Regulation of Metabolism and Nutrient-specific Appetite in the Gillum Group

The overarching hypothesis is that the liver, gut, and gut microbiome affects host metabolism through the production of key metabolites and hormones which enter the body to act on target proteins or receptors expressed in endocrine and metabolic organs of the host. The current challenge is to move beyond descriptive studies and identify the mechanism by which the liver, gut, and gut microbiota contribute to host metabolism, appetite and the development of metabolic disease.

The Gillum Group characterizes identified metabolites generated via the gut microbiota, gut, and liver that affect host metabolism and nutrient-specific appetite. We identify the receptors and cellular targets through which they exert their beneficial or detrimental effects. Identifying such metabolite receptor pairs may provide novel therapeutic possibilities by either targeting metabolite synthesis or developing receptor agonists/antagonists. We anticipate to find several unidentified microbial metabolites that could affect host metabolism, as well as hepatic factors that regulate simple carbohydrate (sugar and alcohol) appetite.