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Dietary Effects on Gene Expression and Metabolic Profiles

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2025 | Viewed by 560

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Structural Biology, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of Lodz, 90-752 Lodz, Poland
Interests: metabolic diseases; molecular biology; inflammation; oxidative stress; antioxidants; dietary bioactive compounds; diabetes mellitus; oligonucleotides

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Structural Biology, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of Lodz, 90-752 Lodz, Poland
Interests: genomic; transcriptomic; diabetes; metabolic diseases; molecular biology; natural compounds; obesity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Compelling evidence indicates that components in diet regulate gene expression, cellular metabolic homeostasis, and the overall functioning of an organism, acting through a variety of molecular mechanisms. The type of dietary pattern an individual consumes is considered to be one of the most important modifiable risk factors in many different diet-dependent diseases, such as overweight/obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, certain cancers, and osteoporosis. However, genetic variations, including SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphisms), may also affect dietary-mediated dysfunctions such as the dysregulation of metabolism; therefore, SNP analysis has proven to be a powerful molecular tool for determining nutrients’ impact on human health. Additionally, advances in so-called omics technologies have enhanced our ability to deeply characterize the complex biological processes underlying the effects of dietary patterns/bioactive diet components on human health.

This Special Issue welcomes original articles, literature reviews, and meta-analyses that contribute to our understanding of how the intake of different dietary patterns or single bioactive compounds of plant and animal origin can impact gene responses, metabolic processes, as well as cellular functions in physiology and diet-dependent diseases. Studies applying omics strategies to identify the complex biological mechanisms underlying the influence of food components on health are encouraged since these advanced technologies have become essential tools in nutrition research that can help in the preparation of personalized diets in order to prevent or support treatments of diseases. Topics of interest also include studies evaluating the potential associations of SNPs with dietary intake in individuals with different ethnic backgrounds.

Dr. Marzena Wójcik
Dr. Andrzej Zieleniak
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • bioactive compounds
  • dietary patterns
  • diet-dependent diseases
  • gene expression
  • molecular mechanisms of action
  • macronutrient composition
  • micronutrients
  • omics
  • personalized nutrition
  • SNPs

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 1508 KiB  
Article
Altered Expression of the MEG3, FTO, ATF4, and Lipogenic Genes in PBMCs from Children with Obesity and Its Associations with Added Sugar Intake
by Adrián Hernández-DíazCouder, Pablo J. Paz-González, Maryori Valdez-Garcia, Claudia I. Ramírez-Silva, Karol Iliana Avila-Soto, Araceli Pérez-Bautista, Miguel Vazquez-Moreno, Ana Nava-Cabrera, Rodrigo Romero-Nava, Fengyang Huang and Miguel Cruz
Nutrients 2025, 17(15), 2546; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17152546 - 2 Aug 2025
Viewed by 415
Abstract
Background: Obesity and its complications have increased in both adults and children, with pediatric populations developing metabolic disorders at earlier ages. Long non-coding RNAs, particularly MEG3, are involved in obesity through regulation of lipogenic genes including ATF4, FTO, SREBP1, [...] Read more.
Background: Obesity and its complications have increased in both adults and children, with pediatric populations developing metabolic disorders at earlier ages. Long non-coding RNAs, particularly MEG3, are involved in obesity through regulation of lipogenic genes including ATF4, FTO, SREBP1, FASN, and ACACA. However, data on MEG3 expression in pediatric obesity are limited. This study evaluated MEG3, FTO, and ATF4 expression in PBMCs from children with obesity and their associations with added sugar intake and lipid metabolism genes. Methods: In this cross-sectional study 71 children within the age range of 6 to 12 years were included (28 normal weight and 43 with obesity). Anthropometrical and clinical parameters and dietary added sugar consumption were analyzed. Real-time PCR was performed to assess MEG3, FTO, ATF4, SREBP1, FASN, and ACACA gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Results: The expression of MEG3, ATF4, FTO, SREBP1, FASN, and ACACA was decreased in children with obesity. MEG3 and FTO showed sex-dependent expression in children without obesity, while additional sex-related differences were observed for SREBP1, FASN, ACACA, FTO, and MEG3 in children with obesity. MEG3 was associated with the expression of SREBP1, FASN, ACACA, FTO, and ATF4. In insulin-resistant (IR) children, MEG3, ATF4, FTO, ACACA, and SREBP1 were reduced, while FASN was increased. Added sugar intake negatively correlated with FTO, SREBP1, and ACACA. Conclusions: The MEG3, FTO, and ATF4 expression was altered in children with obesity, showing sex- and IR-related differences. Added sugar intake correlated negatively with lipogenic gene expression. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Effects on Gene Expression and Metabolic Profiles)
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