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Review
. 2022 Dec;11(4):563-573.
doi: 10.1007/s13668-022-00430-3. Epub 2022 Aug 11.

Appraisal of Gene-Environment Interactions in GWAS for Evidence-Based Precision Nutrition Implementation

Rodrigo San-Cristobal  1   2 , Juan de Toro-Martín  1   2 , Marie-Claude Vohl  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Appraisal of Gene-Environment Interactions in GWAS for Evidence-Based Precision Nutrition Implementation

Rodrigo San-Cristobal et al. Curr Nutr Rep. 2022 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose of review: This review aims to analyse the currently reported gene-environment (G × E) interactions in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), involving environmental factors such as lifestyle and dietary habits related to metabolic syndrome phenotypes. For this purpose, the present manuscript reviews the available GWAS registered on the GWAS Catalog reporting the interaction between environmental factors and metabolic syndrome traits.

Recent findings: Advances in omics-related analytical and computational approaches in recent years have led to a better understanding of the biological processes underlying these G × E interactions. A total of 42 GWAS were analysed, reporting over 300 loci interacting with environmental factors. Alcohol consumption, sleep time, smoking habit and physical activity were the most studied environmental factors with significant G × E interactions. The implementation of more comprehensive GWAS will provide a better understanding of the metabolic processes that determine individual responses to environmental exposures and their association with the development of chronic diseases such as obesity and the metabolic syndrome. This will facilitate the development of precision approaches for better prevention, management and treatment of these diseases.

Keywords: Cardiometabolic health; Environmental factors; Gene-environment interaction (GEI); Genome-wide association study (GWAS); Metabolic syndrome; Precision nutrition.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of the GWAS study selection
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Summary of genes and nearby genes exhibiting gene-environment interactions with environmental factors in the GWAS Catalog. The figure summarizes all the mapped genes and nearby genes to the reported SNPs in the GWAS Catalog showing significant gene-environment interactions. The figure was built using PhenoGram [38]
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Summary of the G × E interactions reported in the present review. Panel A shows an upset plot of the intersection between the 25 environmental factors reported in the GWAS Catalog and the metabolic syndrome traits presenting significant gene-environment interactions. Panel B shows a density plot of the frequency of SNPs reporting significant interactions with environmental factors
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Frequency of population ancestry in the selected GWAS over two time periods: 2011 to 2016 (n = 13) and 2017 to 2021 (n = 29)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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