Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonists:A new hope towards the management of alcoholic liver disease

In this editorial,we examine a paper by Koizumi et al,on the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor(PPAR)agonists in alcoholic liver disease(ALD).The study determined whether elafibranor protected the intestinal barrier and reduced liver fibrosis in a mouse model of ALD.The study also underlines the role of PPARs in intestinal barrier function and lipid homeostasis,which are both affected by ALD.Effective therapies are necessary for ALD because it is a critical health issue that affects people worldwide.This editorial analyzes the possibility of PPAR agonists as treatments for ALD.As key factors of inflammation and metabolism,PPARs offer multiple methods for managing the complex etiology of ALD.We assess the abilities of PPARα,PPARγ,and PPARβ/δagonists to prevent steatosis,inflammation,and fibrosis due to liver diseases.Recent research carried out in preclinical and clinical settings has shown that PPAR agonists can reduce the severity of liver disease.This editorial discusses the data analyzed and the obstacles,advantages,and mechanisms of action of PPAR agonists for ALD.Further research is needed to understand the efficacy,safety,and mechanisms of PPAR agonists for treating ALD.

Metabolic Regulation of Mammary Gland Epithelial Cells of Dairy Cow by Galactopoietic Compound Isolated from Vaccariae segetalis

In previous experiment, we isolated a compound dibutyl phthalate （DBP） from Vaccaria segetalis which had galactopoietic function on mammary gland epithelial cells of dairy cow （DCMECs）. In this experiment, we ascertained the metabolic regulation function of DBP on DCMECs. Many genes related to lactation including Stat5, AMPK, b-casein, Glut1, SREBP-1, PEPCK, and ACC were detected by real-time PCR. Furthermore, Stat5 and AMPK were detected by Western blot and immunofluorescence co-localization, respectively. The results showed that DBP stimulates the expression of Stat5 and p-Stat5, thus activates Stat5 cell signal transduction pathway and stimulates b-casein synthesis. DBP also raises the activities of Glut1 and AMPK to stimulate glucose uptake and glycometabolism and activates the expression of AMPK downstream target genes PEPCK and ACC and expression of SREBP-1 to stimulate milk fat synthesis. In addition, the activities of HK, G-6-PDH, ICDH, ATPase, and energy charges were stimulated by DBP to increase the energy metabolism level of DCMECs. The results showed DBP stimulates energy metabolism related to galactopoietic function in DCMECs.

Efficient production of chemicals from microorganism by metabolic engineering and synthetic biology

The use of traditional chemical catalysis to produce chemicals has a series of drawbacks,such as high dependence on fossil resources,high energy consumption,and environmental pollution.With the development of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering,the use of renewable biomass raw materials for chemicals synthesis by constructing efficient microbial cell factories is a green way to replace traditional chemical catalysis and traditional microbial fermentation.This review mainly summarizes several types of bulk chemicals and high value-added chemicals using metabolic engineering and synthetic biology strategies to achieve efficient microbial production.In addition,this review also summarizes several strategies for effectively regulating microbial cell metabolism.These strategies can achieve the coupling balance of material and energy by regulating intracellular material metabolism or energy metabolism,and promote the efficient production of target chemicals by microorganisms.

Metabolic Cycles: Effect of a Simultaneous Input and Output of Two Substrates

The metabolic cycle firstly considered here is composed of a unique initial substrate, six enzymes, and five empty boxes to accommodate the substrates derived from the transformation of the initial substrate. This cycle was considered as a pre-Closed Metabolic Cycle (CMC). Using this model, the influence of changing the kinetic constant values of any enzyme on the substrate concentration was explored. This model was transformed into an open metabolic cycle (OMC) by the input and output of two metabolites catalyzed by two external enzymes. In this case, the relative rates of input and output of metabolites were also examined;it can be concluded that the OMC cycles form delicate and fragile structures which can be theoretically disrupted, making them metabolically unfeasible.

Progress of Alzheimer＇s disease related glucose metabolism regulating hormones and a research perspective in nootropics of herbal medicine

Alzheimer’s disease as one of the neurodegenerative diseases, its pathological mechanisms still remains unclear. There’s evidence that diabetes is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. However, the fundamental cause of diabetes is abnormal glucose metabolism. There may be an inseparable relationship between glucose metabolism regulating hormones and Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we review the studies that connect the glucose metabolism regulating hormones to Alzheimer’s disease, and that suggest the quality of Alzheimer’s patients is improved by regulating glucose metabolism.

Microbiota regulation in constipation and colorectal cancer

The relevance of constipation to the development and progression of colorectal cancer(CRC)is currently a controversial issue.Studies have shown that changes in the composition of the gut microbiota,a condition known as ecological imbalance,are correlated with an increasing number of common human diseases,including CRC and constipation.CRC is the second leading cause of cancerrelated deaths worldwide,and constipation has been receiving widespread attention as a risk factor for CRC.Early colonoscopy screening of constipated patients,with regular follow-ups and timely intervention,can help detect early intestinal lesions and reduce the risks of developing colorectal polyps and CRC.As an important regulator of the intestinal microenvironment,the gut microbiota plays a critical role in the onset and progression of CRC.An increasing amount of evidence supports the thought that gut microbial composition and function are key determinants of CRC development and progression,with alterations inducing changes in the expression of host genes,metabolic regulation,and local and systemic immunological responses.Furthermore,constipation greatly affects the composition of the gut microbiota,which in turn influences the susceptibility to intestinal diseases such as CRC.However,the crosstalk between the gut microbiota,constipation,and CRC is still unclear.

Promoter engineering enables precise metabolic regulation towards efficientβ-elemene production in Ogataea polymorpha

Precisely controlling gene expression is beneficial for optimizing biosynthetic pathways for improving the production.However,promoters in nonconventional yeasts such as Ogataea polymorpha are always limited,which results in incompatible gene modulation.Here,we expanded the promoter library in O.polymorpha based on transcriptional data,among which 13 constitutive promoters had the strengths ranging from 0–55%of PGAP,the commonly used strong constitutive promoter,and 2 were growth phase-dependent promoters.Subsequently,2 hybrid growth phase-dependent promoters were constructed and characterized,which had 2-fold higher activities.Finally,promoter engineering was applied to precisely regulate cellular metabolism for efficient production ofβ-elemene.The glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene GAP was downregulated to drive more flux into pentose phosphate pathway(PPP)and then to enhance the supply of acetyl-CoA by using phosphoketolase-phosphotransacetylase(PK-PTA)pathway.Coupled with the phase-dependent expression of synthase module(ERG20∼LsLTC2 fusion),the highest titer of 5.24 g/L with a yield of 0.037 g/(g glucose)was achieved in strain YY150U under fed-batch fermentation in shake flasks.This work characterized and engineered a series of promoters,that can be used to fine-tune genes for constructing efficient yeast cell factories.

The secretory function of adipose tissues in metabolic regulation

In addition to their pivotal roles in energy storage and expenditure,adipose tissues play a crucial part in the secretion of bioactive molecules,including peptides,lipids,metabolites,and extracellular vesicles,in response to physiological stimulation and met-abolic stress.These secretory factors,through autocrine and paracrine mechanisms,regulate various processes within adipose tissues.These processes include adipogenesis,glucose and lipid metabolism,inflammation,and adaptive thermogenesis,all of which are essential for the maintenance of the balance and functionality of the adipose tissue micro-environment.A subset of these adipose-derived secretory factors can enter the circulation and target the distant tissues to regulate appetite,cognitive function,energy expenditure,insulin secretion and sensitivity,gluconeogenesis,cardiovascular remodeling,and exercise capac-ity.In this review,we highlight the role of adipose-derived secretory factors and their signaling pathways in modulating meta-bolic homeostasis.Furthermore,we delve into the alterations in both the content and secretion processes of these factors under various physiological and pathological conditions,shedding light on potential pharmacological treatment strategies for related diseases.

A Research Overview on Arachidonic Acid:Fermentation Regulation and Purification

Arachidonic acid （ARA or AA）, one of the most important polyunsaturated fatty acids （PUFAs）, has various physiological activities and positive effects on human health. ARA production by Mortierella alpina has become a hot topic in recent years, owing to that it is effective, safe and easy to control. How to improve ARA yield and purification efficiency is important to ARA production in M. alpina. Therefore, in this review, we summarized some methods to improve ARA yield： optimization of culture conditions, mycelium aging technologies and metabolic regulation, and the commonly used methods for ARA isolation and purification, to provide a theoretical basis for ARA production by M. alpina fermentation.

Effect of Insulin on the Differential Expression of VLDL Receptor Isoforms of SGC7901 Cell and Its Biological Implication

This study examined the effect of insulin on the expression of very low density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR) subtypes of SGC7901 cells and discussed its biological implication.In vitro, moderately or poorly-differentiated human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line SGC7901 was incubated with insulin for different lengths of time, and then the expression of protein and RNA level in VLDLR subtypes were detected by Western blotting and real-time PCR, respectively.The results showed that, at certain time interval, insulin could down-regulate expression of type Ⅰ VLDLR and up-regulate the expression of type Ⅱ VLDLR in SGC7901 cells, at both protein and RNA level.We are led to conclude that insulin serves as a regulator in maintaining the balance between glucose and lipid metabolism in vivo, possibly through its effect on the differential expression of VLDLR subtypes.

Inhibiting Human Copper Transfer and Tumor Growth

Copper is a trace element that is required by almost all forms of life.Acting as cofactors for various key metabolism enzymes,copper takes part in many vital biological processes.Previous studies have found the concentration of copper is significantly higher in tumor cells than in normal cells.In addition,copper can promote angiogenesis by activating VEGF and FGF signaling.

Thyroid hormone action in metabolic regulation

Thyroid hormone plays pivotal roles in growth,differentiation,development and metabolic homeostasis via thyroid hormone receptors(TRs)by controlling the expression of TR target genes.The transcriptional activity of TRs is modulated by multiple factors including various TR isoforms,diverse thyroid hormone response elements,different heterodimeric partners,coregulators,and the cellular location of TRs.In the present review,we summarize recent advance in understanding the molecular mechanisms of thyroid hormone action obtained from human subject research,thyroid hormone mimetics application,TR isoform-specific knock-in mouse models,and mitochondrion study with highlights in metabolic regulations.Finally,as future perspectives,we share our thoughts about current challenges and possible approaches to promote our knowledge of thyroid hormone action in metabolism.

Complex Assembly and Metabolic Profiling of Arabidopsis thaliana PlantsOverexpressing Vitamin B6 Biosynthesis Proteins

In plants, vitamin B6 biosynthesis requires the activity of PDX1 and PDX2 proteins. Arabidopsis thaliana encodes for three PDX1 proteins, named PDXI.1, 1.2, and 1.3, but only one PDX2. Here, we show in planta complex assembly of PDX proteins, based on split-YFP and FPLC assays, and can demonstrate their presence in higher complexes of around 750 kDa. Metabolic profiling of plants ectopically expressing the different PDX proteins indicates a negative influence of PDX1.2 on vitamin Be biosynthesis and a correlation between aberrant vitamin B6 content, PDX1 gene expression, and light sensitivity specifically for PDX1.3. These findings provide first insights into in planta vitamin B6 synthase complex assembly and new information on how the different PDX proteins affect plant metabolism.

Analysis of Short-Term Metabolic Alterations in Arabidopsis Following Changes in the Prevailing Environmental Conditions

Although a considerable increase in our knowledge concerning the importance of metabolic adjustments to unfavorable growth conditions has been recently provided, relatively little is known about the adjustments which occur in response to fluctuation in environmental factors. Evaluating the metabolic adjustments occurring under changing environmental conditions thus offers a good opportunity to increase our current understanding of the crosstalk between the major pathways which are affected by such conditions. To this end, plants growing under normal conditions were transferred to different light and temperature conditions which were anticipated to affect （amongst other processes） the rates of photosynthesis and photorespiration and characterized at the physiological, molecular, and metabolic levels following this transition. Our results revealed similar behavior in response to both treatments and imply a tight connec- tivity of photorespiration with the major pathways of plant metabolism. They further highlight that the majority of the regulation of these pathways is not mediated at the level of transcription but that leaf metabolism is rather pre-poised to adapt to changes in these input parameters.

The crucial role of metabolic regulation in differential hepatotoxicity induced by furanoids in Dioscorea bulbifera

Diterpenoid lactones(DLs),a group of furan-containing compounds found in Dioscorea bulbifera L.(DB),have been reported to be associated with hepatotoxicity.Different hepatotoxicities of these DLs have been observed in vitro,but reasonable explanations for the differential hepatotoxicity have not been provided.Herein,the present study aimed to confirm the potential factors that contribute to varied hepatotoxicity of four representative DLs(diosbulbins A,B,C,F).In vitro toxic effects were evaluated in various cell models and the interactions between DLs and CYP3 A4 at the atomic level were simulated by molecular docking.Results showed that DLs exhibited varied cytotoxicities,and that CYP3 A4 played a modulatory role in this process.Moreover,structural variation may cause different affinities between DLs and CYP3 A4,which was positively correlated with the observation of cytotoxicity.In addition,analysis of the glutathione(GSH)conjugates indicated that reactive intermediates were formed by metabolic oxidation that occurred on the furan moiety of DLs,whereas,GSH consumption analysis reflected the consistency between the reactive metabolites and the hepatotoxicity.Collectively,our findings illustrated that the metabolic regulation played a crucial role in generating the varied hepatotoxicity of DLs.

Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals metabolic regulation of prodigiosin in Serratia marcescens

Prodigiosin is a secondary metabolite mainly produced at 30°C in Serratia marcescens,but it can hardly be synthetized at 37°C or higher.In this study,we provide insight into the metabolic regulation of prodigiosin synthesis in response to temperature through transcriptome sequencing.The analysis of the function of differentially expressed genes suggested that temperature resulted in significant alteration of the metabolic pathways between 30 and 37°C.Specifically,30°C favored transcriptional expression of the pig gene cluster.At the same time,the carbon flux was redistributed to pathways of pyruvate,proline,serine,especially homoserine,cystathionine,homocysteine,methionine,and s-adenosylmethionine metabolism,all involved in prodigiosin biosynthesis,and was finally increased towards the prodigiosin synthesis pathway in S.marcescens at 30°C.Interestingly,results further confirmed increased transcriptional level of five regulators(LuxS,RpoS,Hfq,EepR,CRP),and decreased content of hexS through qPCR.Finally,successful co-overexpression of mmuM and metK,related to homocysteine,methionine,and s-adenosylmethionine metabolism,in the chromosome of JNB5-1(JNB5-1/MK)resulted in increased prodigiosin titer up to 7.57 g/L in JNB5-1/MK at 30°C,which was 41.2%higher than that in JNB5-1.Our transcriptome analysis provides further insight into the strain’s response to temperature changes at the transcription level,which is of great significance for improving the production of prodigiosin.

Metabolic Regulation of the NLRP3 Inflammasome

The progression of many diseases is accompanied by inflammation,in which inflammasomes play an important role.Inflammasomes are large multimolecular complexes present in the cytosol of stimulated immune cells,which mediate the activation of caspase-1 and the secretion of cytokines,leading to cellular pyroptosis.During this process,metabolic regulation of the inflammasome is gaining increasing attention in this field.This review focuses on a major inflammasome,NOD-,LRR-and pyrin domain-containing protein 3(NLRP3),and discusses the role and significance of its metabolic regulation.

G protein controls stress readiness by modulating transcriptional and metabolic homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana and Marchantia polymorpha

The core G protein signaling module,which consists of Gαand extra-large Gα(XLG)subunits coupled with the Gβγdimer,is a master regulator of various stress responses.In this study,we compared the basal and salt stress-induced transcriptomic,metabolomic and phenotypic profiles in Gα,Gβ,and XLG-null mutants of two plant species,Arabidopsis thaliana and Marchantia polymorpha,and showed that G protein mediates the shift of transcriptional and metabolic homeostasis to stress readiness status.We demonstrated that such stress readiness serves as an intrinsic protection mechanism against further stressors through enhancing the phenylpropanoid pathway and abscisic acid responses.Furthermore,WRKY transcription factors were identified as key intermediates of G protein-mediated homeostatic shifts.Statistical and mathematical model comparisons between A.thaliana and M.polymorpha revealed evolutionary conservation of transcriptional and metabolic networks over land plant evolution,whereas divergence has occurred in the function of plant-specific atypical XLG subunit.Taken together,our results indicate that the shifts in transcriptional and metabolic homeostasis at least partially act as the mechanisms of G protein-coupled stress responses that are conserved between two distantly related plants.

Paracrine Fibroblast Growth Factor-Based Therapy:An Unexpected Panacea for Metabolic-DysfunctionAssociated Fatty Liver Disease(MAFLD)

Metabolic-dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)is a group of highly heterogeneous multi-system diseases,which is closely related to metabolic dysfunction and is one of the most important public health problems in the world.Studies have shown that paracrine fibroblast growth factors(FGFs)play an important role in the occurrence and development of MAFLD by regulating glucose and lipid metabolism,inflammation,and fibrosis.This article reviews the latest progress in understanding of the distribution,function,and metabolic regulation of paracrine FGFs,which paves the way for future FGF-based therapies targeting MAFLD.

Recent advancements in the B7/CD28 immune checkpoint families:new biology and clinical therapeutic strategies

The B7/CD28 families of immune checkpoints play vital roles in negatively or positively regulating immune cells in homeostasis and various diseases.Recent basic and clinical studies have revealed novel biology of the B7/CD28 families and new therapeutics for cancer therapy.In this review,we discuss the newly discovered KIR3DL3/TMIGD2/HHLA2 pathways,PD-1/PD-L1 and B7-H3 as metabolic regulators,the glycobiology of PD-1/PD-L1,B7x(B7-H4)and B7-H3,and the recently characterized PD-L1/B7-1 cis-interaction.We also cover the tumor-intrinsic and-extrinsic resistance mechanisms to current anti-PD-1/PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4 immunotherapies in clinical settings.Finally,we review new immunotherapies targeting B7-H3,B7x,PD-1/PD-L1,and CTLA-4 in current clinical trials.