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Intestinal Cytoplasmic Lipid Droplets, Associated Proteins, And The Regulation Of Dietary Fat Absorption, Theresa M. D'Aquila
Intestinal Cytoplasmic Lipid Droplets, Associated Proteins, And The Regulation Of Dietary Fat Absorption, Theresa M. D'Aquila
Open Access Dissertations
Dietary fat provides essential nutrients, contributes to energy balance, and regulates blood lipid concentrations. These functions are important to health, but can also become dysregulated and contribute to diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The small intestine absorbs dietary fat through an efficient multi step process of digestion, uptake, metabolism, and secretion or storage. When dietary fat is taken up by the absorptive cells of the small intestine, enterocytes, it can be secreted into circulation where it contributes to blood lipid levels or temporarily stored in cytoplasmic lipid droplets (CLDs). The objective of this dissertation is to investigate …
Smooth Muscle-Specific Removal Of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Results In Increased Vagal Afferent Innervation To The Intestine And Increased Satiation In Mice, Jessica Erin Biddinger
Smooth Muscle-Specific Removal Of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Results In Increased Vagal Afferent Innervation To The Intestine And Increased Satiation In Mice, Jessica Erin Biddinger
Open Access Dissertations
Vagal afferents transmit signals regarding food-derived stimuli in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to the brain. Vagal mechanoreceptors called intraganglionic laminar endings (IGLEs) innervate the smooth muscle wall of GI organs and detect stretch and tension to regulate GI reflexes and satiation. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is expressed in the smooth muscle of developing GI organs when vagal afferents from the nodose ganglion begin to innervate the GI tract. Therefore, it was hypothesized BDNF is necessary for development of vagal afferents that innervate this tissue. Targeted smooth muscle-specific BDNF homozygous knockout (BDNF SM -/-) mice were generated and .vagal afferent innervation …