U of G’s Centre for Biodiversity Genomics has joined the Global Genome Biodiversity Network, a grouping of institutions holding DNA and tissue samples from around the world. It’s headed by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Users worldwide may search a new public database for all 1.5 million Canadian extracts held at U of G, and request samples to be delivered from the archive.

U of G’s DNA collection covers about two-thirds of the estimated number of species of animals in Canada, including insects and other invertebrates.

Those Canadian samples are among more than 5.3 million DNA extracts from creatures collected worldwide as part of U of G’s DNA barcoding project to catalogue life on the planet.

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Researcher Elie Chamoun investigated whether genetic variants in taste receptors related to sweet preference, fat taste sensitivity and aversion to bitter green leafy vegetables influence the snacks chosen by children. He found that nearly 80 per cent of preschoolers in the study carried at least one of these potential at-risk genotypes that could predispose them to poor snacking habits.

Published in the journal Nutrients, the study looked at connections between the genes of the three at-risk taste receptors and linked them to snacking patterns among preschoolers.

Chamoun discovered that kids with a sweet tooth, who have the gene related to sweet taste preference, ate snacks with many more calories from sugar. They also ate those snacks mostly in the evening.

Children with the genetic variant related to fat taste sensitivity consumed snacks with higher energy density. Kids with the genetic variant related to avoiding bitter vegetables also consumed snacks with high energy density.

Linking genetics and taste may lead to new tests that help parents determine which genetic variants their children have, says Chamoun.

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