| Publication number |
CLPUB00428 |
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| Authors |
McGrane S., Gibbs M., Winnig M., Scarabottolo L. |
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| Title |
Free fatty acid taste perception of the domestic cat (Felis catus): development of a cat GPR120/FFAR4 recombinant cell line and identification of taste-active compounds. |
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| Citation |
Chem. Senses 43:e236.P420-e236.P420(2018) |
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| Web pages |
https://academic.oup.com/chemse/article/43/7/e146/5073118 |
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| Abstract |
GPR120 (also called FFAR4) is a member of the rhodopsin family of G
protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and is expressed in type II taste bud
cells. It is implicated in the ability to taste free fatty acids, as its
absence leads to reduced preference in mice to the free fatty acids oleic
acid (C18:1) and linoleic acid (C18:2), as well as decreased neuronal
response to oral free fatty acids. The domestic cat (Felis catus) is an
obligate carnivore and so naturally eats a meat-based diet, i.e.
consisting mainly of protein and fat. Hence, we hypothesised that the cat
has evolved to recognise and metabolise compounds from meat sources,
including free fatty acids. However, the taste perception of free fatty
acids for cats has not been studied in detail. Here we developed the first
recombinant cell line expressing cat GPR120. We derived a consensus
sequence for the short isoform, synthesized its full-length coding
sequence and expressed it in a stable CHO cell line. The in vitro assay
was optimised for High Throughput Screening (HTS) and used to screen 121
compounds, including a range of free fatty acids and related compounds. 34
were identified as agonists, of which 24 had EC50 values <10 muM. None of
the compounds showed any specific activity as a Positive Allosteric
Modulator (PAM). Several long-chain free fatty acids were found to be
agonists for the cat GPR120 receptor, including oleic acid and linoleic
acid. The results of the behavioural tests are presented by Marshall et al.
These results bring a new perspective on the taste and dietary preferences
of the domestic cat.
|
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| Cell lines |
CVCL_VG09; CHO-K1 cat FFAR4 |
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