| Budget Amount *help |
¥4,810,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,110,000)
Fiscal Year 2010: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2009: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000)
Fiscal Year 2008: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
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| Research Abstract |
There are a lot of unsolved issues about the pathway from taste cells to taste cells or taste nerves. Therefore, we analyzed the caffeine transduction mechanism of mouse using behavioral test, calcium imaging, and immunocytochemistry. The responsiveness of taste cells to caffeine, ATP, and high concentration of K^+ were examined by calcium imaging followed by immunocytochemistry to detect expression of G_α-gustducin and IP_3R3 which are known as type II cell markers. As a result, caffeine stimulated taste cells both type II and the other type of cells. A part of type II cells was depolarized by high concentration of K^+, and taste cells which responded to caffeine and high K^+ existed. Therefore we concluded there are voltage-gated calcium channels in subset of type II cells. Also, ATP stimulates both type II and other type of cells. Considering the report that ATP is released from type II cells, it seems to play an autocrine role in taste cells.
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