Cofactors As Metabolic Sensors Driving Cell Adaptation in Physiology and Disease

Chromatin architectures and epigenetic fingerprint regulation are fundamental for genetically determined biological processes. Chemical modifications of the chromatin template sensitize the genome to intracellular metabolism changes to set up diverse functional adaptive states. Accumulated evidence suggests that the action of epigenetic modifiers is sensitive to changes in dietary components and cellular metabolism intermediates, linking nutrition and energy metabolism to gene expression plasticity. Histone posttranslational modifications create a code that acts as a metabolic sensor, translating changes in metabolism into stable gene expression patterns. These observations support the notion that epigenetic reprograming-linked energy input is connected to the etiology of metabolic diseases and cancer. In the present review, we introduce the role of epigenetic cofactors and their relation with nutrient intake and we question the links between epigenetic regulation and the development of metabolic diseases.