Description
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is the main site of non-shivering thermogenesis in mammals. Heat produced by BAT upon adrenergic stimulation is essential for the survival of small rodents and hibernators in a cold environment, but also contributes to diet-induced thermogenesis. Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) is ubiquitously expressed in the inner membrane of BAT mitochondria and mediates the uncoupling of fuel consumption from ATP production to dissipate energy as heat. Since BAT has a crucial role in energy balance regulation, ongoing research emphasizes its therapeutic potential to battle the global epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The recent discovery of functional BAT in healthy adults has raised great interest in increasing energy expenditure by enhancing BAT thermogenesis. Previous pharmacological approaches targeting BAT through sympathomimetics have failed due to detrimental cardiovascular side effects. We aim to identify novel nutritional interventions either mediating the activation of brown fat by non-sympathetic pathways, or facilitating the endogenous sympathetic activation.
ZIEL Graduate Programme
Regina Haindl
Title of the PhD thesis
Conservation of the human intestinal microbiota
Description
An intact gut microbiome is essential for the human health and well-being. A threat for the human intestinal microbiome are infections by Clostridium difficile (one of the widespread multi-resistant microorganisms) or inflammatory bowel irritations. The transfer of the microbiome from healthy individuals to patients is an innovative approach regarding the development of new pharmaceuticals and treatment procedures.
The aim of this project is to develop a methodology to obtain a dried and shelf stable minimal consortium comprised of the core microorganism of the human microbiome or surrogates thereof. These microorganisms are fermented at different process conditions, enriched/ purified and freeze-dried, while still in a vital and active state.
The project is designed to develop a methodological base for follow-up projects.
Regina Haindl
Technical University Munich
Chair for Food and Bioprocess Engineering
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kulozik
Laura Mengel
Title of the PhD thesis
Variability of human energy metabolism. Search for genetic determinants and their functional role
Description
Measurements of resting energy expenditure show a substantial inter-individual variation among humans which may have a long-term impact on body weight control and obesity risk. To date, it is poorly understood which genetic factors are involved in the regulation of energy metabolism. Aim of the project is to study the association between resting energy expenditure at thermoneutrality and after defined cold exposure and selected obesity risk loci. The focus is on the role of the FTO locus which was recently found to reduce thermogenesis in white adipose tissue (“browning”), thereby increasing the risk to gain weight
Laura Mengel
Technical University Munich
Chair for Nutritional Medicine
Prof. Dr. Hans Hauner
Susanne Naumann
Title of the PhD thesis
Influence of processing conditions and food matrix on the bile acid binding of lupin kernel fiber in the chyme and effects on the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiome
Description
Dietary fiber from lupin seeds show positive effects on the human digestive system since they increase the stool volume, shorten the transit time and adsorb bile acids from the chyme. The sorptive properties of the fiber can be influenced by process parameters during their isolation as well as through matrix effects and processing of the food.
Within the framework of the project different treated fiber fractions of lupine seeds in defined food matrices will be investigated for their bile acid binding by means of an in vitro-model for adsorption. Through variations of process parameters and food components partly digested samples will be produced. These samples could be used to investigate the effect of lupin fibers and bound bile acids on the gastrointestinal microbiome.
The investigations will take place at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, at the Department of Nutrition and Immunology and at the Department of Nutritional Medicine of the Technical University of Munich.
Susanne Naumann
Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
Process Development for Plant Raw Materials
Food Process Development
PD Dr.-Ing. Peter Eisner
Josef Oeckl
Title of the PhD thesis
Nutritional interventions controlling brown adipose tissue activity
Josef Oeckl
Technical University Munich
Chair for Molecular Nutritional Medicine
Prof. Dr. Martin Klingenspor
Sandra Reitmeier
Title of the PhD Thesis
Population-based assessment of gut microbiota-host interactions
Description
The gut associated microbial ecosystem – intestinal microbiome – has an important influence on human health. We are focussing on the composition of the gut microbiome and its impact on different life stages and health statuses. Furthermore we are trying to find diet-associated pattern. Therefore, stool samples from a state-of the art population-based prospective cohort – KORA – are analysed via high-throughput sequencing.
Publications
- Lagkouvardos I, Fischer S, Kumar N, Clavel T (2017). Rhea: a transparent and modular R pipeline for microbial profiling based on 16S rRNA gene amplicons. PeerJ 5:e2836.
- Ott B, Skurk T, Hastreiter L, Lagkouvardos I, Fischer S, Büttner J, Kellerer T, Clavel T, Rychlik M, Haller D, Hauner H (2017). Effect of caloric restriction on gut permeability, inflammation markers, and microbiota composition in obese women. Sci Rep. 7:11955.
- Ott B, Skurk T, Lagkouvardos I, Fischer S, Buttner J, Lichtenegger M, Clavel T, Lechner A, Rychlik M, Haller D, Hauner H (2018). Short-term overfeeding with dairy cream does not modify gut permeability, the fecal microbiota, or glucose metabolism in young healthy men. J Nutr 148, 77-85.
- Bamberger C, Rossmeier A, Lechner K, Wu L, Waldmann E, Fischer S, Stark RG, Altenhofer J, Henze K, Parhofer KG (2018). A walnut-enriched diet affects gut microbiome in healthy Caucasian subjects: A randomized, controlled trial. Nutrients 10(2): E244.
- Mak’Anyengo R, Duewell P, Reichl C, Hörth C, Lehr H-A, Fischer S, Clavel T, Denk G, Hohenester S, Kobold S, Endres S, Schnurr M, Bauer C (2018). Nlrp3-dependent IL-1β inhibits CD103+ dendritic cell differentiation in the gut. JCI insights 3(5), e96322.
- Waldschmitt N, Metwaly A, Fischer S, Haller D (2018). Microbial signatures as a predictive tool in IBD—pearls and pitfalls. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 24(6), 1123-1132.
Sandra Reitmeier née Fischer
Technical University Munich
ZIEL - Institute for Food & Health
Core Facility Microbiome
Prof. Dr. Dirk Haller
Nina Sillner
Title of the PhD thesis
High resolution non-targeted metabolomics to study cohorts through life stages
Description
The project is embedded in various nutrition, human cohort and mouse studies at the ZIEL Institute, e.g. the Töpfer infant intervention study. The goal is the development of metabolomics as a tool for the discovery of new relevant metabolites (non-targeted discovery metabolomics). Metabolite profiles from gut microbiome in different body fluids will be accomplished using mass spectrometry-based technologies (UPLC/QTOF-MS, FT-ICR/MS). New evaluation procedures will be optimized to enable metabolite networks and decide on compounds of highest importance in the study. These selected metabolite profiles and their dynamics will be modelled together with nutrition parameters.
Nina Sillner
Helmholtz Zentrum München
Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH)
Research Unit Analytical BioGeoChemistry
Prof. Dr. Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin
Sinah Schmidt
Title of the PhD thesis
Targeted quantitative metabotyping of study cohorts through life stages
Description
Although dietary exposure is an important factor inducing complex metabolite profile alterations, detailed knowledge on the interconnectivities at the diet-microbiome-health nexus, especially at different life stages, is not available. The project will focus on the targeted, high-throughput quantitation of a wide range of metabolites in liquid biosamples collected from the research projects of the BMBF-funded program enable (collab. with Prof. Hauner and Haller, ZIEL) as well as prospective and interventional study cohorts, such as, e.g. the Töpfer early life probiotic intervention trial as well as elderly subjects from the prospective cohort KORA (collab. with PD Dr. Linseisen/HMGU). To reach the highest level of accuracy and sensitivity, multi-parametric metabolite quantitation technologies (DMS-UPLC-MS/MSMRM-SIDA) will be advanced for known key metabolites as well as previously unknown biomarkers detected by untargeted profiling (collab. with Prof. Schmitt-Kopplin/HMGU) and applied to human study samples, followed by multivariate data analysis. Furthermore, the SIDA methods developed are expected to be expanded to other areas of research such as, e.g. cell culture and mouse models (Prof. Klingenspor) and mini pigs (Prof. Schnieke).
Sinah Schmidt
Technical University Munich
Chair of Food Chemistry and Molecular Sensory Science
Prof. Dr. Thomas Hofmann
Isabel Abellan-Schneyder
Title of the PhD Thesis
Assessment of microbiota in small niches by sequencing
Description
Routinely, modern high-throughput sequencing is used to identify bacteria within feces or skin samples by their 16S rRNA genes. Small niches, for example crypts or mucus of the gut, are of greater interest as focus points for bacteria-host interactions. In this project, methods are developed to assess the microbial communities even if small numbers of bacteria are present. Furthermore, 16S rRNA sequencing is improved to gain higher resolution for species determination.
Publications
- Hücker SM, Vanderhaeghen S, Abellan-Schneyder I, Scherer S, Neuhaus K (2018). The novel anaerobiosis-responsive overlapping gene ano is overlapping antisense to the annotated gene ECs2385 of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Sakai. Front Microbiol. 9:931.
- Hücker SM, Vanderhaeghen S, Abellan-Schneyder I, Wecko R, Simon S, Scherer S, Neuhaus K (2018). A novel short L-arginine responsive protein-coding gene (laoB) antiparallel overlapping to a CadC-like transcriptional regulator in Escherichia coli O157:H7 Sakai originated by overprinting. BMC Evol Biol. 18(1):21.
Isabel Abellan-Schneyder
Technical University of Munich
Core Facility Microbiome
PD Dr. Klaus Neuhaus
Franziska Giehren
Title of the PhD Thesis
Deciphering metatranslatomes – the chain link to understand functionality of gut microbiota
Description
Metatranslatomes (i.e. RIBOseq experiments) help understanding the actual translation of bacterial genes. In this project, the translation of bacterial genes in a simplified human intestinal microbiota consortium shall be examined. The RIBOSeq method is used to investigate at first individual species and later several species of the simplified consortium. Of specific interest is the interaction of the bacteria between each other, as well as in connection to different environmental conditions.
Publications
- Stolpe C, Giehren F, Krämer U, Müller C (2017). Both heavy metal-amendment of soil and aphid-infestation increase Cd and Zn concentrations in phloem exudates of a metal-hyperaccumulating plant. Phytochemistry 139(7):109-117.
Franziska Giehren
Technical University of Munich
Core Facility Microbiome
PD Dr. Klaus Neuhaus