Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the most common chronic liver disease worldwide, affecting nearly 25% of the global adult population. Increasing evidence suggests that functional and compositional changes in the gut microbiota may contribute to the development and promote the progression of NAFLD. 16S rRNA gene next-generation sequencing is widely used to determine specific features of the NAFLD microbiome, but a complex system such as the gut microbiota requires a comprehensive approach. We used three different approaches: MALDI-TOF-MS of bacterial cultures, qPCR, and 16S NGS sequencing, as well as a wide variety of statistical methods to assess the differences in gut microbiota composition between NAFLD patients without significant fibrosis and the control group. The listed methods showed enrichment in Collinsella sp. and Oscillospiraceae for the control samples and enrichment in Lachnospiraceae (and in particular Dorea sp.) and Veillonellaceae in NAFLD. The families, Bifidobacteriaceae, Lactobacillaceae, and Enterococcaceae (particularly Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis), were also found to be important taxa for NAFLD microbiome evaluation. Considering individual method observations, an increase in Candida krusei and a decrease in Bacteroides uniformis for NAFLD patients were detected using MALDI-TOF-MS. An increase in Gracilibacteraceae, Chitinophagaceae, Pirellulaceae, Erysipelatoclostridiaceae, Muribaculaceae, and Comamonadaceae, and a decrease in Acidaminococcaceae in NAFLD were observed with 16S NGS, and enrichment in Fusobacterium nucleatum was shown using qPCR analysis. These findings confirm that NAFLD is associated with changes in gut microbiota composition. Further investigations are required to determine the cause-and-effect relationships and the impact of microbiota-derived compounds on the development and progression of NAFLD.

The gut microbiota plays an important role in maintaining human health, as well as in the development of various pathologies, as indicated by a large amount of research. One of the manifestations of an imbalance in the gut microbiome composition is the appearance of various diseases or immune reactions, in particular, atopic dermatitis (AD) and/or food allergies (FA). In this research, using 16S NGS sequencing, it was found that the gut microbiome of children with food allergies and children with atopic dermatitis can be characterized as having higher inflammatory potential. Both groups exhibited an abundance of representatives from the Pasteurellaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae families, as well as a decrease in the relative number of representatives from the Barnesiellaceae family compared to healthy participants. In the group of participants with food allergies, there was a decrease in the relative number of Desulfovibrionaceae representatives and Bifidobacteriaceae family enrichment in relatively healthy participants. In addition, when comparing this group with patients with atopic dermatitis, it was revealed that a number of representatives of such families as Erysipelotrichaceae, Ruminococcaceae and Sutterellaceae prevailed. This information confirms that AD and FA correlate with changes in the composition of the gut microbiota. Further research is needed to determine the cause–effect connections and the effect of compounds derived from the microbiota on the AD and FA development and progression, as well as to create new probiotic drugs to prevent and modulate immune responses, including at an early age.

Background. Currently, it is known that the gut microbiota plays an important role in the functioning of the immune system, and a rebalancing of the bacterial community can arouse complex immune reactions and lead to immune-mediated responses in an organism, in particular, the development of atopic dermatitis (AD). Cytokines and chemokines are regulators of the innate and adaptive immune response and represent the most important biomarkers of the immune system. It is known that changes in cytokine profiles are a hallmark of many diseases, including atopy. However, it remains unclear how the bacterial imbalance disrupts the function of the immune response in AD. Objectives. We attempted to determine the role of gut bacteria in modulating cytokine pathways and their role in atopic inflammation. Methods. We sequenced the 16S rRNA gene from 50 stool samples of children aged 3–12 years who had confirmed atopic dermatitis, and 50 samples from healthy children to serve as a control group. To evaluate the immune status, we conducted a multiplex immunofluorescence assay and measured the levels of 41 cytokines and chemokines in the serum of all participants. Results. To find out whether changes in the composition of the gut microbiota were significantly associated with changes in the level of inflammatory cytokines, a correlation was calculated between each pair of bacterial family and cytokine. In the AD group, 191 correlations were significant (Spearman’s correlation coefficient, p ≤ 0.05), 85 of which were positive and 106 which were negative. Conclusions. It has been demonstrated that intestinal dysbiosis is associated with alterations in cytokine profiles, specifically an increase in proinflammatory cytokine concentrations. This may indicate a systemic impact of these conditions, leading to an imbalance in the immune system’s response to the Th2 type. As a result, atopic conditions may develop. Additionally, a correlation between known AD biomarkers (IL-5, IL-8, IL-13, CCL22, IFN-γ, TNF-α) and alterations in the abundance of bacterial families (Pasteurellaceae, Barnesiellaceae, Eubacteriaceae) was observed.

One of the most important areas of modern genome research is the search for meaningful relationships between genetic variants and phenotypes. In the livestock field, there has been research demonstrating the influence of copy number variants (CNVs) on phenotypic variation. Despite the wide range in the number and size of detected CNVs, a significant proportion differ between breeds and their functional effects are underestimated in the pig industry. In this work, we focused on the problem of leg defects in pigs (lumps/growths in the area of the hock joint on the hind legs) and focused on searching for molecular genetic predictors associated with this trait for the selection of breeding stock. The study was conducted on Large White pigs using three CNV calling tools (PennCNV, QuantiSNP and R-GADA) and the CNVRanger association analysis tool (CNV-GWAS). As a result, the analysis identified three candidate CNVRs associated with the formation of limb defects. Subsequent functional analysis suggested that all identified CNVs may act as potential predictors of the hock joint phenotype of pigs. It should be noted that the results obtained indicate that all significant regions are localized in genes (CTH, SRSF11, MAN1A1 and LPIN1) responsible for the metabolism of amino acids, fatty acids, glycerolipids and glycerophospholipids, thereby related to the immune response, liver functions, content intramuscular fat and animal fatness. These results are consistent with previously published studies, according to which a predisposition to the formation of leg defects can be realized through genetic variants associated with the functions of the liver, kidneys and hematological characteristics.

The neurobiological systems of maintenance and control of behavioral responses result from natural selection. We have analyzed the selection signatures for single nucleotide variants (SNV) of the genes of oxytocin (OXT, OXTR) and vasopressin (AVP, AVPR1A, AVPR1B) systems, which are associated with the regulation of social and emotional behavior in distinct populations. The analysis was performed using original WGS (whole genome sequencing) data on Eastern Slavs (SlEast), as well as publicly available data from the 1000 Genomes Project on GBR, FIN, IBR, PUR, BEB, CHB, and ACB populations (the latter were taken as reference). To identify selection signatures, we rated the integrated haplotype scores (iHS), the numbers of segregating sites by length (nSl), and the integrated haplotype homozygosity pooled (iHH12) measures; the fixation index Fst was implemented to assess genetic differentiation between populations. We revealed that the strongest genetic differentiation of populations was found with respect to the AVPR1B gene, with the greatest differentiation observed in GRB (Fst = 0.316) and CHB (Fst = 0.325) in comparison to ACB. Also, high Fst values were found for SNVs of the AVPR1B gene rs28499431, rs33940624, rs28477649, rs3883899, and rs28452187 in most of the populations. Selection signatures have also been identified in the AVP, AVPR1A, OXT, and OXTR genes. Our analysis shows that the OXT, OXTR, AVP, AVPR1A, and AVPR1B genes were subject to positive selection in a population-specific process, which was likely contributing to the diversity of adaptive emotional response types and social function realizations.

Background. In many studies over the past decade, scientists have made a connection between the composition of gut microbiota and human health. A number of publications have shown that gut bacteria are involved in many metabolic and physiological processes of the organism. The composition of the gut microbiome is unique for each person and is formed under the influence of various factors associated with both the individual characteristics of the body and the characteristics of the environment. Different regional characteristics make it necessary for the body to adapt to certain conditions, including temperature fluctuations. Living in areas with low temperatures, such as the Arctic zone, dictates the need for increased energy consumption, which affects the composition of the gut microbiome. Methods. In our study, an extensive questionnaire was conducted among the participants, where many questions were included about the dietary preferences of the study participants, which allowed them us to further divide them into groups according to their diets. Stool samples were collected from participants from 3 groups: Arctic native, Arctic newcomer and the control group. The next step was the isolation of bacterial DNA and sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. The analysis of the results of the diversity of the intestinal microbiota was carried out both with and without taking into account the dietary preferences of the participants. Results. As a result of comparing the intestinal microbiota obtained from residents of the Arctic zone with the gut microbiota of residents of other regions with a milder climate, significant differences are found. These differences may be related to limited food resources and a reduction in the variety of food products characteristic of this Arctic region. t was also found that representatives of the bacterial families Christensenellaceae and Muribaculaceae dominated the control group, both with traditional nutrition and with a dairy-free diet in comparison with the Arctic groups. The control group was dominated by representatives of the Prevotellaceae, Enterobacteriaceae and Comamonadaceae families compared to the Arctic group (with a traditional diet). The results also show that the number of representatives of the families Desulfovibrionaceae (with traditional diet) and Enterobacteriaceae (with milk-free diet) is growing in the Arctic group. Conclusions. In the course of this work, bacterial families characteristic of people living in the Arc-tic zone of the Far Eastern region of the Russian Federation were identified. Poor diet, difficult climatic conditions, and problems with logistics and medical care can have a strong impact on the health of this population. The main type of diet for the inhabitants of the Arctic is the traditional type of diet. They consume a large number of low-cost products, obtainget animal protein from poultry and canned food, and also eat a small number of fresh vegetables and fruits. Such a diet is due to the social status of the study participants and the climatic and geographical features of the region (difficulties in agriculture). With such a diet, we observe a decrease in representatives of the Christensenellaceae, Muribaculaceae, Eubacteriaceae, and Prevotellaceae families and an increase in representatives of the Enterobacteriaceae and Desulfovibrionaceae families among Arctic residents. This imbalance in the futuremay cause, this population may to develop various diseases in the future, including chronic diseases such as obesity, intestinal dysbiosis, inflammatory bowel diseases, and type 2 diabetes.