Biology subjects

Corrado, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Corrado, M..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Gut Microbiota Fuel Aging Induced by Mitochondrial Dysfunction

Aging is characterized by hallmarks whose mechanistic interdependencies remain poorly defined. Here, we investigate the bi-directional communication between gut microbiota and host mitochondria in the context of immune regulation, healthspan and lifespan. Using a mitochondrial dysfunction PolgAmut mouse model of accelerated aging, we tested the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in modulating microbial homeostasis and aging. We find that impairment of mitochondrial function hastens the decline of microbiota structure over time and induces immune dysregulation and inflammation through metabolic reprogramming of the myeloid immune subset. Further, we find that gut microbiota drives a paradoxical energy state by reducing mitochondrial function systemically while simultaneously driving energy-intensive programs including immune remodelling and protein synthesis, through mTOR signaling. Thus, aging emerges from the progressive imbalance between microbiota-driven energetic demand and declining mitochondrial energy supply. We postulate that microbiota promote host early-life fitness, at the cost of amplifying metabolic stress and inflammation later in life.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

The histone lysine demethylase KDM5C fine-tunes gene expression to regulate dendritic cell heterogeneity and function

The functional and phenotypic heterogeneity of dendritic cells (DCs) plays a crucial role in facilitating the development of diverse immune responses that are essential for providing host protection. We found that KDM5C, a histone lysine demethylase of the KDM5 family regulates several aspects of conventional DC (cDC) and plasmacytoid DC (pDC) population heterogeneity and function. Using mice conditionally deficient in KDM5C in DCs, we found that loss of KDM5C results in an increase in Ly6C- pDCs compared to Ly6C+ pDCs. We found that Ly6C- pDCs, compared to Ly6C+ pDCs, have increased expression of cell cycle genes, decreased expression of activation markers and limited ability to produce type I interferon (IFN). Both KDM5C-deficient Ly6C- and Ly6C+ pDCs have increased expression of activation markers, however, are dysfunctional and have limited ability to produce type I IFN. For conventional cDCs, KDM5C deficiency resulted in increased proportions of cDC2Bs (CLEC12A+, ESAM-) and cDC1s, which was partly dependent on type I IFN and pDCs. Using ATAC-seq, RNA-seq, and CUT&RUN for histone marks, we found that KDM5C regulates epigenetic programming of cDC1. In the absence of KDM5C, we found an increased expression of inflammatory markers, consistent with our previous results in bone marrow-derived DCs. However, we also found a decrease in mitochondrial metabolism genes and altered expression of cDC lineage-specific genes. In response to Listeria infection, KDM5C-conditionally deficient mice mounted reduced CD8+ T cell responses, indicating that KDM5C expression in DCs is necessary for their function. Thus, KDM5C is a key regulator of DC heterogeneity by modulating the balance of DC subsets and serves as a critical driver of the epigenetic programming and functional properties of DCs.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2023

Prostaglandin E2 controls the metabolic adaptation of T cells to the intestinal microenvironment

Immune cells must adapt to different environments during the course of an immune response. We studied the adaptation of CD8+ T cells to the intestinal microenvironment and how this process shapes their residency in the gut. CD8+ T cells progressively remodel their transcriptome and surface phenotype as they acquire gut residency, and downregulate expression of mitochondrial genes. Human and mouse gut-resident CD8+ T cells have reduced mitochondrial mass, but maintain a viable energy balance to sustain their function. We found that the intestinal microenvironment is rich in prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which drives mitochondrial depolarization in CD8+ T cells. Consequently, these cells engage autophagy to clear depolarized mitochondria, and enhance glutathione synthesis to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) that result from mitochondrial depolarization. Impairing PGE2 sensing promotes CD8+ T cell accumulation in the gut, while tampering with autophagy and glutathione negatively impacts the T cell population. Thus, a PGE2-autophagy-glutathione axis defines the metabolic adaptation of CD8+ T cells to the intestinal microenvironment, to ultimately influence the T cell pool.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2022

Impact of storage on starch digestibility and texture of a high-amylose wheat bread

Staling is a complex process that determines the shelf-life of baked products like bread. Breads made using high-amylose flour may elicit a lower glycaemic response, with benefits for health, however the impact of storage on novel high-amylose wheat foods structure are not known. We investigated the staling behaviour of high-amylose bread made from a starch branching enzyme II (sbeII) wheat mutant compared to a wild-type (WT) control, by measuring starch digestibility (susceptibility to amylolysis) and bread texture over time in different storage conditions. Breads prepared from sbeII and WT control wheat flours were subjected to fresh, refrigerated and frozen storage, and starch digestibility and crumb texture were measured up to three days. Starch from sbeII flour was characterised by a larger proportion of long chains resulting in increased amylose content, typical of sbeII mutant wheat. Starch in sbeII bread was less susceptible to amylolysis when freshly baked (~17% difference of starch digested at 90 min, C90) and after storage (26%-28% C90 difference, depending on the storage condition), compared to the WT control. Texture of freshly baked sbeII bread was similar to the WT control; storage conditions affected the progression of crumb firming and resilience to touch for both breads, but changes in crumb texture were less pronounced in sbeII bread. Overall, sbeII bread was less prone to staling than conventional WT bread during the first three days of storage, particularly when stored in the fridge or at room temperature.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2020

Triacylglycerol synthesis enhances macrophage inflammatory function

Macrophages are integral to most tissues. Foam cells, macrophages with lipid droplets (LDs) which are stores of triacylglycerols (TGs) and cholesterol esters (CEs), are found in various disease states1. LDs can act as energy stores since TG lipolysis releases fatty acids (FAs) for mitochondrial oxidation (FAO), a process that relies on long-chain FA conversion into acylcarnitines by the enzyme Cpt1a2. However, in macrophages, proinflammatory signals result in diminished FAO and increased TG synthesis with LD development3,4. We explored the significance of LDs in cells that do not utilize FAO. We show that macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plus interferon-{gamma} (IFN{gamma}) accumulate TGs in LDs, and long-chain acylcarnitines. In these cells, inhibition of TG synthesis results in diminished LD development, and increased long chain acylcarnitine levels, suggesting that FA fate is balanced between TG and acylcarnitine synthesis. Nevertheless, TG-synthesis is required for inflammatory macrophage function, since its inhibition negatively affects production of proinflammatory IL-1{beta}, IL-6 and PGE2, and phagocytic capacity, and protects against LPS-induced shock in vivo. Failure to make PGE2 is critical for this phenotype, since exogenous PGE2 reverses the anti-inflammatory effects of TG-synthesis inhibition. These findings place LDs in a position of central functional importance in inflammatory macrophages.

immunology↗