Functional characterization of Gpr120 expressing cells and their role in fatty acid detection in knock-in mouse models

正常的体重是通过能量需求和食物摄入之间的良好平衡来维持的。行为自由的动物会自发地选择富含脂肪和碳水化合物的营养食物。实验证据表明，这种行为反应在整合舌头上味觉受体提供的信息后，部分受到可口性和味觉系统的指导。这些观察结果与舌头上脂肪检测系统的存在是一致的。我们实验室和其他人的先前工作表明，长链脂肪酸转运蛋白CD36对小鼠口腔感觉脂肪酸检测很重要。然而，这种转运蛋白似乎不符合必要的要求，作为一个真正的味觉受体和最近的实验证据表明，多种途径可能涉及在啮齿动物的脂肪化合物的感知。我们的努力，以确定其他受体参与脂肪酸检测的舌头已经发现Gpr120作为一个可能的候选人。Gpr120是由长链脂肪酸激活的G蛋白偶联受体，在味蕾细胞中表达。然而，其在味觉生理学中的作用仍有待研究。在这里，我们建议产生两个新的基因敲入小鼠模型，这将使我们能够分析Gpr120在脂肪酸检测中的生理作用。

Normal weight is maintained by a fine balance between energy needs and food intake. Nutritious foods rich in fat and carbohydrates are spontaneously preferred by freely behaving animals. Experimental evidence suggests that this behavioral response is in part guided by palatability and the taste system after integration of the information provided by the taste receptors on the tongue. These observations are consistent with the existence of a fat detection system on the tongue. Previous work from our laboratory and others has shown that the long chain fatty acid transporter CD36 is important for orosensory fatty acid detection in mice. However, this transporter does not appear to meet the necessary requirements to function as a bona fide taste receptor and recent experimental evidence suggests that multiple pathways may be involved in the perception of fat compounds in rodents. Our efforts to identify additional receptors involved in fatty acid detection on the tongue have uncovered Gpr120 as a possible candidate. Gpr120 is a G protein coupled receptor activated by long chain fatty acids and expressed in taste bud cells. However, its role in taste physiology remains to be investigated. Here we propose to generate two new knock-in mouse models, which will enable us to analyze the physiological role of Gpr120 in fatty acid detection.