Comparative analysis reveals molecular adaptation of mammalian HCA2 to microbial metabolites
Franziska Bischof, Petra Krumbholz, Gunnar Kleinau, Patrick Scheerer, Claudia Stäubert · 2026
Read Comparative analysis reveals molecular adaptation of mammalian HCA2 to microbial metabolites by Franziska Bischof, Petra Krumbholz, Gunnar Kleinau, Patrick Scheerer, Claudia Stäubert (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13217857.txt.
Description
Franziska Bischof and co-authors present a 2026 study of how evolution reshaped HCA2, a receptor that tastes microbial and metabolic chemicals and helps govern fat metabolism and inflammation. Across mammals, the same sensor has been tuned very differently.
Most mammals' versions behaved in line, but odd-toed ungulates stood out. The African rhinoceros receptor carries several swaps typical of its sister receptor HCA3: it ignores classic HCA2 activators and answers HCA3 ligands instead. Selection tests and faecal metabolite profiles point to gut microbe products, including phenylpropionic and trans-cinnamic acids, as the pressure behind the shift. Pinpointed mutations showed which residues control the change. The authors read the story as host-microbe chemistry sculpting the receptor over deep time.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Franziska Bischof, Petra Krumbholz, Gunnar Kleinau, Patrick Scheerer, Claudia Stäubert |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 87 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |