Source: PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
INTERDISCIPLINARY GRADUATE TRAINING IN FOOD, NUTRITION, INTESTINAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1002495
Grant No.
2014-38420-21822
Cumulative Award Amt.
$238,500.00
Proposal No.
2013-06523
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Apr 1, 2014
Project End Date
Mar 31, 2019
Grant Year
2014
Program Code
[KK]- National Needs Graduate Fellowships Program
Recipient Organization
PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
408 Old Main
UNIVERSITY PARK,PA 16802-1505
Performing Department
Veterinary and Biomedical Scie
Non Technical Summary
Current research in the area of intestinal health has discovered that the bacteria in the gut can play a central role not only in intestinal function but in overall wellness. An altered gut flora has been linked to a variety of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cancer, obesity and various autoimmune diseases. This is an emerging area of investigation that holds the promise of having a profound effect on maintaining overall wellness. Our ability to understand the role of individual types of bacteria in the gut is criitical to the development of treatments to obtain an optimal flora. The ability of diet to alter the gut flora is an area of active investigation. This training grant will provide financial support for three graduate students who will receive formal instruction both in the clasroom and in the laboratory on how to study intestinal health and discover the role of the gut flora in human health.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
7023840101050%
3054010102050%
Knowledge Area
702 - Requirements and Function of Nutrients and Other Food Components; 305 - Animal Physiological Processes;

Subject Of Investigation
3840 - Laboratory animals; 4010 - Bacteria;

Field Of Science
1010 - Nutrition and metabolism; 1020 - Physiology;
Goals / Objectives
In the United States and throughout the World, gastrointestinal disorders and disease are highly prevalent and increasing. Whether related to more westernized diseases (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease) or those diseases and disorders associated with developing countries (e.g. malnutrition, persistent diarrhea), there is a strong link between food, nutrition, and the overall development and maintenance of intestinal health. However, what is lacking is the proper and thorough training of doctoral level students not only with the fundamental knowledge of these fields but also with training in cutting-edge technologies such as metagenomics and metabolomics and the knowledge and experience to analyze these highly complex datasets. To address this gap, a team of established investigators has been assembled from two departments in the College of Agricultural Sciences. We have designed a rigorous, multidisciplinary training program for highly motivated and talented Ph.D. students that takes advantage of our faculty expertise (food science, immunology, metabolomics, metagenomics, bioinformatics, and toxicology) and our recently established metabolomics facility that is outfitted with the very latest chromatography and mass spectrometry platforms. We have partnered with several graduate recruitment programs at PSU to enhance the diversity of the applicant pool for these positions. Our goal is that this unique program combining traditional classroom and laboratory training with practical training in metabolomics, metagenomics, and bioinformatics will create 3 Ph.D. graduates that are not only highly competitive and sought after in academia and industry but also pioneers in the field.
Project Methods
We will select three Ph.D. fellows for this program through several mechanisms; first through the traditional recruitment efforts of the Food Science (FS) and Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences (VBS) departments. Secondly, through several interdepartmental graduate programs we will recruit; including, Molecular Medicine, Toxicology, and Genetics. There are two established minority programs in the FS and VBS departments that train graduate students, North Carolina A&T State University program initially set-up through a prior USDA grant and the Alcorn State program funded by the NIH. Students in these programs will be interviewed that are interested in this program and allowed to rotate through three laboratories to determine which laboratory fits their interests. Fellows will be encouraged to select a second advisor for their thesis work. A unique course curriculum has been developed that will provide the interdisciplinary skills necessary to perform cutting edge research in gut health. Each fellow will be required to perform a rotation in the Penn State Metabolomics Center. Fellows will develop critical thinking skills through resident instruction, regular attendance at laboratory meetings, journal clubs and thesis research. After choosing a laboratory for their research a dissertation committee will meet on an annual basis to review research progress. We will create measurement tools for developing the logic model and collecting data in the input-output-outcomes continuum of the project, particularly addressing the following measures: 1) Completion of doctoral degree in 3-4 years with graduate GPA of 3.5 or greater; 2) A record of scholarly productivity, including 2-3 peer-reviewed papers; 3) Attendance and poster or oral presentation at 1-2 national or international scientific meetings; 4) Placement in academic, government, or industry employment relevant to degree; 5) Evaluation by the principal faculty advisors indicating the Fellow had a positive impact on the field of Intestinal health; and 6) Positive evaluation by the student cohort regarding the value of the new educational program, and their willingness to recommend the program to prospective students.

Progress 04/01/14 to 03/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:This grant is a graduate student training program and thus three graduate students are being trained in nutrition,gastrointestinal health, metabolomics and gut microbiome. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Each student is utilizing metabolomics and bioinformatics and obtains help from Dr. Patterson on their projects. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? During the year 2018 we have three Ph.D graduate students on USDA fellowships, each in a participating co-investigator laboratory. This fills the three available fellowship slots. Each student is outstanding and has been highly productive in thelaboratory. 1. Hillary Figler is being mentored by Dr. Edward Dudley. 2. Brandon Yusko is being mentored by Dr. Gary Perdew. 3. Lindsay Synder is being mentored by Dr. Margherita Cantorna Each student has passed their candidacy and comprehensive exams and is now working on their research projects.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Y.D.Lin, J. Arora, K. Diehl, S.A. Bora, and M.T.Cantorna 2019. Vitamin D is required for ILC3 derived IL-22 and Protection form Citrobacter rodentium infection. Front. Immunol.10:1.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: L.M. Snyder, K.L. McDaniel, Y. Tian, C.H. Wei, M.J. Kennett, A.D. Patterson, A.C. Ross, and M.T. Cantorna (2019) Retinoic acid mediated clearance of Citorbacter rodentium in Vitamin A deficient mice requires CD11b+ and T cells. 2019. 9:3090.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: L. Xiaoli, H.M. Figler, K. Goswami Banerjee, C.S. Hayes, and E.G. Dudley (2018) Non-pathogenic Escherichia coli enahnce Stx2a production of E. coli O157:H7 through both bamA-dependent and independent mechanisms.9:1325.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: R.G. Nichols, J. Cai, I.A. Murray, I. Koo, P.B. Smith, G.H. Perdew and A.D. Patterson (2018) Structural and functional analysis of the gut microbiome for toxicologists.78:e54.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Y. Tian, J. Cai, W. Gui, R.G. Nichols, I. Koo, J. Zhang, M. Anitha, and A.D. Patterson (2019) Berberine directly affects the gut microbiota to rpomote intestinal farnesoid X receptor activation. Drug Metab. Dispos.47:86-93.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: J. Cai, R.G. Nichols, I. Koo, Z.A. Kalikow, L. Zhang, Y. Tian, J. Zhang, P.B. Smith, and A.D. Patterson (2018) Multiplatform physiologic and metabolic phenotyping reveals microbial toxicity. mSystems. 3:6.


Progress 04/01/17 to 03/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience: This grant is a graduate student training program and thus three graduate students are being trained in nutrition, gastrointestinal health, metabolomics and gut microbiome. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Each student is utilizing metabolomics and bioinformatics and obtains help from Dr. Patterson on their projects. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to mentor students in their thesis projects.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? During the year 2017 we have three Ph.D graduate students on USDA fellowships, each in a participating co-investigator laboratory. This fills the three available fellowship slots. Each student is outstanding and has been highly productive in the laboratory. 1. Hillary Figler is being mentored by Dr. Edward Dudley. 2. Melanie Yap is being mentored by Dr. Gary Perdew. 3. Lindsay Synder is being mentored by Dr. Margherita Cantorna Each student has passed their candidacy and comprehensive exams and is now working on their research projects.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Gaylen A. Uhlich, George C. Paoli, Xinmin Zhang, Edward G. Dudley, Hillary M. Figler, Bryan J. Cottrell and Elisa Andreozzi. Whole-Genome Sequence of Escherichia coli Serotype O157:H7 Strain PA20. Genome Announc (2017) 5:e01460-16.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: A. Dey, J.N. Allen, J.W. Fraser, L.M. Snyder, Y. Tian, L. Zhang, R.P. Paulson, A. Patterson, M.T. Cantorna and P.A. Hankey-Giblin. 2018. Neuroprotective role of the Ron receptor tyrosine kinase underlying central nervous system inflammation in health and disease. Front. Immunol. 9:513.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Bora, S. and M.T. Cantorna. 2017 The role of UVR and vitamin D on T cells and inflammatory bowel disease. Photochem. Photobiol. Sci. 16:347-353.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: S. Bora, Kennett M., P.B. Smith , A.D. Patterson and M.T. Cantorna 2018. The gut microbiota regulates endocrine vitamin D metabolism through fibroblast growth factor 23. Front. Immunol. 9:408.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: S. Bora, Kennett M., P. B. Smith , A.D. Patterson and M.T. Cantorna 2018. Regulation of vitamin D metabolism following disruption of the microbiota using broad spectrum antibiotics. J. Nutr. Biochem. 56:65-73.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Y. Tian, R.G. Nichols, J. Cai, A.D. Patterson, M.T. Cantorna. Vitamin A deficiency in mice alters host and gut microbial metabolism leading to altered energy homeostasis. J Nutr Biochem. 2017 Nov 5;54:28-34.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: L. Zhang, R.G. Nichols, A.D. Patterson. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor as a moderator of host-microbiota communication. Current Opinion in Toxicology. 2017;2(1):30-35.


Progress 04/01/16 to 03/31/17

Outputs
Target Audience:This grant is a graduate student training program and thus three graduate students are being trained in nutrition, gastrointestinal health, metabolomics and gut microbiome. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Each student is utilizing metabolomics and bioinformatics and obtains help from Dr. Patterson on their projects. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to mentor students in their thesis projects.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? During the year 2016 we have three Ph.D graduate students on USDA fellowships, each in a participating co-investigator laboratory. This fills the three available fellowship slots. Each student is outstanding and has been highly productive in the laboratory. 1. Hillary Figler is being mentored by Dr. Edward Dudley. 2. Stephanie Bora is being mentored by Dr. Margherita Cantorna 3. Robert G. Nichols is being mentored by Dr. Andrew Patterson. Each student has passed their candidacy and comprehensive exams and is now working on their research projects.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Bora, S. and M.T. Cantorna. 2017 The role of UVR and vitamin D on T cells and inflammatory bowel disease. Photochem. Photobiol. Sci. 16:347-353.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Murray IA, Nichols RG, Zhang L, Patterson AD, Perdew GH. Expression of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor contributes to the establishment of intestinal microbial community structure in mice. Sci Rep. 2016 Sep 23;6:33969. doi: 10.1038/srep33969. PubMed PMID: 27659481; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5034278.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Hillary M. Figler and Edward G. Dudley. The interplay of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and commensal E. coli: the importance of strain-level identification. Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology (2016) 10 (4): 415-417.


Progress 04/01/15 to 03/31/16

Outputs
Target Audience:This grant is a graduate student training program and thus three graduate students are being trained in nutrition, gastrointestinal health, metabolomics and gut microbiome. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Each student is completing the require curriculum and each has completed the metabolomics experience in the Penn State Metabolomics Core. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Each student will complete all required coursework and will work on their thesis research.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In the fall of 2015 we have placed three Ph.D graduate students on USDA fellowships, each in a participating co-investigator laboratory. This fills the three available fellowship slots. 1. Hillary Figler is being mentored by Dr. Edward Dudley. 2. Stephanie Bora is being mentored by Dr. Margherita Cantorna 3. Robert G. Nichols is being mentored by Dr. Andrew Patterson.

Publications


    Progress 04/01/14 to 03/31/15

    Outputs
    Target Audience: Because of matching funds supplied by the college to fully fund the fellowships, we will start recruiting in the Fall of 2015. The training faculty have met to plan all aspects of the training program. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? In the Fall of 2015, we will start the recruitment process, we have a number of graduate programs to draw from and we will also advertise the program. Once students are identified they will rotate through the participating faculty that were described in the grant application.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? The program has not started yet, will start in the Fall 2015.

    Publications