The molecular mechanism of umami receptor in energy metabolism for preventing pediatric obesity

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K10192
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 57070:Developmental dentistry-related
• Research Institution: Iwate Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Morikawa Kazumasa 岩手医科大学, 歯学部, 教授 (70514686)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 橋口 大輔 岩手医科大学, 歯学部, 助教 (00625965) ; 古株 彰一郎 九州歯科大学, 歯学部, 教授 (30448899) ; 細見 周平 大阪公立大学, 大学院医学研究科, 講師 (60554938) ; 齊藤 桂子 岩手医科大学, 歯学部, 助教 (70788744)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 肥満 / 味覚受容体

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Abnormal eating habits are considered to be a strong cause of obesity. Therefore, the relationship between taste, which greatly affects food selection, and obesity has been investigated, and it has been reported that obese individuals have decreased sensitivity to sweet and umami tastes compared to normal weight individuals. Tas1R family members are widely expressed in tissues other than the oral cavity, and therefore, when considering the cause of obesity in terms of decreased sweet or umami sensation, it is necessary to take into account the genetic mutations that cause the dysfunction of taste receptors in tissues outside the oral cavity. After 8 weeks, wild-type bellies (WT) had marked weight gain and a fatty liver condition, whereas the Tas1r3 knockout mice had less weight gain had resolved.

Free Research Field

小児歯科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

肥満の増加は世界的な問題であり，成人の肥満者は高血圧，糖尿病，脂質異常症のリスクが高いです．肥満は生活習慣に加え，遺伝的要素やエピジェネティックな変化が関与します．成人期の肥満は小児期に形成される可能性が高く，学童期肥満の40％，思春期肥満の70％が成人肥満に移行します．Tas1r3遺伝子のノックアウトマウスに高脂肪食を与えると，体重増加が抑制されることが示されました．つまりTas1r3の受容体を阻害することができれば，画期的な肥満の予防や治療薬となる可能性があり，現代社会に大きく貢献できることが期待されます．