# The Sensing Liver: Localization and Ligands

> **NIH NIH R03** · GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $116,844

## Abstract

Project Summary
Sensory receptors are seven transmembrane domain G protein-coupled chemoreceptors (GPCRs) that govern
one’s sensation and interpretation of their surrounding world. These receptors, that include olfactory receptors
(ORs), taste receptors (TRs), opsins, and other understudied sensory GPCRs (GPRs), are expressed
throughout the body where they help to regulate diverse physiological functions. In work funded by a K01
grant (DK106400), we found that one of these receptors, Olfr1393, is expressed in a variety of tissues
including the kidney, liver, and small intestine where it contributes to the regulation of glucose reabsorption and
the progression of diabetes. To identify additional sensory receptors that may also modulate metabolic
function, we screened the liver, the largest metabolic organ in the body, using qPCR gene expression array
cards. To date, we have found a total of 86 sensory receptors expressed in murine liver, and have narrowed
down the list to 13 ‘highly expressed’ receptors. The aim of this grant is to completely characterize these
receptors. To do so, we must understand where they are found (both at the cellular and subcellular level) and
identify their ligand profile. The data acquired from this R03 proposal will uncover promising new leads that will
assist us in determining the functions that these sensory receptors have in both health and disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9874169
- **Project number:** 1R03DK123546-01
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Blythe D Shepard
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $116,844
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-02-01 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9874169

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9874169, The Sensing Liver: Localization and Ligands (1R03DK123546-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9874169. Licensed CC0.

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