Association studies of genetic variants and obesity and/or obesity-related risk factors have yielded contradictory results. The aim of the present study was to determine the possible association of five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the IGF2, LEPR, POMC, PPARG, and PPARGC1genes with obesity or obesity-related risk phenotypes. This case-control study assessed overweight (n=192) and normal-weight (n=211) children and adolescents. The SNPs were analyzed using minisequencing assays, and variables and genotype distributions between the groups were compared using one-way analysis of variance and Pearson's chi-square or Fisher's exact tests. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and gender was used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) for selected phenotype risks in each group. No difference in SNP distribution was observed between groups. In children, POMC rs28932472(C) was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure (P=0.001), higher low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (P=0.014), and higher risk in overweight children of altered total cholesterol (OR=7.35, P=0.006). In adolescents, IGF2 rs680(A) was associated with higher glucose (P=0.012) and higher risk in overweight adolescents for altered insulin (OR=10.08, P=0.005) and homeostasis model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (OR=6.34, P=0.010). PPARG rs1801282(G) conferred a higher risk of altered insulin (OR=12.31, P=0.003), and HOMA-IR (OR=7.47, P=0.005) in overweight adolescents. PARGC1 rs8192678(A) was associated with higher triacylglycerols (P=0.005), and LEPR rs1137101(A) was marginally associated with higher LDL cholesterol (P=0.017). LEPR rs1137101(A) conferred higher risk for altered insulin, and HOMA-IR in overweight adolescents. The associations observed in this population suggested increased risk for cardiovascular diseases and/or type 2 diabetes later in life for individuals carrying these alleles.

This work was performed to verify the potential of yeast strains isolated from cachaça distilleries for two specific biotechnological applications: beer and bioethanol production. In the beer production, the strains were tested for characteristics required in brewery practices, such as: capacity to ferment maltose and maltotriose, ability to grow at lowest temperatures, low HS production, and flocculation profile. Among the strains tested, two of them showed appropriate characteristics to produce two different beer styles: lager and ale. Moreover, both strains were tested for cachaça production and the results confirmed the capacity of these strains to improve the quality of cachaça. In the bioethanol production, the fermentation process was performed similarly to that used by bioethanol industries: recycling of yeast biomass in the fermentative process with sulfuric acid washings (pH 2.0). The production of ethanol, glycerol, organic acids, dry cell weight, carbohydrate consumption, and cellular viability were analyzed. One strain presented fermentative parameters similar to PE2, industrial/commercial strain, with equivalent ethanol yields and cellular viability during all fermentative cycles. This work demonstrates that cachaça distilleries seem to be an interesting environment to select new yeast strains to be used in biotechnology applications as beer and bioethanol production.

Wickerhamomyces anomalus LBCM1105 is a yeast isolated from cachaça distillery fermentation vats, notable for exceptional glycerol consumption ability. We report its draft genome with 20.5x in-depth coverage and around 90% extension and completeness. It harbors the sequences of proteins involved in glycerol transport and metabolism.

ID 27565 Poster Board 417Opioid drugs like morphine are used for pain relief but also have high abuse potential. Further, individuals diagnosed with obesity are at a greater risk for opioid overdose. While overconsumption of a high fat diet can lead to obesity, it is not known if diet impacts sensitivity of individuals to morphine. To explore this possibility, the effects of morphine under acute and chronic conditions, as well as non-precipitated withdrawal were assessed in 24 female Sprague Dawley rats (n=8/group) eating a standard laboratory chow (17% kcal from fat), a traditional high fat/high carbohydrate chow (60% kcal from fat), or a ketogenic (high fat/low carbohydrate) chow (90.5% kcal from fat). Morphine-induced antinociception was measured using the warm water tail withdrawal procedure. To explore the adverse effects of morphine, body weight, food consumption, fecal output, respiration, and body temperature were recorded periodically throughout the study. To study the effects of chronic morphine exposure, morphine was administered intraperitoneally (IP) twice daily for 19 days (3.2-56 mg/kg) increasing in 1 =4 log doses every 3 days. Finally, after chronic morphine administration, observational signs of non-precipitated withdrawal and changes in body weight were measured following morphine discontinuation. It was hypothesized that rats eating high fat chow would be more sensitive to the acute effects of morphine (0.32-17.8 mg/kg IP) than rats eating other diets. It was further hypothesized that rats eating high fat chow would also be more sensitive to the development of tolerance to the antinociceptive effects (3.2-56 mg/kg IP) and withdrawal symptoms following chronic morphine administration, as compared to rats eating a ketogenic or standard chow. Morphine-induced antinociception was comparable among rats eating different diets when tested under acute conditions, and there were also no group differences in morphine-induced changes to respiration or body temperature. Fecal output was consistently greater for rats eating standard chow as compared to rats eating high fat or ketogenic chow following saline injections, as well as following acute or chronic morphine administration. After chronic morphine administration, all rats developed tolerance to morphine-induced antinociception. Specifically, the antinociception dose-response curves shifted rightward 8.2-fold for rats eating standard and high fat chow, and 4.4-fold for rats eating ketogenic chow. That is, tolerance was reduced (or less developed) for rats eating ketogenic chow as compared to other groups. Finally, morphine discontinuation resulted in observable withdrawal signs among all rats; however, there were no group differences except regarding withdrawal-related weight loss. Specifically, rats eating ketogenic chow experienced less withdrawal-related weight loss as compared to the other groups. These results suggest that tolerance to the pain relieving effects of opioid medications, as well as withdrawal symptoms, might be blunted by consuming ...