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Free Fatty Acid Receptors

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Encyclopedia of Molecular Pharmacology

Definition

Free fatty acids (FFAs) consist of a carboxylic acid which is linked to an aliphatic tail, and they can be classified according to the chain length of this tail as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which have 1–6 carbon atoms; medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which have 7–12 carbon atoms; and long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs), which have more than 12 carbon atoms. FFAs play important roles as energy carriers, basic components of biological structures, and precursors of various mediators. In addition, FFAs can directly regulate biological processes, such as metabolic and immune functions. Some of these effects are mediated by a subgroup of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). These include four receptors that have been classified as members of the FFA receptor family (FFA1-FFA4). FFA1 and FFA4 are activated by MCFAs and LCFAs, whereas FFA2 and FFA3 are activated by SCFAs. FFA1, FFA2, and FFA3 are structurally related, and their human genes are located in tandem on the long arm...

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References

  • Bolognini D, Tobin AB, Milligan G, Moss CE (2016) The pharmacology and function of receptors for short-chain fatty acids. Mol Pharmacol 89:388–398

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany

    Stefan Offermanns

  2. Medical Faculty, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

    Stefan Offermanns

Authors
  1. Stefan Offermanns
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Correspondence to Stefan Offermanns .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut Herz/Lungenforschg., Bad Nauheim, Hessen, Germany

    Stefan Offermanns

  2. Presidential Office, Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Jena, Thüringen, Germany

    Walter Rosenthal

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Offermanns, S. (2020). Free Fatty Acid Receptors. In: Offermanns, S., Rosenthal, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Molecular Pharmacology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21573-6_10035-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21573-6_10035-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-21573-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-21573-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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