Comprehensive analyses of fat-taste sensing in chickens

• Project/Area Number: 18H02330
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 42010:Animal production science-related
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Tabata Shoji 九州大学, 農学研究院, 教授 (40145503)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 川端 二功 弘前大学, 農学生命科学部, 准教授 (40633342) ; 吉田 悠太 茨城大学, 農学部, 助教 (00875023)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2020)
• Budget Amount: ¥17,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥13,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥4,080,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥9,360,000 (Direct Cost: ¥7,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,160,000)
• Keywords: ニワトリ / 味覚 / 脂肪味 / 油脂 / 飼料 / 脂肪酸 / GPR120 / 味覚嫌悪学習 / 味覚受容機構 / 脂味 / CD36

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Lipids are essential nutrients for animals and have high palatability. It was supposed that lipids in feeds are recognized by taste sense, but there were many unclear points about the taste sense mechanism of lipids in chickens. In this study, we found that the fatty acid receptor, G protein-coupled receptor 120 (GPR120), is expressed in chicken taste cells and is activated by various fatty acids contained in chicken feed. In addition, the behavioral test revealed that fatty acids are sensed by taste sense, and the outline of the fat taste sense in chickens could be understood.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ニワトリの味覚が理解できれば、人為的にニワトリの嗜好性を制御する方法の確立につながり、効率的な動物生産に貢献できると考えられる。本研究では特に油脂の味覚受容機構に着目し、ニワトリがGPR120という脂肪酸受容体を用いて油脂の味を感じていることを明らかにした。これにより、今後GPR120を標的としたニワトリの嗜好性制御技術の開発が期待される。

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] ジョージア大学(米国)
• [Journal Article] Research Note: Behavioral preference and conditioned taste aversion to oleic acid solution in chickens (2021)
  • Author(s): Kawabata Fuminori, Yoshida Yuta, Inoue Yuki, Kawabata Yuko, Nishimura Shotaro, Tabata Shoji
  • Journal Title: Poultry Science Volume: 100 Pages: 372-376
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.10.014
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Presentation] ニワトリ脂肪酸受容体GPR120の新規アゴニストの同定 (2020)
  • Author(s): 川端二功, 久場星河, 吉田悠太, 川端由子, 西村正太郎, 田畑正志
  • Organizer: 第13回日本暖地畜産学会 沖縄大会
• [Presentation] トウガラシの研究からニワトリの味覚・体性感覚研究へ (2020)
  • Author(s): 川端二功
  • Organizer: 日本味と匂学会第54回大会
• [Presentation] Taste receptors and taste behaviors in chickens. (2019)
  • Author(s): Fuminori Kawabata, Yuko Kawabata, Yuta Yoshida, Hikaru Omori, Momoko Higashida, Bapon Dey, Ruojun Liang, Kana Murayama, Yui Hayase, Masashi Araki, Shotaro Nishimura, Liu Hong-Xiang, Shoji Tabata.
  • Organizer: THE 48th NAITO CONFERENCE on Integrated Sensory Sciences-Pain, Itch, Smell and Taste.
  • Int'l Joint Research