Mini-reviewAppetite control by the tongue-gut axis and evaluation of the role of CD36/SR-B2

- Understanding of the role of CD36 along the tongue-gut axis in appetite control.
- CD36 displays all the feature of a dietary lipid sensor.
- CD36 is found in gustatory papillae involved in food choice.
- CD36 is found in intestinal mucosa involved in absorption and production of appetite signals.
- Oro-intestinal lipid sensing mediated by CD36 is impaired by obesogenic diet.

Understanding the mechanisms governing food intake is a public health issue given the dramatic rise of obesity over the world. The overconsumption of tasty energy-dense foods rich in lipids is considered to be one of the nutritional causes of this epidemic. Over the last decade, the identification of fatty acid receptors in strategic places in the body (i.e. oro-intestinal tract and brain) has provided a major progress in the deciphering of regulatory networks involved in the control of dietary intake. Among these lipid sensors, CD36/SR-B2 appears to play a significant role since this membrane protein, known to bind long-chain fatty acid with a high affinity, was specifically found both in enterocytes and in a subset of taste bud cells and entero-endocrine cells. After a short overview on CD36/SR-B2 structure, function and regulation, this mini-review proposes to analyze the key findings about the role of CD36/SR-B2 along of the tongue-gut axis in relation to appetite control. In addition, we discuss whether obesogenic diets might impair lipid sensing mediated by CD36/SR-B2 along this axis.