BMC Seminar - Lessons from the Seahorse XFe96

BMC Semniar Thursday 19 September, 12:00 in Læknagarður Vatnsmýrarvegur 16, room 343

Speaker: Dr. Hjalti Kristinsson, PhD Medical Science

Title: Free fatty acid stimulated cell signalling via fuel metabolism and GPCR activation – lessons from the Seahorse XFe96

Abstract: In 2003 orphan G-protein coupled receptors were identified as free fatty acid binding receptors. Their importance in mamal biology such as hormone regulation and CNS function has become more and more clearer during the last decade, although their causal role with regard to certain diseases is debated. This presentation will focus on how the fatty acid sensing G-protein coupled receptor FFAR1 signals to enhance both mitochondrial respiration and insulin secretion demonstrating how long-chain fatty acids act both as signaling molecules for enhanced metabolism and as fuel substrates for that same metabolism.

Biography: Hjalti Kristinsson has a MSc. in pharmacy from the University of Iceland in 2008 and graduated from Uppsala University with a MSc. degree in Biomedicine 2012. In his master project he focused on the effect of Free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFAR1) antagonism during lipotoxicity in beta-cells, a collaborative project with Astra Zeneca. He graduated in 2017 with a Ph.D. from the faculty of medicine, department of medical cell biology, with the thesis name of Effects of free fatty acids on insulin and glucagon secretion.

During his PhD thesis work Hjalti worked within the European project BetaJUDO (beta-cell function in juvenile diabetes and obesity, FP7). During this time his research was on pancreatic islet cell models of obesity and Type-2 diabetes development as well plasma samples from the Uppsala longitudinal study of childhood obesity (ULSCO). His focus has been on the role of FFAR1 in insulin and glucagon secretion in the obese state where fatty acid levels are elevated. Part of his research within this scope has involved combining different "omics" and metabolic analysis from cell studies. He has also published findings from how different fuel substrates affect pancreatic islet cell metabolism and hormone secretion. In these studies he worked a lot with the Seahorse Xfe96 instrument for decipheirng of mechanisms. Hjalti spent two years as a post doc at Uppsala University beofore starting this year working for the Icelandic Medicines Agency.