| Budget Amount *help |
¥17,810,000 (Direct Cost: ¥13,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥4,110,000)
Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
Fiscal Year 2014: ¥2,730,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥630,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥13,390,000 (Direct Cost: ¥10,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥3,090,000)
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
The mechanisms of differentiation and the function of tuft cells, which constitute about 0.4% of the intestinal epithelium, remain elusive. Here we show that both tuft cells and type II taste cells are eliminated in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of transcription factor Skn-1 knockout (KO) mice. Despite unaltered food intake, Skn-1 KO mice have reduced body weight with lower body fat due to increased energy expenditure. In this model, 24-hr urinary excretion of catecholamines was significantly elevated, accompanied by increased fatty acid beta-oxidation and fuel dissipation in skeletal muscle and impaired insulin secretion driven by glucose. These results suggest the existence of brain-mediated energy homeostatic pathways originating from tuft cells and type II taste cells in the GI tract and ending in peripheral tissues, including the adrenal glands. The discovery of food-derived factors that regulate these cells may open new avenues for the treatment of obesity and diabetes.
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