With the collaboration of Obra Social de "La Caixa"
Wine, especially red wine, has been considered for many centuries as a therapeutic product. In the popular imagination, not only appears it as a strong nutrient, but also as a healthy product. So the use of wine in European hospitals, for example, seems to have been a common practice since the sixteenth century. Today, the relationship between wine and health is still an issue of debate and research. For instance, there are numerous studies that relate moderate wine consumption with decreased incidence of cardiovascular diseases. This effect is largely attributed to the high presence of polyphenolic compounds and their antioxidant capacity.
However, further research and detailed large scale studies will be needed to determine the exact molecular mechanisms which could make wine beneficial or to understand how important is the type of wine consumed, since the amount and type of polyphenols depends mainly on the variety of the vine, climate, terrain, and cultivation practices.
Can genetics help us to clear some of these questions?
Marco Moroldo, PhD
Marco Moroldo obtained a PhD in 2006 at the University of Udine (Italy), studying the genomics of grapevine. He then did a three-year post-doc at INRA (France), where it continued the study of grapevine genomics and where it collaborated to the French-Italian consortium that obtained the first complete sequence of the grapevine genome. At present, he is the manager of an INRA facility which provides services in the field of genomics. He is particularly focused in sequencing related and microarray related methodologies.
Núria Mach, PhD
Núria Mach obtained her PhD at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (2008). She did a postdoc in nutrigenomics at Wageningen University, Netherlands, from 2009 to 2011, and then another two-year postdoc on immunogenetics and metagenomics at INRA, France. She is currently a researcher at INRA. Her field of experience is the analysis of the complex interactions between genes, miRNA and small non-coding RNAs, proteins and metabolites within a system, as well as their relationship with environmental factors. Additionally, she is also studying the mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy, investigating its mutational spectrum, and its functional consequences.
Venue
Edifici MediaTIC
c/ Roc Boronat, 117
08018 Barcelona
Espanya
When
20/12/2013 13.00h
Organized by
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Obra Social de "La Caixa"
Program
Program
13:00 hours. Welcome and presentation
- Alicia Aguilar – Directora del Máster Universitario en Nutrición y Salud, Estudios de Ciencias de la Salud, UOC, Barcelona.
13.10 -14:20 hours Round Table: Grapevine: genetics aspects and health implications
13:10-13:45 Marco Moroldo, PhD. The natural compounds of wine: what the genome can teach us
Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) is the most relevant fruit tree crop in the world, especially because of the production of a high added value product such as wine. At present, the importance of wine goes beyond the economic level, since it associated to cultural aspects and life style. More interestingly, red wines are thought to provide health benefits thanks to secondary metabolites such as resveratrol, a strong antioxidant. For instance, moderate wine intake seems to provide cardioprotection and neuroprotection and may increase longevity.
The genomic sequence of grapevine was obtained in 2007, and it was the fourth one produced for flowering plants. Its analysis enabled the discovery of several issues related to its evolution and domestication. One of the most intriguing aspects was the characterization of the genes responsible for the synthesis of important molecules which are found in wine, such as flavours, aromas, and health-promoting compounds (such as resveratrol and other polyphenols). Intriguingly, these genes are present in an exceptionally large number in the genome of grapevine, higher than in the other sequenced plants. Of course, this can help to explain the huge variety which can be observed in the features of wines, and also their potentially healthy properties
13:45-14:20 Nuria Mach, PhD Nutrigenomics research on biological activity of natural compounds of wine
Since the complete sequencing of the human genome, a new discipline called ‘nutrigenomics’ emerged from the interface of nutrition and genetics. Its aim is to elucidate the interaction between diet and genes but with a common ultimate goal to optimize health through the personalization of diet, provide powerful approaches to unravel the complex relationship between nutritional molecules, genetic polymorphisms, and the biological system as a whole. For instance, this powerful tool allows determination of new biomarkers and the molecular pathways by which wine health-promoting compounds such as resveratrol and other polyphenols may have a potential protective effect against chronic diseases. These bioactive components have shown great potiental in preventing chronic diseases through modifying genetic and epigenetic targets
14.20 hours. Questions and Answers
14.45 hours. Closure and glass of wine