A transgenic mouse model for gene-nutrient interactions.
Diets or nutritional supplements contain many nutrients and other components that may interact, which adds a layer of complexity to their evaluation. A well-controlled experimental model that can eliminate or minimize the confounding factors of diet is critical for addressing nutrient-gene interactions. The newly generated fat-1 transgenic mouse was genetically engineered to carry a gene, namely fat-1, from the round worm Caenorhabditis elegans and is capable of converting n-6 to n-3 fatty acids (which is naturally impossible in mammals), leading to an increase in n-3 fatty acid content with a balanced n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio in all tissues, independent of diet. Recent studies using this model indicate that balancing the tissue n-6/n-3 ratio could exert a significant effect on gene expression. The fat-1 mouse model allows carefully controlled studies to be performed in the absence of restricted diets, which can create confounding factors that limit studies of this nature.
Kang
Jing X
JX
Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., USA. kang.jing@mgh.harvard.edu
D000818:Animals; D004843:Epistasis, Genetic / Q000502:physiology; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential / Q000378:metabolism; D005502:Food; D005796:Genes / Q000502:physiology*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D023421:Models, Animal; D008954:Models, Biological; D054647:Nutrigenomics / Q000379:methods; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000235:genetics*
D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential