Taste signal transduction in taste receptor cells

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K06270
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 44050:Animal physiological chemistry, physiology and behavioral biology-related
• Research Institution: Kyushu Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Ohtubo Yoshitaka 九州工業大学, 大学院生命体工学研究科, 准教授 (00380725)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 山崎 隆志 佐世保工業高等専門学校, 物質工学科, 教授 (20270382)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 振動性脱分極応答 / 受容器電位 / マウス味蕾 / G蛋白質連結型味受容体 / 穿孔パッチクランプ法 / 活動電位 / 茸状乳頭味蕾

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The sensation of taste is initiated by the interaction between taste substances, such as sweet, bitter, or umami tastants, and taste receptor cells in the mouth. The taste receptor cells convert the chemical information of the tastants into biological information such as the receptor potentials. However, the receptor potentials of taste receptor cells remain unclear. In this study, we have shown that taste receptor cells generate oscillating depolarization with action potentials in response to sweet, bitter, umami, and salty tastants in a concentration-dependent manner. Both the frequency and magnitude of oscillations increased when the tastant concentration was increased, to ~1 Hz and Δ50 mV in magnitude. In contrast, a sour tastant induced membrane depolarization with action potentials in type III taste receptor cells. These results suggest that both firing frequency and magnitude of oscillations may contribute to the expression of taste “thickness.”

Free Research Field

感覚生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

味認識の初期過程である味の検出機構において、甘味、うま味、苦味受容細胞（Gタンパク質連結型味受容体を発現）は振動性の脱分極応答を示すことを明らかにした。興味深いことに一部の塩味受容細胞も膜電位振動を示した。味細胞に膜電位振動を発生させる外部装置を開発することで、味の修飾が可能かもしれない。低糖食や減塩食でも美味しく食べられる装置の開発に繋がることを期待する。