TY - JOUR T1 - The Pharmacology and Function of Receptors for Short-Chain Fatty Acids JF - Molecular Pharmacology JO - Mol Pharmacol SP - 388 LP - 398 DO - 10.1124/mol.115.102301 VL - 89 IS - 3 AU - Daniele Bolognini AU - Andrew B. Tobin AU - Graeme Milligan AU - Catherine E. Moss Y1 - 2016/03/01 UR - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/89/3/388.abstract N2 - Despite some blockbuster G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) drugs, only a small fraction (∼15%) of the more than 390 nonodorant GPCRs have been successfully targeted by the pharmaceutical industry. One way that this issue might be addressed is via translation of recent deorphanization programs that have opened the prospect of extending the reach of new medicine design to novel receptor types with potential therapeutic value. Prominent among these receptors are those that respond to short-chain free fatty acids of carbon chain length 2–6. These receptors, FFA2 (GPR43) and FFA3 (GPR41), are each predominantly activated by the short-chain fatty acids acetate, propionate, and butyrate, ligands that originate largely as fermentation by-products of anaerobic bacteria in the gut. However, the presence of FFA2 and FFA3 on pancreatic β-cells, FFA3 on neurons, and FFA2 on leukocytes and adipocytes means that the biologic role of these receptors likely extends beyond the widely accepted role of regulating peptide hormone release from enteroendocrine cells in the gut. Here, we review the physiologic roles of FFA2 and FFA3, the recent development and use of receptor-selective pharmacological tool compounds and genetic models available to study these receptors, and present evidence of the potential therapeutic value of targeting this emerging receptor pair. ER -