New type of taste cell discovered in taste buds
Study in mice identifies a taste cell that detects every taste but salt


Date:
August 13, 2020
Source:
PLOS
Summary:
Our mouths may be home to a newly discovered set of multi-tasking
taste cells that -- unlike most known taste cells, which detect
individual tastes -- are capable of detecting sour, sweet, bitter
and umami stimuli.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Our mouths may be home to a newly discovered set of multi-tasking taste
cells that -- unlike most known taste cells, which detect individual
tastes -- are capable of detecting sour, sweet, bitter and umami
stimuli. A research team led by Kathryn Medler at the University at
Buffalo reports this discovery in a study published 13th August in
PLOS Genetics.


========================================================================== Taste buds in the mouth are critical to our survival and help us to decide whether a food is a good source of nutrients or a potential poison. Taste
buds employ three types of taste cells: Type I cells acts as support
cells; Type II cells detect bitter, sweet and umami tastes; and Type III
cells detect sour and salty flavors. To better understand how taste cells detect and signal the presence of different tastes, the researchers used
an engineered mouse model to investigate the signaling pathways that the animals use to relay taste information to the brain. They discovered a previously unknown subset of Type III cells that were "broadly responsive"
and could announce sour stimuli using one signaling pathway, and sweet,
bitter and umami stimuli using another.

The idea that mammals might possess broadly responsive taste cells
has been put forth by multiple lab groups, but previously, no one
had isolated and identified these cells. The researchers suspect that
broadly responsive cells make a significant contribution to our ability
to taste. Their discovery provides new insight into how taste information
is sent to the brain for processing, and suggests that taste buds are
far more complex than we currently appreciate.

"Taste cells can be either selective or generally responsive to
stimuli which is similar to the cells in the brain that process taste information," commented author Kathryn Medler. "Future experiments will
be focused on understanding how broadly responsive taste cells contribute
to taste coding."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by PLOS. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Debarghya Dutta Banik, Eric D. Benfey, Laura E. Martin, Kristen
E. Kay,
Gregory C. Loney, Amy R. Nelson, Zachary C. Ahart, Barrett T. Kemp,
Bailey R. Kemp, Ann-Marie Torregrossa, Kathryn F. Medler. A
subset of broadly responsive Type III taste cells contribute to
the detection of bitter, sweet and umami stimuli. PLOS Genetics,
2020; 16 (8): e1008925 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008925 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200813142351.htm

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