Recent findings on the association of gut microbiota with various diseases, including obesity, prompted us to investigate the possibility of using a certain type of gut bacteria as a safe therapeutic for obesity.
Lactobacillus
mutants with enhanced capacity in absorption of free fatty acids (
FFA
s) were isolated to show reduced absorption of
FFA
s by the administered host, attributing to inhibition of body weight gain and body fat accumulation as well as amelioration of blood profiles. Consequently, high throughput screening of natural
FFA
s‐absorbing intestinal microbes led to the isolation of
Lactobacillus
reuteri
JBD
30 l. The administration of
Lactobacillus
JBD
30l lowered the concentration of
FFA
s in the gut fluid content of small intestine, thus reducing intestinal absorption of
FFA
s whereas promoting fecal excretion of
FFA
s. Animal data also confirmed that the efficacy of
Lactobacillus
JBD
30l on body weight similar to that of orlistat, an
FDA
‐approved pharmaceutical for long‐term use to treat obesity. In a subsequent random, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial (
KCT
0000452 at Clinical Research Information Service of Korea), there was a statistically significant difference in the percentage change in body weight between the
Lactobacillus
JBD
301 and the placebo group (
P
= 0.026) as well as in the
BMI
(
P
= 0.036) from the 0‐week assessment to the 12‐week assessment. Our results show that
FFA
‐absorbing
Lactobacillus
JBD
301 effectively reduces dietary fat absorption, providing an ideal treatment for obesity with inherent safety.
Targeted genome editing is an advanced technique that enables precise modification of the nucleic acid sequences in a genome. Genome editing is typically performed using tools, such as molecular scissors, to cut a defined location in a specific gene. Genome editing has impacted various fields of biotechnology, such as agriculture; biopharmaceutical production; studies on the structure, regulation, and function of the genome; and the creation of transgenic organisms and cell lines. Although genome editing is used frequently, it has several limitations. Here, we provide an overview of well-studied genome-editing nucleases, including single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides (ssODNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), and CRISPR-Cas9 RNA-guided nucleases (CRISPR-Cas9). To this end, we describe the progress toward editable nuclease-based therapies and discuss the minimization of off-target mutagenesis. Future prospects of this challenging scientific field are also discussed.
Background and objectives: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that results in severe dementia. Having ischemic strokes (IS) is one of the risk factors of the AD, but the molecular mechanisms that underlie IS and AD are not well understood. We thus aimed to identify common molecular biomarkers and pathways in IS and AD that can help predict the progression of these diseases and provide clues to important pathological mechanisms. Materials and Methods: We have analyzed the microarray gene expression datasets of IS and AD. To obtain robust results, combinatorial statistical methods were used to analyze the datasets and 26 transcripts (22 unique genes) were identified that were abnormally expressed in both IS and AD. Results: Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analyses indicated that these 26 common dysregulated genes identified several altered molecular pathways: Alcoholism, MAPK signaling, glycine metabolism, serine metabolism, and threonine metabolism. Further protein–protein interactions (PPI) analysis revealed pathway hub proteins PDE9A, GNAO1, DUSP16, NTRK2, PGAM2, MAG, and TXLNA. Transcriptional and post-transcriptional components were then identified, and significant transcription factors (SPIB, SMAD3, and SOX2) found. Conclusions: Protein–drug interaction analysis revealed PDE9A has interaction with drugs caffeine, γ-glutamyl glycine, and 3-isobutyl-1-methyl-7H-xanthine. Thus, we identified novel putative links between pathological processes in IS and AD at transcripts levels, and identified possible mechanistic and gene expression links between IS and AD.
Current colony PCR methods are not suitable for screening genes encoded in genomic DNA and are limited to host strains. Here, we describe an ultra-high efficient colony PCR method for high throughput screening of bacterial genes embedded in the genomic DNA of any bacterial species. This new technique expands colony PCR method to several hosts as well as offers a rapid, less expensive and reliable bacterial genomic DNA extraction.
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