Ariela Thomas is a graduate food science student. Ariela won first place poster presentation in the Agriculture and Life Sciences category at Student Research Week. The title of her poster was “Synergistic interaction between palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and quercetin in the reduction of inflammation”.
For more information on Student Research Week, click here.
Congratulations to the Food Science and Technology students on the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association College Bowl team for winning second place in the South Central Region competition on March 30, 2019.
Since 1985, the IFTSA College Bowl Competition has tested the knowledge of student teams from across the United States in the areas of food science and technology, history of foods and food processing, food law, and general IFT/food-related trivia. The College Bowl is designed to facilitate interaction among students from different universities, stimulate the students’ desire to accumulate and retain knowledge, and provide a forum for students to engage in friendly competition.
A recent study led by researchers at Texas A&M University shows how a novel regulatory mechanism serves as an important biomarker for the development of diabetes, as well as a potential therapeutic target for its prevention.
The study can be found online in the November edition of the journal diabetes of the American Diabetes Association or at PubMed.
“Glucagon and insulin are the most important pancreatic hormones in target tissues, such as the liver, in control of proper glucose levels in response to food intake,” Shaodong Guo, associate professor and Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, said.
Guo was primary investigator and corresponding author for the study, which involved several other researchers from the department. Additional participation in the study came from the Department of Endocrinology at Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China; the Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; and the Department of Chemistry, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio.
During fasting, Guo said, glucagon is secreted from pancreatic a-cells to elevate blood glucose, protecting the body from hypoglycemia. Glucagon also has been tied to the development of diabetic hyperglycemia, mainly through enhancing hepatic glucose production, or HGP.
Transcription factor Foxo1, a protein that plays an important role in regulating the expression of genes, promotes HGP through increasing expression of genes encoding the rate-limiting enzymes responsible for glucose production, he said.
“Glucagon exerts its function through binding to a G-protein-coupled receptor or GCGR,” Guo explained. “When the receptor binds with glucagon it stimulates the cell membrane, which in turn activates protein kinase A, or PKA, signaling for metabolic enzymes or gene expression to increase blood glucose.”
Guo said an excess blood glucagon level is present in animals and humans with diabetes, stimulating excessive HGP and contributing to diabetic hyperglycemia.
“Disruption of proper hepatic glucose production serves as a major underlying mechanism for the development of Type 2 diabetes,” he said. “The pancreatic hormone glucagon increases HGP and insulin decreases it. Together, they control blood glucose homeostasis.”
Guo said glucose production is suppressed by insulin involved in the gene transcriptional regulation in the nucleus of liver cells, and Foxo1 is an important component of insulin-signaling cascades that regulate cellular growth, differentiation and metabolism.
“The purpose of this study was to learn what role Foxo1 plays in how glucagon regulates HGP,” he said. “We investigated the molecular and physiological mechanism of Foxo1 regulation through phosphorylation with the aim of better understanding the fundamentals of blood glucose homeostasis and the pathogenesis of diabetes.”
Phosphorylation, the attachment of a phosphoryl group, is important for protein function as this alteration activates or deactivates almost half of the body’s enzymes, regulating their function.
To establish how this Foxo1 phosphorylation would work in an animal model, the researchers used CRISPR/CAS9 technology in the generation of Foxo1 ‘knock-in’ mice to use in their investigation.
“Foxo1 is stabilized in the liver of fasting mice when insulin is decreased and glucagon is increased in the blood circulation,” he said. “Stimulating the GCGR results in the activation of adenylate cyclase, an enzyme playing key regulatory roles in essentially all cells, and produces increased levels of intracellular PKA.”
Guo said the study showed hepatic Foxo1 deletion in the mice significantly reduced hepatic glucose production and blood glucose.
“This result, along with what we learned from some the previous research done in conjunction with the department, showed we had identified a novel molecular, cellular and physiological mechanism by which Foxo1 mediates glucagon signaling via phosphorylation to control hepatic gluconeogenesis and blood glucose,” he said.
Guo said this study further demonstrated that Foxo1 is a mediator of multiple signaling cascades and integrates different hormones and intracellular protein kinases into the programming that controls insulin sensitivity, HGP and blood glucose.
“A high glucagon level is present in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and Foxo1 plays a key role in the fundamental mechanism leading to excess liver gluconeogenesis and resulting in diabetic hyperglycemia,” Guo said. “This suggests glucagon-mediated HGP could be a significant potential therapeutic intervention for the control and possible prevention of diabetes.”
Originally published in Research at Texas A&M
COLLEGE STATION – The results of a recent Texas A&M University-led study provide insights into the mechanism by which estrogen can decrease insulin resistance and the production of glucose, reducing incidences of Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The study, “Estrogen Improves Insulin Sensitivity and Suppresses Gluconeogenesis via the Transcription Factor Foxo1,” can be found online in the Diabetes journal of the American Diabetes Association at https://bit.ly/2HYYBsQ.
“In this study, we investigated the role of estrogen in control of glucose homeostasis, which has profound impact on our understanding of obesity and diabetes as well as potential dietary interventions,” said Dr. Shaodong Guo, primary study investigator and Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist in the department of nutrition and food science in College Station.
Guo said recent research on the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes has shown gender-related differences, especially a reduced incidence of the disease in premenopausal women. Clinical and animal studies have shown a strong correlation between estrogen deficiency and metabolic dysfunction.
“In general, glucose homeostasis is maintained by glucose uptake in muscle and adipose tissue in addition to glucose production in the liver,” he explained. “However, studies have shown the reduction of estrogen in postmenopausal women accelerates the development of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.
“Conversely, clinical trials of estrogen replacement therapy in postmenopausal women have demonstrated a lowered insulin resistance as well as reductions in plasma glucose level.”
Guo said estrogen deficiency or impaired estrogen signaling is associated with insulin resistance and faulty regulation of metabolic homeostasis, which contributes to the development of Type 2 diabetes and obesity in both human and animal models. But the exact contribution of the tissue-specific action of estrogen to metabolic changes and underlying mechanisms have not yet been elucidated through research.
“Premenopausal women exhibit enhanced insulin sensitivity and reduced incidence of Type 2 diabetes compared with age-equivalent men,” he explained. “But this advantage disappears after menopause with disrupted glucose homeostasis, in part owing to a reduction in circulating estrogen.”
Guo noted there is also a potential risk of breast cancer or stroke as a side effect of estrogen therapy, which is a significant roadblock to its use as a therapeutic agent.
“This is why it is so important to understand the tissue-specific action of estrogen and its molecular mechanism in metabolic regulation,” he said. “Once that mechanism is understood, it will aid in the development of targeted estrogen mimics that can provide the therapeutic benefits without unwanted side effects.”
In their study, Guo and other researchers investigated the action of estrogen on glucose homeostasis in male and ovariectomized female control and liver-specific Foxo1 knockout mice.
“We wanted to understand the mechanism by which estrogen regulates gluconeogenesis by means of interaction with hepatic Foxo1,” he explained. “Foxo1 has an important role in the regulation of glucose production through insulin signaling. It is an important component of insulin-signaling cascades regulating cellular growth, differentiation and metabolism.”
He said in both male and ovariectomized female control mice, a subcutaneous estrogen implant improved insulin sensitivity and suppressed gluconeogenesis. However, the estrogen had no effect on the liver-specific Foxo1 knockout mice of both sexes.
“This suggests Foxo1 is required for estrogen to be effective in suppressing gluconeogenesis,” he said. “We further demonstrated that estrogen suppresses hepatic glucose production through activation of estrogen receptor signaling, which can be independent of insulin receptor substrates Irs1 and Irs2. This reveals an important mechanism for estrogen in the regulation of glucose homeostasis.”
Guo said study results support the hypothesis that improvement of glucose homeostasis by estrogen is regulated by hepatic Foxo1-mediated gluconeogenesis rather than by promoting muscle glucose uptake.
He said results may also help explain why premenopausal women have lower incidence of Type 2 diabetes than age-equivalent men and suggest that targeting the estrogen receptor ERa can be a potential approach to modulate glucose metabolism and prevent diabetes.
“The identification of tissue-specific actions of estrogen and direct targets of estrogen receptors will facilitate the development of novel selective ligands that prevent Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity without promoting abnormal sex characteristics or breast cancer,” he said.
Guo also noted some foods, such as soybeans, contain a certain amount of phytoestrogens, which can function in a similar way to that of estrogen, regulating bodily glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity.
“This study provides some important insights into the molecular and physiological mechanism of metabolic diseases and provides a fundamental understanding that dietary intervention can play a crucial role in controlling obesity, diabetes and associated chronic diseases,” he said.
Originally published in AgriLife Today
Writer: Paul Schattenberg, 210-859-5752, paschattenberg@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Shaodong Guo, 979-845-0850, shaodong.guo@tamu.edu
The Department of Nutrition and Food Science participated in Aggieland Saturday on February 9, 2019. Aggieland Saturday is an annual campus-wide open house for prospective students and their families. During the event, prospective students have the opportunity to learn more about our colleges and majors. This year the following individuals participated from Nutrition & Food Science majors: Marley Grams, Ashleigh Lyons, Jessica Canez, Michael Diehl, Meghan Bauman, Dr. Steve Talcott & Mrs. Evelyn Quinones.
Yagmur Yegin, a doctoral student in Food Science and Technology, received multiple awards in 2018. Yagmur initially received our department`s “Outstanding Graduate Student Award in Research”. Then, she received 2018-2019 Texas A&M University Academic Excellence Award, followed by KANEKA Scholarship from the Polymer Technology Center of Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station.
Furthermore, her research was chosen as a finalist in Withycombe-Charalambous Graduate Student Competition in American Chemical Society – Agricultural and Food Chemistry Division (ACS AGFD). She will attend the National Spring Meeting in April 2019 to present her research, and her travel expenses will be covered by the ACS organization committee.
Yagmur is currently working under supervision of Dr. Alejandro Castillo in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science and Dr. Mustafa Akbulut in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University. Yagmur`s research interests are focused on various fields including nanotechnology applications in food safety, controlled release of active ingredients in food systems, synthesis and characterization of antimicrobial nanoparticles, surface science, mechanism of action of sanitizers, and effect of surface chemistry and topography on bacterial attachment.
Together with co-researchers, Ms. Xianjun Luo and Mr. Linqiang Ma, visiting students in the Lab of Dr. Chaodong Wu, made significant achievements in elucidating how STING, a regulator of innate immunity, enhances macrophage pro-inflammation and promotes macrophage-mediated insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Their results were recently published in Gastroenterology (Impact Factor: 20.733) (2018 Dec;155(6):1971-1984.e4. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.09.010). The pertinent Editorial and Covering of the Cover are also available in the same issue of the Journal.
Dr. Chaodong Wu was invited to participate and present at the First International Conference on Precision Nutrition and Metabolism in Public Health and Medicine. The conference was held September 21 – 26, 2018 in Chania, Crete, Greece. During the conference, Dr. Wu delivered a speech on obesity-related circadian dysregulation and insulin resistance. Also, Dr. Wu was invited to participate and present at the 22nd Scientific Meeting of the Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS2018). The CDS2018 was held November 28th – December 1st, 2018 in Suzhou, China. During the meeting, Dr. Wu delivered a speech on the protective role for adenosine 2A receptor in inflammation and insulin resistance.
Dr. Robert Chapkin is the William W. Allen Endowed Chair in Nutrition and Chronic Disease Prevention at Texas A&M. He is a University Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor and University Faculty Fellow in the Program in Integrative Nutrition and Complex Diseases. He is also a Texas A&M AgriLife Senior Faculty Fellow.
Election as an AAAS Fellow in Biological Sciences is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers, according to the association. This year, 416 members have been awarded this honor because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.
Chapkin and other new Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin, whose colors represent science and engineering, respectively, on Feb. 16 at the 2019 AAAS annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Chapkin is a National Cancer Institute R35 Outstanding Investigator and is co-director of a National Institutes of Health-funded nutrition, biostatistics and bioinformatics training grant.
Chapkin’s expertise is in dietary and botanical modulators related to prevention of cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease. His research centers on colon cancer prevention by investigating the impact of dietary fat, fiber and gut microbiota status on chronic disease processes.
He has received a number of awards for his work, including the Osborne and Mendel Award from the American Society for Nutrition, NASA Space Act Award and Bio Serv Award in Experimental Animal Nutrition from the American Society for Nutrition.
Chapkin also is a member of numerous professional societies and has authored or co-authored more than 270 scientific research publications.
Chapkin earned a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and biochemistry and a master’s degree in nutrition from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, and a doctorate in nutrition and physiological chemistry from the University of California, Davis.
Originally Published by AgriLife Today
The Texas A&M Nutrition and Food Science Department was well represented at the recent Longhorn Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Technical Sessions and Suppliers Night event. Twenty-five undergraduate students, three graduate students and two faculty members took part in the annual event that included over 300 Exhibitors and over 1,000 attendees. The students and faculty networked with ingredient suppliers, processing equipment manufacturers, food scientists from Consumer Package Goods (CPG) companies, and third party food analysis lab representatives. The group also gained new insights into sugar reduction challenges in the beverage industry and challenges to pathogen detection in different food matrices during the technical sessions. Our department also had the opportunity to promote our new Food Diversity Innovation Program to food industry professionals.