title: Cloning and characterization of the rat free fatty acid receptor GPR120: in vivo effect of the natural ligand on GLP-1 secretion and proliferation of pancreatic beta cells.
abstract: We have recently found that GPR120, which is abundantly expressed in intestine, functions as a receptor for unsaturated long-chain free fatty acids (FFAs) and that GPR120 stimulation promotes the secretion of glucagons-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in the mouse (Hirasawa et al., Nat Med 11:90-94, 2005). In this study, we cloned and characterized rat GPR120 (rGPR120), and then we examined the in vivo effects of acute and long-term administration of the natural ligand alpha-linolenic acid (alpha-LA). The cloned rat GPR120 complimentary DNA had a seven transmembrane structure, and a homology comparison of human, mouse, and rat GPR120 revealed that the rat GPR120 (rGPR120) shares 85 and 98% sequence identity with the human and mouse GPR120 proteins, respectively. The tissue distribution and ligand properties of rGPR120 were similar to those of mouse GPR120. In addition, alpha-LA provoked a transient increase in [Ca2+]i levels in HEK293 cells expressing rGPR120. Furthermore, administration of alpha-LA to the rat increased plasma GLP-1 levels, and long-term administration of alpha-LA led to proliferation of pancreatic beta cells, probably because of the enhanced GLP-1 secretion. These results show that rat GPR120 is a G-protein-coupled receptor whose ligand is a free fatty acid, and it may play an important role in the FFA-associated physiological responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genomic Drug Discovery Science, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Takeaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: Taka-aki
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Koshimizu
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirasawa
authors.forename: Gozoh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tsujimoto
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D052216:Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; C533284:Ffar4 protein, rat; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D052216:Glucagon-Like Peptide 1