OBJECTIVE Two published studies have demonstrated that betaine in the circulation is a determinant of plasma total homocysteine, but none had sufficient power to investigate the possible effect modification by folate status. METHODS AND RESULTS We measured homocysteine, betaine, folate, vitamin B(6), and related compounds in serum/plasma from 500 healthy men and women aged 34 to 69 years befo...

The osmoregulatory pathways of the moderately halophilic bacterium Halomonas elongata DSM 3043 have been investigated. This strain grew optimally at 1.5 to 2 M NaCl in M63 glucose-defined medium. It required at least 0.5 M NaCl for growth, which is a higher concentration than that exhibited by the H. elongata type strain ATCC 33173. Externally provided betaine, choline, or choline-O-sulfate (bu...

studied previously. Individually penned Finnish Landrace and Yorkshire pigs (30 kg; n=70) were fed basal diet with no added betaine or choline, the basal diet supplemented with 250, 500 or 1000 mg/kg of betaine (Betafin r S1), or with a similar molar amount of choline (578, 1155 or 2310 mg/kg of choline chloride). The net energy content of the maizesoybean meal basal diet was diluted with oat h...

BACKGROUND Folate, choline, and betaine participate in homocysteine metabolism. It is not known whether they interact during pregnancy. OBJECTIVE The objective was to investigate how folate status affects choline, betaine, and dimethylglycine during pregnancy. DESIGN Fasting plasma folate, cobalamin, free choline, betaine, dimethylglycine, and total homocysteine (tHcy) were measured longitu...

The accumulation of the osmoprotectant glycine betaine from exogenous sources provides a high degree of osmotic tolerance to Bacillus subtilis. We have identified, through functional complementation of an Escherichia coli mutant defective in glycine betaine uptake, a new glycine betaine transport system from B. subtilis. The DNA sequence of a 2,310-bp segment of the cloned region revealed a sin...

Background: Neuroinflammation, as a major outcome of microglia activation, is an important factor for progression of neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Microglial cells, as the first-line defense in the central nervous system, act as a source of neurotoxic factors such as nitric oxide (NO), a free radical which is involved in neuronal cell death. ...

BACKGROUND Betaine insufficiency is associated with unfavourable vascular risk profiles in metabolic syndrome patients. We investigated associations between betaine insufficiency and secondary events in acute coronary syndrome patients. METHODS Plasma (531) and urine (415) samples were collected four months after discharge following an acute coronary event. Death (34), secondary acute myocard...

BACKGROUND The DNA of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASF) is globally hypomethylated; this contributes to an aggressive behaviour. In an attempt to remethylate these cells, we supplemented with methyl donors. We investigated the possible interference of microRNAs (miRs). MATERIAL AND METHODS RASF were treated with L-methionine or betaine. Transcripts of de novo methyltransferases...

Betaine alleviates high-fat diet-induced fatty liver and prenatal betaine programs offspring hepatic lipid metabolism. Excessive corticosterone (CORT) exposure causes fatty liver in chickens, yet it remains unknown whether and how prenatal betaine modulates the susceptibility of CORT-induced fatty liver later in life. In this study, fertilized eggs were injected with saline or betaine before in...

proline and glycine betaine are the most common compatible solutes that prevent plants from destructive effects of osmotic stresses by osmotic adjustment and protection of membranes, proteins and enzymes. it has been reported that exogenous application of these compounds, can increase plant resistance to drought stress. therefore a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design ...