BackgroundDiet-induced obesity (DIO) is a significant health concern which has been linked to structural and functional changes in the gut microbiota. Exercise (Ex) is effective in preventing obesity, but whether Ex alters the gut microbiota during development with high fat (HF) feeding is unknown.ObjectiveDetermine the effects of voluntary Ex on the gastrointestinal microbiota in LF-fed mice and in HF-DIO.MethodsMale C57BL/6 littermates (5 weeks) were distributed equally into 4 groups: low fat (LF) sedentary (Sed) LF/Sed, LF/Ex, HF/Sed and HF/Ex. Mice were individually housed and LF/Ex and HF/Ex cages were equipped with a wheel and odometer to record Ex. Fecal samples were collected at baseline, 6 weeks and 12 weeks and used for bacterial DNA isolation. DNA was subjected both to quantitative PCR using primers specific to the 16S rRNA encoding genes for Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes and to sequencing for lower taxonomic identification using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Data were analyzed using a one or two-way ANOVA or Pearson correlation.ResultsHF diet resulted in significantly greater body weight and adiposity as well as decreased glucose tolerance that were prevented by voluntary Ex (p<0.05). Visualization of Unifrac distance data with principal coordinates analysis indicated clustering by both diet and Ex at week 12. Sequencing demonstrated Ex-induced changes in the percentage of major bacterial phyla at 12 weeks. A correlation between total Ex distance and the ΔCt Bacteroidetes: ΔCt Firmicutes ratio from qPCR demonstrated a significant inverse correlation (r2 = 0.35, p = 0.043).ConclusionEx induces a unique shift in the gut microbiota that is different from dietary effects. Microbiota changes may play a role in Ex prevention of HF-DIO.

Wild-type (WT) Salmonella typhimurium causes acute intestinal inflammation by activating the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) pathway. Interestingly, WT Salmonella infection also causes degradation of b-catenin, a regulator of cellular proliferation. Regulation of b-catenin and the inhibitor of NF-kB, IkBa, is strikingly similar, involving phosphorylation at identical sites, ubiquitination by the same E3 ligase, and subsequent proteasomal degradation. However, how b-catenin directly regulates the NF-kB pathway during bacteria-induced inflammation in vivo is unknown. Using streptomycinpretreated mice challenged with Salmonella, we demonstrated that WT Salmonella stimulated b-catenin degradation and decreased the physical association between NF-kB and b-catenin. Accordingly, WT Salmonella infection decreased the expression of c-myc, a b-catenin-regulated target gene, and increased the levels of IL-6 and TNF-a, the NF-kB-regulated target genes. Bacterial infection directly stimulated phosphorylation of b-catenin, both in vivo and in vitro. Closer examination revealed that glycogen synthase kinase 3b (GSK-3b) kinase activity was increased in response to WT Salmonella, whereas non-virulent Salmonella had no effect. siRNA of GSK-3b was able to stabilize IkBa in response to WT Salmonella. Pretreatment for 24 h with LiCl, an inhibitor of GSK-3b, reduced WT Salmonella induced IL-8 secretion. Additionally, cells expressing constitutively active b-catenin showed IkBa stabilization and inhibition of NF-kB activity not only after WT Salmonella infection but also after commensal bacteria (Escherichia coli F18) and TNF-a treatment. This study suggests a new role for b-catenin as a negative regulator of inflammation. Bacteria pathogenicity requires overcoming or altering many very effective host defense mechanisms, 1 including the activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB). 2-4 Bacterial invasion of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) stimulates NF-kB and, interestingly, degradation of b-catenin, 5 a potent transcriptional factor responsible for cellular proliferation and differentiation. It is notable that regulation of b-catenin and the inhibitor of NF-kB, IkBa, are strikingly similar, involving phosphorylation of the same N-terminal serine sequence sites, ubiquitination by the same E3 ligase complex, and subsequent proteasomal degradation. 6,7 To date, no publications have reported on the physiological significance of b-catenin's potential inter-relationship with the NF-kB inflammatory pathway after bacterial infection in vivo.In this study, therefore, we investigated the role of b-catenin in modulating the proinflammatory response mediated by NF-kB subsequent to Salmonella infection in vivo. We examined the possibility that b-catenin functions as a negative regulator of NF-kB, much in the same way as IkBa, through physical interaction with NF-kB. Additionally, we established the role of glycogen synthase kinase 3b (GSK-3b), as the negative regulator of b-catenin's stability and subsequent reactivity with NF-kB in both in vit...

There is now substantial evidence that compounds released during host stress directly activate the virulence of certain opportunistic pathogens. Here, we considered that endogenous opioids might function as such compounds, given that they are among the first signals to be released at multiple tissue sites during host stress. We tested the ability of various opioid compounds to enhance the virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using pyocyanin production as a biological readout, and demonstrated enhanced virulence when P. aeruginosa was exposed to synthetic (U-50,488) and endogenous (dynorphin) κ-agonists. Using various mutants and reporter strains of P. aeruginosa, we identified involvement of key elements of the quorum sensing circuitry such as the global transcriptional regulator MvfR and the quorum sensing-related quinolone signaling molecules PQS, HHQ, and HQNO that respond to κ-opioids. The in vivo significance of κ-opioid signaling of P. aeruginosa was demonstrated in mice by showing that dynorphin is released from the intestinal mucosa following ischemia/reperfusion injury, activates quinolone signaling in P. aeruginosa, and enhances the virulence of P. aeruginosa against Lactobacillus spp. and Caenorhabditis elegans. Taken together, these data demonstrate that P. aeruginosa can intercept opioid compounds released during host stress and integrate them into core elements of quorum sensing circuitry leading to enhanced virulence.

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Background & Aims-Inducible heat shock proteins (iHsp), Hsp25/27 and Hsp70, play essential roles in protecting cells against stress and, in intestinal mucosal inflammation, potentially lessening the extent and severity of injury. We examined the expression and regulation of iHsp in human and experimental inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and in vitro.