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Review
. 2021 May 9;17(5):48.
doi: 10.1007/s11306-021-01800-8.

The remodel of the "central dogma": a metabolomics interaction perspective

Gilson Costa Dos Santos Jr  1 , Mariana Renovato-Martins  2 , Natália Mesquita de Brito  3
Affiliations
Review

The remodel of the "central dogma": a metabolomics interaction perspective

Gilson Costa Dos Santos Jr et al. Metabolomics. .

Abstract

Background: In 1957, Francis Crick drew a linear diagram on a blackboard. This diagram is often called the "central dogma." Subsequently, the relationships between different steps of the "central dogma" have been shown to be considerably complex, mostly because of the emerging world of small molecules. It is noteworthy that metabolites can be generated from the diet through gut microbiome metabolism, serve as substrates for epigenetic modifications, destabilize DNA quadruplexes, and follow Lamarckian inheritance. Small molecules were once considered the missing link in the "central dogma"; however, recently they have acquired a central role, and their general perception as downstream products has become reductionist. Metabolomics is a large-scale analysis of metabolites, and this emerging field has been shown to be the closest omics associated with the phenotype and concomitantly, the basis for all omics.

Aim of review: Herein, we propose a broad updated perspective for the flux of information diagram centered in metabolomics, including the influence of other factors, such as epigenomics, diet, nutrition, and the gut- microbiome.

Key scientific concepts of review: Metabolites are the beginning and the end of the flux of information.

Keywords: Central dogma; Metabolites; Metabolomics; Small molecules.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Small molecules are the center of life. A multiinteraction dynamic perspective of the flux of information centered on metabolomics. The small molecules drive all other omics, as a rotor drives the blades in the turbine of a windmill. External factors such as diet, lifestyle, gut-microbiome, age, drug, and sex will affect the metabolomics, e.g. the center of the flux of the information, and consequently affect all other omics
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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