Prof Dr E.C.M. Mariman
Research profile
Gene-nutrient interactions in relation to complex human disorders like obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Research has three focus areas.
1. Molecular mechanisms for weight regain after weight loss. After weight loss by dietary intervention, up to 80% of people regain the lost weight witin 1-2 years with often a worsened metabolism. Omics approaches are applied in dietary intervention studies to learn more about the biological causes of weight regain. Study target is the subcutaneous adipose tissue. Strategic approaches are linked to the hypothesis that adipocyte cellular stress, accumulated during weight loss, is a driving force for weight regain. Important players are stress proteins and components of the extracellular matrix.
2. Genetics of human obesity. Genes coding for proteins of which the relevance for weight (re)gain has been established by intervention studies (see 1) are tested as genetic risk factor by genetic association studies. Special focus is on extreme obesity. Subjects have been subjected to Whole Exome Sequencing. Data analysis points to importance of various gene sets: hypothalamic genes, protocadherins, olfactory receptors, ciliary genes.
3. Omics. Various omics approaches are employed. Besides outsourced transcriptomics and metabolomics, our facility for proteomics plays a central role. Data analysis is performed in close collaboration with the BiGCat group and the Department of System Biology.
Interview about stressed fat cells causing the jo-jo effect (interview in Dutch) - interview in ZonMw Mediator 25 September 2017.