Associations between dietary patterns and gene expression pattern in peripheral blood mononuclear cells: A...

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Immunology
• Genomics
• Cardiovascular Disease Research

Background:

• Diet significantly impacts immune cell function and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) susceptibility.
• A comprehensive understanding of diet's influence on human immune cell gene expression is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the associations between dietary patterns (DPs) and gene expression profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).
• To explore sex-specific differences in diet-gene expression relationships.

Main Methods:

• Defined three dietary patterns (Western, Vegetarian, Low carbohydrate) using factor analysis of food frequency questionnaire data.
• Employed CIBERSORT and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) on microarray data (13,967 transcripts).
• Utilized linear regression to associate DPs with PBMC leukocyte distribution and gene clusters.

Main Results:

• A negative association was found between the Vegetarian DP and monocyte percentage (CIBERSORT).
• In women, the Vegetarian DP correlated with a large gene cluster (600 genes) involved in DNA transcription regulation.
• In men, the Western DP inversely correlated with a smaller gene cluster (36 genes) related to metabolic and inflammatory processes.

Conclusions:

• The study provides an analytical framework for exploring diet-gene expression associations.
• Findings suggest diet-specific gene expression patterns in immune cells, with potential sex-based differences.