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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #342913
Title: MicroRNAs: Bioactive molecules at the nexus of nutrition and disease

Author
item FARMER, LISA - University Of Houston
item HIRSCHI, KENDAL - Baylor College Of Medicine

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/23/2017
Publication Date: 3/21/2017
Citation: Farmer, L.M., Hirschi, K.D. 2017. Chapter 9. MicroRNAs: Bioactive molecules at the nexus of nutrition and disease. In: Kussmann, M. and Stover, P.J., editors. Nutrigenomics and Proteomics in Health and Disease Towards a Systems-Level Understanding of Gene-Diet Interactions. 2nd edition. Oxford, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. p.170-195.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Foods contain a diverse array of molecules that impact how, when, and to what extent consumer genes are expressed, which in turn influences growth and development. One elegant example of this is seen in the developmental patterning of bees in a colony. The default programming state for the larvae results in the formation of the worker variety, which is sterile but comprises the majority of the population of a hive and is essential for its survival. Interestingly, when a bee larva is fed large quantities of royal jelly, a protein-rich substance produced in glands found on the heads of worker bees, they morph into a queen. Although she is genetically identical with the worker bees, the queen produces ovaries, an elongated abdomen, egg-laying abilities, and queen-like instincts. By blocking methylation of queen genes, prolonged feeding of royal jelly guarantees the creation of the hive's matriarch. Simply put, this is the crux of nutrigenomics: nutrition directly influences growth and development by modulating the expression and activity of consumer genomes.