Impact of dietary macronutrient composition on gene regulation in adipose tissue

Abstract

Abstract Diet is a key lifestyle component that influences metabolic health through several factors, including total energy intake and macronutrient composition. While the impact of caloric intake on gene expression and physiological phenomenon in various tissues is well described, the influence of dietary macronutrient composition on these parameters is less well studied. Here, we used the Nutritional Geometry framework to investigate the role of macronutrient composition on metabolic function and gene regulation in adipose tissue. Using ten isocaloric diets that vary systematically in their proportion of energy from fat, protein, and carbohydrates, we found that gene expression and splicing are highly responsive to macronutrient composition, with distinct sets of genes regulated by different macronutrient interactions. Specifically, the expression of many genes associated with Bardet-Biedl syndrome was responsive to dietary fat content. Splicing and expression changes occurred in largely separate gene sets, highlighting distinct mechanisms by which dietary composition influences the transcriptome and emphasizing the importance of considering splicing changes to more fully capture the gene regulation response to environmental changes such as diet. Our study provides insight into the gene regulation plasticity of adipose tissue in response to macronutrient composition, beyond the already well-characterized response to caloric intake.