Adequate protein intake among older adults is associated with better health outcomes such as immune function and metabolic regulation of skeletal muscle, but conflicting results make it difficult to define the optimal intake. To further understand the impact of protein intake on metabolic processes, the aim of the study was to explore genome-wide gene expression changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in home-dwelling old subjects after increased protein intake for 12 weeks. In a parallel double-blind randomized controlled intervention study, subjects (≥ 70 years) received a protein-enriched milk (2 × 20 g protein/day, n = 14, mean (±SD) age 76.9 ± 4.9 years) or an isocaloric carbohydrate drink (n = 17, mean (±SD) age 77.7 ± 4.8 years) for breakfast and evening meal for 12 weeks. PBMCs were isolated before and after the intervention. Microarray analysis was performed using Illumina technology. Serum levels of gut peptides and insulin growth factor (IGF)-1 were also measured. In total 758 gene transcripts were regulated after increased protein intake, and 649 gene transcripts were regulated after intake of carbohydrates (p < 0.05). Forty-two of these genes were overlapping. After adjusting for multiple testing, 27 of the 758 gene transcripts were regulated (FDR, q-value < 0.25) after protein intake. Of these 25 were upregulated and two downregulated. In particular, genes and signaling pathways involved in pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) processing, immune function, and IGF signaling were significantly altered. PBMCs can be used to study gene expression changes after long-term protein intake, as many signaling pathways were regulated after increased protein intake. The functional significance of these findings needs to be further investigated. ClinicalTrials.gov, ID no. NCT02218333. The study was registered on August 18, 2014.

中文翻译：

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使用全基因组基因表达方法，增加蛋白质摄入会影响居家老年受试者外周血单核细胞中的阿片黑皮质素原 (POMC) 加工、免疫功能和 IGF 信号传导

老年人充足的蛋白质摄入与更好的健康结果有关，例如免疫功能和骨骼肌的代谢调节，但相互矛盾的结果使得难以确定最佳摄入量。为了进一步了解蛋白质摄入对代谢过程的影响，该研究的目的是探索增加蛋白质摄入 12 周后居家老年受试者外周血单个核细胞 (PBMC) 的全基因组基因表达变化。在一项平行双盲随机对照干预研究中，受试者（≥ 70 岁）接受富含蛋白质的牛奶（2 × 20 g 蛋白质/天，n = 14，平均 (±SD) 年龄 76.9 ± 4.9 岁）或等热量碳水化合物饮料（n = 17，平均 (±SD) 年龄 77.7 ± 4.8 岁）早餐和晚餐，共 12 周。在干预前后分离PBMC。使用Illumina技术进行微阵列分析。还测量了肠道肽和胰岛素生长因子 (IGF)-1 的血清水平。总共有 758 个基因转录本在增加蛋白质摄入后受到调节，649 个基因转录本在摄入碳水化合物后受到调节（p < 0.05）。这些基因中有 42 个是重叠的。在针对多项测试进行调整后，758 个基因转录物中的 27 个在蛋白质摄入后受到调节（FDR，q 值 < 0.25）。其中 25 个被上调，两个被下调。特别是，参与阿黑皮质素原 (POMC) 加工、免疫功能和 IGF 信号传导的基因和信号通路发生了显着改变。PBMC 可用于研究长期蛋白质摄入后的基因表达变化，因为在增加蛋白质摄入后，许多信号通路受到调节。这些发现的功能意义需要进一步研究。ClinicalTrials.gov，身份证号。NCT02218333。该研究于 2014 年 8 月 18 日注册。