Browsing by Author "Yan, Shun"

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    Homeotic functions of the Teashirt transcription factor during adult Drosophila development
    (Company of Biologists, 2013) Wang, Wei; Tindell, Neil; Yan, Shun; Yoder, John H.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    During Drosophila development region-specific regulation of target genes by Hox proteins is modulated by genetic interactions with various cofactors and genetic collaborators. During embryogenesis one such modulator of Hox target specificity is the zinc-finger transcription factor Teashirt (Tsh) that is expressed in the developing trunk and cooperatively functions with trunk-specific Hox proteins to promote appropriate segment fate. This embryonic function of Tsh is characterized as homeotic since loss of embryonic Tsh activity leads to transformation of trunk segments toward head identity. In addition to this embryonic homeotic role, Tsh also performs vital Hox-independent functions through patterning numerous embryonic, larval and adult structures. Here we address whether the homeotic function of Tsh is maintained throughout development by investigating its contribution to patterning the adult abdomen. We show that Tsh is expressed throughout the developing abdomen and that this expression is dependent on the three Bithorax Hox proteins Ultrabithorax, Abdominal-A and Abdominal-B. Conditional reduction of Tsh activity during pupation reveals broad homeotic roles for this transcription factor throughout the adult abdomen. Additionally we show that, as during embryogenesis, the tsh paralog tiptop (tio) plays a partially redundant role in this homeotic activity. (C) 2012. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.
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    Obesity influences composition of salivary and fecal microbiota and impacts the interactions between bacterial taxa
    (Wiley, 2022) Bombin, Andrei; Yan, Shun; Bombin, Sergei; Mosley, Jonathan D.; Ferguson, Jane F.; Vanderbilt University; University of Alabama Birmingham; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    Obesity is an increasing global health concern and is associated with a broad range of morbidities. The gut microbiota are increasingly recognized as important contributors to obesity and cardiometabolic health. This study aimed to characterize oral and gut microbial communities, and evaluate host: microbiota interactions between clinical obesity classifications. We performed 16S rRNA sequencing on fecal and salivary samples, global metabolomics profiling on plasma and stool samples, and dietary profiling in 135 healthy individuals. We grouped individuals by obesity status, based on body mass index (BMI), including lean (BMI 18-124.9), overweight (BMI 25-29.9), or obese (BMI >= 30). We analyzed differences in microbiome composition, community inter-relationships, and predicted microbial function by obesity status. We found that salivary bacterial communities of lean and obese individuals were compositionally and phylogenetically distinct. An increase in obesity status was positively associated with strong correlations between bacterial taxa, particularly with bacterial groups implicated in metabolic disorders including Fretibacterium, and Tannerella. Consumption of sweeteners, especially xylitol, significantly influenced compositional and phylogenetic diversities of salivary and fecal bacterial communities. In addition, obesity groups exhibited differences in predicted bacterial metabolic activity, which was correlated with host's metabolite concentrations. Overall, obesity was associated with distinct changes in bacterial community dynamics, particularly in saliva. Consideration of microbiome community structure and inclusion of salivary samples may improve our ability to understand pathways linking microbiota to obesity and cardiometabolic disease.