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Background: Medium-chain fatty acids and their 3-hydroxy derivatives are metabolites endogenously produced in humans, food-derived or originating from bacteria. They activate G protein-coupled receptors, including GPR84 and HCA 3 , which regulate metabolism and immune functions. Although both receptors are coupled to G i proteins, share at least one agonist and show overlapping tissue expression, GPR84 exerts pro-inflammatory effects whereas HCA 3 is involved in anti-inflammatory responses. Here, we analyzed signaling kinetics of both HCA 3 and GPR84, to unravel signal transduction components that may explain their physiological differences. Methods: To study the signaling kinetics and components involved in signal transduction of both receptors we applied the label-free dynamic mass redistribution technology in combination with classical cAMP, ERK signaling and β-arrestin-2 recruitment assays. For phenotypical analyses, we used spheroid cell culture models. Results: We present strong evidence for a natural biased signaling of structurally highly similar agonists at HCA 3 and GPR84. We show that HCA 3 signaling and trafficking depends on dynamin-2 function. Activation of HCA 3 by 3hydroxyoctanoic acid but not 3-hydroxydecanoic acid leads to β-arrestin-2 recruitment, which is relevant for cellcell adhesion. GPR84 stimulation with 3-hydroxydecanoic acid causes a sustained ERK activation but activation of GPR84 is not followed by β-arrestin-2 recruitment. Conclusions: In summary, our results highlight that biased agonism is a physiological property of HCA 3 and GPR84 with relevance for innate immune functions potentially to differentiate between endogenous, non-pathogenic compounds and compounds originating from e.g. pathogenic bacteria.

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Background The adaptation of cellular metabolism is considered a hallmark of cancer. Oncogenic signaling pathways support tumorigenesis and cancer progression through the induction of certain metabolic phenotypes associated with altered regulation of key metabolic enzymes. Hydroxycarboxylic acid receptor 2 (HCA2) is a G protein-coupled receptor previously shown to act as a tumor suppressor. Here, we aimed to unveil the connection between cellular metabolism and HCA2 in BT-474 cells. Moreover, we intend to clarify how well this metabolic phenotype is reflected in transcriptional changes and metabolite levels as determined by global metabolomics analyses. Methods We performed both, siRNA mediated knockdown of HCA2 and stimulation with the HCA2-specific agonist monomethyl fumarate. Seahorse technology was used to determine the role of HCA2 in BT-474 breast cancer cell metabolism and its potential to induce a switch in the metabolic phenotype in the presence of different energy substrates. Changes in the mRNA expression of metabolic enzymes were detected with real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolic profiling was used to determine changes in metabolite levels. Results Knockdown or stimulation of HCA2 induced changes in the metabolic phenotype of BT474 cells dependent on the availability of energy substrates. The presence of HCA2 was associated with increased glycolytic flux with no fatty acids available. This was reflected in the increased mRNA expression of the glycolytic enzymes PFKFB4 and PKM2, which are known to promote the Warburg effect and have been described as prognostic markers in different types of cancer. With exogenous palmitate present, HCA2 caused elevated fatty acid oxidation and likely lipolysis. The increase in lipolysis was also detectable at the transcriptional level of ATGL and the metabolite levels of palmitic and stearic acid. Conclusions We combined metabolic phenotype determination with metabolomics and transcriptional analyses and identified HCA2 as a regulator of glycolytic flux and fatty acid metabolism in BT-474 breast cancer cells. Thus, HCA2, for which agonists are already widely used to treat diseases such as psoriasis or hyperlipidemia, may prove useful as a target in combination cancer therapy.

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