Sensing and signaling of protein-derived nutrients in the gastointestinal tract

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Monitoring the amount and composition of ingested macronutrients in the gastrointestinal tract is of vital importance to elicit appropriate physiological responses, especially in the context of food intake and food choice. Previous studies indicate that dietary protein has a particularly effective influence on satiety. How cells in the different compartments of the gastrointestinal tract sense dietary protein or its digestive products is unknown. Therefore, the proposed study is aimed to identify the chemoreceptive cells and to explore the mechanisms how the chemosensory information is transformed into endocrine or neuronal signals. Putative sensory cells will be identified based on the presence of candidate receptors for amino acids and their responsiveness to suitable nutrients. Gastrointestinal chemosensory cells could either be specialized sensing cells which convey chemosensory information to neighboring effector cells as proposed for the gustatory system, or they could be endocrine cells equipped with chemosensory signaling elements. The results of this project will contribute to a better understanding of the interplay between gastrointestinal processes and the hunger/satiety centers in the brain.