About Our Lab

The Nutritional Neuropharmacology Lab studies the molecular mechanisms and potential pharmacotherapeutic utility of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) biased signaling (a.k.a. functional selectivity), the process whereby receptors differentially or asymmetrically engage intracellular signaling pathways (e.g., G proteins, beta-arrestins) to elicit distinct physiological effects.

The GPCR superfamily is the largest class of membrane proteins in the human genome and the most common drug target of FDA-approved pharmaceuticals (>33%). GPCR biased signaling can be generated through ligand binding (biased ligands), receptor conformational states (biased receptors), and/or physical interactions with other proteins (biased complexes/oligomers).

To study GPCR-biased signaling, we use the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) as its primary model. The GHSR is the cognate receptor for the endogenous hormones ghrelin and liver-expressed antimicrobial protein-2 (LEAP-2), and it is expressed highly in homeostatic (energy-based) and hedonic (reward-based) feeding circuits in the brain.

This research seeks to determine how GHSR-biased signaling in these neurocircuits impacts diet choice/preference, food reward, diet-induced obesity, and metabolic physiology. We focus heavily on how the GHSR regulates brain dopamine signaling in these processes, particularly in response to obesogenic 'Western' diets.