Gene expression: nutrient control of pre- and posttranscriptional events

Regulation of gene expression by specific nutrients has become a major frontier for the next generation of nutrition scientists. The techniques of molecular biology allow us to define nutrient needs, as well as the outcomes of nutrient excesses, in terms of events that govern gene transcription, mRNA processing, mRNA stability, and mRNA translation. Evidence is presented showing that dietary constituents specifically modulate the nuclear events governing gene transcription and transcript processing. For example, fatty acid synthase gene transcription is inhibited by specific polyunsaturated fatty acids; S14 and pyruvate kinase genes contain a specific carbohydrate response element; and editing of apo B-100 to apo B-48 is enhanced by dietary carbohydrate. Nutrients such as iron and glucose are shown to control mRNA stability and translational rates of certain transcripts by regulating the interaction of cytosolic proteins with specific nucleotide sequences. The data of this review clearly demonstrate that nutrients play an active and specific role in governing the expression of select genes.