Excess Dietary Zinc Intake in Neonatal Mice Causes Oxidative Stress and Alters Intestinal Host-Microbe Interactions
MOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH
Authors: Podany, Abigail; Rauchut, Jessica; Wu, Tong; Kawasawa, Yuka Imamura; Wright, Justin; Lamendella, Regina; Soybel, David, I; Kelleher, Shannon L.
Abstract
Scope Greater than 68% of young infants are exposed to dietary zinc (Zn) levels that are higher than the Tolerable Upper Intake Limit. However, the consequences of excess dietary Zn during early life on intestinal function and host-microbe interactions are unknown. Methods and Results Neonatal mice are gavaged with 100 Zn mu g d(-1) from postnatal day (PN) 2 through PN10 and indices of intestinal function and host-microbe interactions are compared to unsupplemented mice. Excess dietary Zn causes oxidative stress, increases goblet cell number and mucus production, and are associated with increased intestinal permeability and systemic inflammation. Over 900 genes are differentially expressed; 413 genes display a fold-change >1.60. The Gene Ontology Biological processes most significantly affected include biological adhesion, the immune system, metabolic processes, and response to stimulus. Key genes most highly and significantly upregulated include ALDH2, MT1, TMEM6, CDK20, and COX62b, while CALU, ST3GAL4, CRTC2, SLC28A2, and COMMA1 are downregulated. These changes are associated with a microbiome enriched in pathogenic taxa including Pseudomonadales and Campylobacter, and greater expression of bacterial stress response genes. Conclusion Excess dietary Zn may have unforeseen influences on epithelial signaling pathways, barrier function, and luminal ecology in the intestine that may have long-term consequences on intestinal health.
Molecular characterization, polymorphism and association with reproductive traits of porcine CDK20 gene
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL AND FEED SCIENCES
Authors: Liu, Y. G.; Xia, X. H.
Abstract
The complete coding sequence of one pig gene, CDK20, was amplified by RT-PCR. Sequence analysis revealed that the porcine CDK20 gene encodes a protein of 343 amino acids which has high homology with the cyclin-dependent kinase 20 (CDK20) of eight species: cattle (96%), giant panda (96%), mouse (96%), rabbit (96%), rat (96%), dog (95%), human (93%) and Sumatran orangutan (93%). This novel porcine gene was then deposited into the GenBank database and finally assigned to GenelD: 100157041. This gene is structured in eight exons and seven introns as revealed by computer-assisted analysis. Polymorphism analysis revealed that there was a TIC substitution at the position of 96-bp of exon 4 and this led to the amino acid alteration from the Arg residue to the Cys residue. PCR-Alu I-RFLP analysis indicated that eight pig breeds displayed obvious genotype and allele frequency differences at this mutation locus. Association analysis showed that this polymorphic locus was significantly associated with the litter size of all parities in Large White and Landrace sows. Therefore, CDK20 gene could be a useful candidate gene for increasing the litter size of pigs. These data serve as a foundation for further insight into the porcine CDK20 gene.