Free fatty acid receptor 2 information

FFAR2
Identifiers
Aliases	FFAR2, FFA2R, GPR43, free fatty acid receptor 2
External IDs	OMIM: 603823 MGI: 2441731 HomoloGene: 133911 GeneCards: FFAR2
Gene location (Human) Chr. Chromosome 19 (human)[1] Band 19q13.12 Start 35,443,907 bp[1] End 35,451,767 bp[1]
Gene location (Mouse) Chr. Chromosome 7 (mouse)[2] Band 7|7 B1 Start 30,517,773 bp[2] End 30,523,200 bp[2]
RNA expression pattern Bgee Human Mouse (ortholog) Top expressed in blood periodontal fiber monocyte spleen appendix bone marrow sural nerve bone marrow cells gallbladder upper lobe of left lung Top expressed in Paneth cell white adipose tissue subcutaneous adipose tissue islet of Langerhans bone marrow spleen retinal pigment epithelium mammary gland ileum duodenum More reference expression data BioGPS More reference expression data
Gene ontology Molecular function G protein-coupled receptor activity signal transducer activity protein binding lipid binding Cellular component integral component of membrane cell projection membrane plasma membrane integral component of plasma membrane Biological process mucosal immune response glucose homeostasis immune system process positive regulation of cytokine production involved in immune response leukocyte chemotaxis involved in inflammatory response lipid storage cellular response to fatty acid positive regulation of acute inflammatory response to non-antigenic stimulus cell surface pattern recognition receptor signaling pathway positive regulation of chemokine production inflammatory response regulation of peptide hormone secretion fat cell differentiation regulation of acute inflammatory response signal transduction G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway Sources:Amigo / QuickGO
Orthologs Species Human Mouse Entrez 2867 233079 Ensembl ENSG00000126262 ENSMUSG00000051314 UniProt O15552 Q8VCK6 RefSeq (mRNA) NM_005306 NM_001370087 NM_001168509 NM_001168510 NM_001168511 NM_001168512 NM_146187 RefSeq (protein) NP_005297 NP_001357016 NP_001161981 NP_001161982 NP_001161983 NP_001161984 NP_666299 Location (UCSC) Chr 19: 35.44 – 35.45 Mb Chr 7: 30.52 – 30.52 Mb PubMed search [3] [4]
Wikidata
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Free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFAR2), also termed G-protein coupled receptor 43 (GPR43), is a rhodopsin-like G-protein coupled receptor (also termed GPR or GPCR). It is coded (i.e., its synthesis is directed) by the FFAR2 gene.^[5] (FFAR2 and Ffar2 are used respectively to designate the human and animal genes for FFAR2.) In humans, the FFAR2 gene is located on the long (i.e., "q") arm of chromosome 19 at position 13.12 (location notated as 19q13.12).^[6] Like other GPCRs, FFAR2s reside on the surface membrane of cells and when bond to one of their activating ligands regulate the function of their parent cells.^[7] FFAR2 is a member of a small family of structurally and functionally related GPRs termed free fatty acid receptors (FFARs). This family includes three other receptors which, like FFAR2, are activated by certain fatty acids: FFAR1 (also termed GPR40), FFAR3 (GPR41), and FFAR4 (GPR120). FFAR2 and FFAR3 are activated by short-chain fatty acids^[8] whereas FFAR1 and FFAR4 are activated by long-chain fatty acids.^[9]

Short-chain fatty acids (i.e., SCFAs) are made by intestinal bacteria (intestinal and intestine are used here to mean the small intestine plus the large intestine's longest portion, the colon). These SCFAs are excreted from the bacteria, enter the hosts tissues, and stimulate cells in these tissues. This stimulation regulates many normal body functions but may result in the inhibition or promotion of various diseases and disorders.^[10] The types of bacteria in the intestines can be modified to increase the number of bacteria that make SCFAs by using foods that stimulate the growth of these bacteria (i.e., prebiotics), preparations of SCFA-producing bacteria (i.e., probiotics), or both methods (i.e., synbiotics).^[11] Individuals with diseases or disorders that are associated with low levels of the SCFA-producing intestinal bacteria may show improvements in their conditions when treated with prebiotics, probiotics, or synbiotics while individuals with diseases or disorders associated with high levels of SCFAs may show improvements in their conditions when treated with methods, e.g., antibiotics, that reduce the intestinal levels of these bacteria.^[10][9] It is now known that FFAR2 is activated by SCFAs and therefore may function not only in regulating normal body functions but also in inhibiting or promoting many diseases and disorders. Consequently, drugs are being tested for their ability to act more usefully, potently, and effectively than SCFAs to stimulate or inhibit FFAR2 for treating the conditions that appear inhibited or stimulated, respectively, by SCFAs.^[12]

Studies have suggested that SCFA-activated FFAR2 regulates blood insulin and glucose levels, inflammation, the development of fat tissues, blood levels of fatty acids, the growth of certain cancerous and non-cancerous cells, and the infectiveness and severity of certain bacteria and viruses. As a result of these actions, FFAR2 may promote or inhibit the development and/or progression of diabetes, inflammatory reactions, obesity, ketoacidosis (i.e., life-threatening increases in blood acidity due to diabetes, starvation, excessive alcohol intake, certain medications, or certain toxins), some types of cancer, maturation of microglia (i.e., immune) cells in the brain and spinal cord,^[9] certain neurological diseases,^[13][14] and certain bacterial and viral infections.^[15][16] Here, we review studies on the functions of FFAR2 in health as well as these diseases and disorders.