3. Furthermore, we report that HoxC8, one of the genes silenced by LMP1, plays a role in tumor growth. Ectopic expression of HoxC8 inhibits NPC cell growth in vitro and in vivo, modulates glycolysis and regulates the expression of TCA-cycle related genes. We propose that viral latency products may repress via stalling key mediators that in turn modulate glycolysis.

In the beverage fermentation industry, especially at the craft or micro level, there is a movement to incorporate as many local ingredients as possible to both capture terroir and stimulate local economies. In the case of craft beer, this has traditionally only encompassed locally sourced barley, hops, and other agricultural adjuncts. The identification and use of novel yeasts in brewing lags behind. We sought to bridge this gap by bio-prospecting for wild yeasts, with a focus on the American Midwest. We isolated 284 different strains from 54 species of yeast and have begun to determine their fermentation characteristics. During this work, we found several isolates of five species that produce lactic acid and ethanol during wort fermentation: Hanseniaspora vineae, Lachancea fermentati, Lachancea thermotolerans, Schizosaccharomyces japonicus, and Wickerhamomyces anomalus. Tested representatives of these species yielded excellent attenuation, lactic acid production, and sensory characteristics, positioning them as viable alternatives to lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for the production of sour beers. Indeed, we suggest a new LAB-free paradigm for sour beer production that we term "primary souring" because the lactic acid production and resultant pH decrease occurs during primary fermentation, as opposed to kettle souring or souring via mixed culture fermentation.