Gene

Biology

Identification (biology)

Human physiology

Endocrinology

Biochemistry

Botany

DNA methylation

Computational biology

Transcriptome

Epigenome

Bioinformatics

Metabolome

Proteomics

Omics

Proteome

Gene expression

Metabolomics

Biomarker discovery

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology

The metabolome, the collection of small-molecule chemical entities involved in metabolism, has traditionally been studied with the aim of identifying biomarkers in the diagnosis and prediction of disease. However, the value of metabolome analysis (metabolomics) has been redefined from a simple biomarker identification tool to a technology for the discovery of active drivers of biological processes. It is now clear that the metabolome affects cellular physiology through modulation of other 'omics' levels, including the genome, epigenome, transcriptome and proteome. In this Review, we focus on recent progress in using metabolomics to understand how the metabolome influences other omics and, by extension, to reveal the active role of metabolites in physiology and disease. This concept of utilizing metabolomics to perform activity screens to identify biologically active metabolites - which we term activity metabolomics - is already having a broad impact on biology.

Identification of bioactive metabolites using activity metabolomics