Metabolomics activity screening for identifying metabolites that modulate phenotype.

Metabolomics, in which small-molecule metabolites (the metabolome) are identified and quantified, is broadly acknowledged to be the omics discipline that is closest to the phenotype. Although appreciated for its role in biomarker discovery programs, metabolomics can also be used to identify metabolites that could alter a cell's or an organism's phenotype. Metabolomics activity screening (MAS) as described here integrates metabolomics data with metabolic pathways and systems biology information, including proteomics and transcriptomics data, to produce a set of endogenous metabolites that can be tested for functionality in altering phenotypes. A growing literature reports the use of metabolites to modulate diverse processes, such as stem cell differentiation, oligodendrocyte maturation, insulin signaling, T-cell survival and macrophage immune responses. This opens up the possibility of identifying and applying metabolites to affect phenotypes. Unlike genes or proteins, metabolites are often readily available, which means that MAS is broadly amenable to high-throughput screening of virtually any biological system.