A combined TERS and functional cellular imaging approach to explore receptor function

Utah State University, Logan UT

Investigators

Abstract

1264498 Zhou, Anhong Understanding how the body recognizes and responds to dietary fat is of critical importance to the control of fat intake and treatment of obesity. Our knowledge of the pathways underlying the chemoreception of fatty acids, the prototypical fat stimuli, in fat-responsive tissues has greatly increased in recent years, but the nature of the cognate receptors and their role in this process remains controversial. To explore the role of two receptors (GPR120 and CD36) in fatty acid signaling, the two PIs have developed a novel collaborative approach that encompasses both biophysical and cellular biological approaches to test the hypothesis that CD36 and GPR120 are functionally linked in the initial recognition of fatty acids in chemosensory cells. A combined TERS and calcium imaging system will be developed that for the first time will allow the ability to map the distribution of these receptors at nanoscale resolution and their function in a single system. General description: This proposal will develop novel tools for imaging how particles of fat interact with cells via specific cell-surface receptors. The novel technology will allow to quantify receptors and to monitor how receptors rearrange and co-localize on surfaces of cells. Presence of fatty acids bound to receptors will be determined by a novel tool enabling chemical analysis of the cell surface.