Presentation Details
| AChemS Undergrad Finalist: Sex-Dependent Estrogenic Regulation of Peripheral Fat Taste Signaling Kaylee Perez1, 2, Emeline Masterson1, 2, Eloisa Grajales1, Caroline Ferrarin1, Timothy A.Gilbertson2. 1Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA.2Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA |
Abstract
Recent work demonstrates sex differences in dietary fat perception and preference, yet the cellular mechanisms underlying these differences remain poorly understood. Estrogen influences feeding behavior, but its role in peripheral fat taste signaling remains incomplete. Expression studies indicate that estrogen receptors, including estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and the G protein–coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1), are present in taste receptor cells (TRCs) and may modulate fatty acid–evoked signaling pathways. To investigate estrogen’s contribution to fatty acid taste transduction, we employed a multidisciplinary approach that combined ovariectomy, ratiometric calcium imaging, and pharmacological interventions in genetically identifiable taste cell populations. Intracellular calcium responses to long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids were examined in isolated taste cells from male mice and from intact and ovariectomized female mice. Transgenic mouse lines expressing GFP-PLCβ2 and GFP-GAD67 were used to distinguish Type II and Type III TRCs, respectively, enabling cell–type–specific analysis of estrogenic modulation. We hypothesized that estrogen deprivation alters fatty acid–evoked calcium signaling in TRCs, primarily through effects on Type II cells. Our results indicate that estrogen significantly modulates fatty acid–evoked responses in Type II TRCs via the TRPM4/TRPM5 signaling pathway. Additionally, loss of estrogen following ovariectomy disrupts the function of key fatty acid signaling components, including calcium-release activated calcium channels and CD36, in a sex-dependent and cell–type–specific manner. Together, these findings elucidate how estrogen shapes peripheral fat taste signaling and provide mechanistic insight into sex-specific differences in dietary fat perception and intake.
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