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Nutrigenomics: goals and strategies

Nature Reviews Genetics volume 4, pages 315–322 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Nutrigenomics is the application of high-throughput genomics tools in nutrition research. Applied wisely, it will promote an increased understanding of how nutrition influences metabolic pathways and homeostatic control, how this regulation is disturbed in the early phase of a diet-related disease and to what extent individual sensitizing genotypes contribute to such diseases. Ultimately, nutrigenomics will allow effective dietary-intervention strategies to recover normal homeostasis and to prevent diet-related diseases.

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Figure 1: The 'smart' combination of molecular nutrition and nutrigenomics.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank their colleagues from the Division of Human Nutrition, the Centre of Human Nutrigenomics and the Innovative Cluster Nutrigenomics group for critical discussions. The work of the authors is supported by the Dutch Scientific Organization (NOW), the Dutch Diabetes Foundation, the Wageningen Centre of Food Sciences, the Dutch Dairy Foundation for Nutrition and Health, the Innovative Research Programme (IOP) Genomics and the Food Technology, Agrobiotechnology, Nutrition and Health Sciences (VLAG) research school.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, Bomenweg 2, Wageningen, 6703 HD, The Netherlands

    Michael Müller & Sander Kersten

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  1. Michael Müller
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Correspondence to Michael Müller.

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DATABASES

LocusLink

ABCB11

APOCII

APOE

PPARα

TNF-α

OMIM

cardiac arrhythmia

chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

diabetes type II

hepatocellular carcinoma

FURTHER INFORMATION

Centre for Human Nutrigenomics

Michael Müller's laboratory

NCMHD Center of Excellence for Nutritional Genomics

Glossary

ACUTE-PHASE RESPONSE

The early and immediate set of homeostatic control reactions that are induced during inflammation.

BILE CANALICULUS

A half tubule that is formed by the apical membranes of two hepatocytes, and is limited laterally by their smooth surfaces.

CANALICULAR MEMBRANE

The apical membrane of liver epithelial cells (hepatocytes) that lines the bile canaliculus. Members of the ABC-transporter superfamily that are localized in this membrane are responsible for bile secretion.

HEPATOCYTES

Epithelial cells that are the main functional units of the liver, and comprise 80% of the organ's cytoplasmic mass.

INDUCIBLE EXPRESSION SYSTEMS

Expression systems that regulate mammalian gene expression with, for example, tetracycline or its derivatives (Tet-On/Tet-Off gene expression systems).

INFLAMMATION

The complex series of reactions that occur in the host as a response to injury, trauma or infection of a tissue, which prevent ongoing tissue damage, isolate and destroy the infective organism and activate the repair processes that are necessary to return the organism to normal function.

KETOGENESIS

The production of ketone bodies — such as acetoacetate and β-hydroxybutyrate — which are the intermediate products of fatty-acid catabolism and can be used to provide energy.

LASER CAPTURE MICRODISSECTION

A method in which cells are cut out from a tissue sample using a laser beam, allowing single cell expression analysis.

LYMPHOCYTE

A type of white blood cell that is responsible for the adaptive immune response; for example, B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes.

MACRONUTRIENTS

Organic compounds, including proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates and lipids, that are required in large amounts in the diet.

METABOLOMICS

The study of the metabolome, which is the entire metabolic content of a cell or organism, at a given time.

MICRONUTRIENTS

Dietary compounds, including vitamins and minerals that are required in small amounts in the diet.

NUTRIGENETICS

The relationship between genotype and the risk of developing diet-related diseases, such as cancer, diabetes type II and cardio-vascular diseases.

NUTRIGENOMICS

The study of the genome-wide influences of nutrition or dietary components on the transcriptome, proteome and metabolome, of cells, tissues or organisms, at a given time.

PHARMACOGENOMICS

A term often used to mean the influence of DNA-sequence variation — in drug targets, Phase I or Phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes, and transporters — on the effect of a drug, which ultimately allows physicians to design individualized therapy.

PROTEOMICS

The study of proteomes (the complete collection of proteins in a cell or tissue at a given time), which attempts to determine their role inside cells and the molecules with which they interact.

RNA INTERFERENCE

(RNAi). The process by which double-stranded RNA silences homologous genes.

SATURATION

The binding state of a C–C bond in a fatty acid molecule.

SYSTEMS BIOLOGY

The study of whole biological systems (cells, tissues and organisms) using holistic methods.

TRANSCRIPTOME

The complete collection of gene transcripts in a cell or a tissue at a given time.

TRANSDOMINANT NEGATIVE ADENOVIRAL CONSTRUCT

A recombinant adenovirus that infects cells, resulting in the high-level expression of a mutant protein that, for example, specifically blocks a given signalling pathway (superrepressor) by competing with the endogenous protein.

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Müller, M., Kersten, S. Nutrigenomics: goals and strategies. Nat Rev Genet 4, 315–322 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg1047

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