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Several studies have implicated fatty-acids as inflammatory regulators, suggesting that there may be a direct role for common dietary fatty-acids in regulating innate immune cells. In humans, a single high-fat meal increases systemic cytokines and leukocytes. In mice, short term high-fat feeding increases adipose tissue (AT) leukocytes and alters the inflammatory profile of AT macrophages. We have seen that short term high fat feeding to C57BL/6J male mice increases palmitic and oleic acid within AT depots, but oleic acid increase is highest in the mesenteric AT (MAT). In vitro, oleic acid increases M2 macrophage markers (CD206, MGL1, and ARG1) in a murine macrophage cell line, while addition of palmitic acid is able to inhibit that increase. Three day supplementation of a chow diet, with oleic acid, induced an increase in M2 macrophage markers in the MAT, but not in the epididymal AT. We tested whether increases in M2 macrophages occur during short term ad lib feeding of a high fat diet, containing oleic acid. Experiments revealed two distinct populations of macrophages were altered by a three day high milk-fat diet. One population, phenotypically intermediate for F4/80, showed diet-induced increases in CD206, an anti-inflammatory marker characteristic of M2 macrophages intrinsic to the AT. Evidence for a second population, phenotypically F4/80(HI)CD11b(HI) macrophages, showed increased association with the MAT following short term feeding that is dependent on the adhesion molecule, ICAM-1. Collectively, we have shown that short term feeding of a high-fat diet changes two population of macrophages, and that dietary oleic acid is responsible for increases in M2 macrophage polarization.

The purpose of this study was to use a mouse model of diet-induced obesity to determine if corneal dysfunction begins prior to the onset of sustained hyperglycemia and if the dysfunction is ameliorated by diet reversal. Six-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed a high fat diet (HFD) or a normal diet (ND) for 5-15 weeks. Diet reversal (DiR) mice were fed a HFD for 5 weeks, followed by a ND for 5 or 10 weeks. Corneal sensitivity was determined using aesthesiometry. Corneal cytokine expression was analyzed using a 32-plex Luminex assay. Excised corneas were prepared for immunofluorescence microscopy to evaluate diet-induced changes and wound healing. For wounding studies, mice were fed a HFD or a ND for 10 days prior to receiving a central 2mm corneal abrasion. After 10 days of HFD consumption, corneal sensitivity declined. By 10 weeks, expression of corneal inflammatory mediators increased and nerve density declined. While diet reversal restored nerve density and sensitivity, the corneas remained in a heightened inflammatory state. After 10 days on the HFD, corneal circadian rhythms (limbal neutrophil accumulation, epithelial cell division and Rev-erbα expression) were blunted. Similarly, leukocyte recruitment after wounding was dysregulated and accompanied by delays in wound closure and nerve recovery. In the mouse, obesogenic diet consumption results in corneal dysfunction that precedes the onset of sustained hyperglycemia. Diet reversal only partially ameliorated this dysfunction, suggesting a HFD diet may have a lasting negative impact on corneal health that is resistant to dietary therapeutic intervention.

The cornea is the most highly innervated tissue in the body. It is generally accepted that corneal stromal nerves penetrate the epithelial basal lamina giving rise to intra-epithelial nerves. During the course of a study wherein we imaged corneal nerves in mice, we observed a novel neuronal-epithelial cell interaction whereby nerves approaching the epithelium in the cornea fused with basal epithelial cells, such that their plasma membranes were continuous and the neuronal axoplasm freely abutted the epithelial cytoplasm. In this study we sought to determine the frequency, distribution, and morphological profile of neuronal-epithelial cell fusion events within the cornea. Serial electron microscopy images were obtained from the anterior stroma in the paralimbus and central cornea of 8-10 week old C57BL/6J mice. We found evidence of a novel alternative behavior involving a neuronal-epithelial interaction whereby 42.8% of central corneal nerve bundles approaching the epithelium contain axons that fuse with basal epithelial cells. The average surface-to-volume ratio of a penetrating nerve was 3.32, while the average fusing nerve was smaller at 1.39 (p ≤ 0.0001). Despite this, both neuronal-epithelial cell interactions involve similarly sized discontinuities in the basal lamina. In order to verify the plasma membrane continuity between fused neurons and epithelial cells we used the lipophilic membrane tracer DiI. The majority of corneal nerves were labeled with DiI after application to the trigeminal ganglion and, consistent with our ultrastructural observations, fusion sites recognized as DiI-labeled basal epithelial cells were located at points of stromal nerve termination. These studies provide evidence that neuronal-epithelial cell fusion is a cell-cell interaction that occurs primarily in the central cornea, and fusing nerve bundles are morphologically distinct from penetrating nerve bundles. This is, to our knowledge, the first description of neuronal-epithelial cell fusion in the literature adding a new level of complexity to the current understanding of corneal innervation.

Most traits of agricultural importance are quantitative traits controlled by numerous genes. However, it remains unclear about the molecular mechanisms underpinning quantitative traits. Here, we report the molecular characteristics of the genes controlling three quantitative traits randomly selected from three diverse plant species, including ginsenoside biosynthesis in ginseng ( Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer), fiber length in cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L. and G. barbadense L.) and grain yield in maize ( Zea mays L.). We found that a vast majority of the genes controlling a quantitative trait were significantly more likely spliced into multiple transcripts while they expressed. Nevertheless, only one to four, but not all, of the transcripts spliced from each of the genes were significantly correlated with the phenotype of the trait. The genes controlling a quantitative trait were multiple times more likely to form a co-expression network than other genes expressed in an organ. The network varied substantially among genotypes of a species and was associated with their phenotypes. These findings indicate that the genes controlling a quantitative trait are more likely pleiotropic and functionally correlated, thus providing new insights into the molecular basis underpinning quantitative traits and knowledge necessary to develop technologies for efficient manipulation of quantitative traits.

Background: Dyslipidemia may be linked to meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and altered meibum lipid composition. The purpose was to determine if plasma and meibum cholesteryl esters (CE), triglycerides (TG), ceramides (Cer) and sphingomyelins (SM) change in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity where mice develop dyslipidemia. Methods: Male C57/BL6 mice (8/group, age = 6 wks) were fed a normal (ND; 15% kcal fat) or an obesogenic high-fat diet (HFD; 42% kcal fat) for 10 wks. Tear production was measured and meibography was performed. Body and epididymal adipose tissue (eAT) weights were determined. Nano-ESI-MS/MS and LC-ESI-MS/MS were used to detect CE, TG, Cer and SM species. Data were analyzed by principal component analysis, Pearson’s correlation and unpaired t-tests adjusted for multiple comparisons; significance set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: Compared to ND mice, HFD mice gained more weight and showed heavier eAT and dyslipidemia with higher levels of plasma CE, TG, Cer and SM. HFD mice had hypertrophic meibomian glands, increased levels of lipid species acylated by saturated fatty acids in plasma and meibum and excessive tear production. Conclusions: The majority of meibum lipid species with saturated fatty acids increased with HFD feeding with evidence of meibomian gland hypertrophy and excessive tearing. The dyslipidemia is associated with altered meibum composition, a key feature of MGD.

Accurate phenotype prediction of quantitative traits is paramount to enhanced plant research and breeding. Here, we report the accurate prediction of cotton fiber length, a typical quantitative trait, using 474 cotton ( Gossypium ssp.) fiber length ( GFL ) genes and nine prediction models. When the SNPs/InDels contained in 226 of the GFL genes or the expressions of all 474 GFL genes was used for fiber length prediction, a prediction accuracy of r = 0.83 was obtained, approaching the maximally possible prediction accuracy of a quantitative trait. This has improved by 116%, the prediction accuracies of the fiber length thus far achieved for genomic selection using genome-wide random DNA markers. Moreover, analysis of the GFL genes identified 125 of the GFL genes that are key to accurate prediction of fiber length, with which a prediction accuracy similar to that of all 474 GFL genes was obtained. The fiber lengths of the plants predicted with expressions of the 125 key GFL genes were significantly correlated with those predicted with the SNPs/InDels of the above 226 SNP/InDel-containing GFL genes ( r = 0.892, P = 0.000). The prediction accuracies of fiber length using both genic datasets were highly consistent across environments or generations. Finally, we found that a training population consisting of 100–120 plants was sufficient to train a model for accurate prediction of a quantitative trait using the genes controlling the trait. Therefore, the genes controlling a quantitative trait are capable of accurately predicting its phenotype, thereby dramatically improving the ability, accuracy, and efficiency of phenotype prediction and promoting gene-based breeding in cotton and other species.

Decreased consumption of dietary fibers, such as cellulose, has been proposed to promote the emergence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD: Crohn disease [CD] and ulcerative colitis [UC]) where intestinal microbes are recognized to play an etiologic role. However, it is not known if transient fiber consumption during critical developmental periods may prevent consecutive intestinal inflammation. The incidence of IBD peaks in young adulthood indicating that pediatric environmental exposures may be important in the etiology of this disease group. We studied the effects of transient dietary cellulose supplementation on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) colitis susceptibility during the pediatric period in mice. Cellulose supplementation stimulated substantial shifts in the colonic mucosal microbiome. Several bacterial taxa decreased in relative abundance (e.g., Coriobacteriaceae [p = 0.001]), and other taxa increased in abundance (e.g., Peptostreptococcaceae [p = 0.008] and Clostridiaceae [p = 0.048]). Some of these shifts persisted for 10 days following the cessation of cellulose supplementation. The changes in the gut microbiome were associated with transient trophic and anticolitic effects 10 days following the cessation of a cellulose-enriched diet, but these changes diminished by 40 days following reversal to a low cellulose diet. These findings emphasize the transient protective effect of dietary cellulose in the mammalian large bowel and highlight the potential role of dietary fibers in amelioration of intestinal inflammation.

Cotton fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae), is a piercing–sucking pest of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) that feeds preferentially on developing flower buds, called squares. Heavy infestations cause yield reductions that result from abscission of squares damaged by the cotton fleahopper feeding. Antixenosis, or nonpreference, has been reported as a mechanism of host plant resistance in cotton to cotton fleahopper. Square structure, particularly the placement of the reproductive tissues, and stylet penetration were investigated as factors that influence resistance to cotton fleahopper in cotton lines derived from crosses with Pilose, a cultigen of upland cotton resistant to cotton fleahopper, and backcrossed with high-yielding, susceptible lines. Ovary depth varied among the lines tested and was found to be a heritable trait that affected the ability of a fleahopper's feeding stylets to penetrate the reproductive tissues in the square and might influence preference. Behavioral assays suggested antixenosis as a mechanism of host plant resistance, and the trait conferring antixenosis was found to be heritable. Results suggest ovary depth plays a role in conferring resistance to cotton fleahopper and is an exploitable trait in resistance breeding.

QTL mapping experiments yield heterogeneous results due to the use of different genotypes, environments, and sampling variation. Compilation of QTL mapping results yields a more complete picture of the genetic control of a trait and reveals patterns in organization of trait variation. A total of 432 QTL mapped in one diploid and 10 tetraploid interspecific cotton populations were aligned using a reference map and depicted in a CMap resource. Early demonstrations that genes from the non-fiber-producing diploid ancestor contribute to tetraploid lint fiber genetics gain further support from multiple populations and environments and advanced-generation studies detecting QTL of small phenotypic effect. Both tetraploid subgenomes contribute QTL at largely non-homeologous locations, suggesting divergent selection acting on many corresponding genes before and/or after polyploid formation. QTL correspondence across studies was only modest, suggesting that additional QTL for the target traits remain to be discovered. Crosses between closely-related genotypes differing by single-gene mutants yield profoundly different QTL landscapes, suggesting that fiber variation involves a complex network of interacting genes. Members of the lint fiber development network appear clustered, with cluster members showing heterogeneous phenotypic effects. Meta-analysis linked to synteny-based and expression-based information provides clues about specific genes and families involved in QTL networks.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have become highly prevalent in developed countries. Environmentally triggered exaggerated immune responses against the intestinal microbiome are thought to mediate the disorders. The potential dietary origins of the disease group have been implicated. However, the effects of environmental influences on prenatal developmental programming in respect to orchestrating postnatal microbiome composition and predilection towards mammalian colitis have not been examined. We tested how transient prenatal exposure to methyl donor micronutrient (MD) supplemented diets may impact predilection towards IBD in a murine dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) colitis model. Prenatal MD supplementation was sufficient to modulate colonic mucosal Ppara expression (3.2 fold increase; p=0.022) and worsen DSS colitis in young adulthood. The prenatal dietary exposure shifted the postnatal colonic mucosal and cecal content microbiomes. Transfer of the gut microbiome from prenatally MD supplemented young adult animals into germ free mice resulted in increased colitis susceptibility in the recipients compared to controls. Therefore, the prenatal dietary intervention induced the postnatal nurturing of a colitogenic microbiome. Our results show that prenatal nutritional programming can modulate the mammalian host to harbor a colitogenic microbiome. These findings may be relevant for the nutritional developmental origins of IBD.