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Gustation

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Gustation is a chemical sense that, along with olfaction (smell), contributes to our perception of taste. It starts with the activation of receptors by chemical compounds (tastants) dissolved in the saliva. The saliva and filiform papillae on the tongue distribute the tastants and increase their exposure to the taste receptors.

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GPCRs are primarily responsible for our sense of smell, taste, and vision. The binding of a sensory stimulus activates GPCR to stimulate effector proteins, many of which are ion channels in the sensory organs. GPCRs modulate the opening and closing of the target ion channels either directly by binding them, or by releasing second messengers that activate these channels. As ions move across the membrane, the membrane potential is altered, which induces an appropriate response.
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Taste Buds and Receptors

Taste Buds and Receptors

Gustation, or the sense of taste, is intrinsically linked to the anatomical structures located on the tongue. This organ's surface, along with the entirety of the oral cavity, is adorned with stratified squamous epithelium. Evident on the tongue are elevated structures known as papillae (singular = papilla), which house the mechanisms for the transduction of gustatory stimuli. Four distinct types of papillae exist, each identified by their unique morphological attributes: the circumvallate,...

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Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 14, 2026

Taste Preference Assay for Adult Drosophila

Taste Preference Assay for Adult Drosophila

Published on: September 8, 2016

T2Rs function as bitter taste receptors.

J Chandrashekar¹, K L Mueller, M A Hoon

¹Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, USA.

|April 13, 2000

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Mammalian bitter taste receptors (T2Rs) were identified and functionally characterized. Specific T2Rs were shown to detect bitter compounds like cycloheximide, explaining how animals avoid poisonous substances.

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Last Updated: Apr 14, 2026

Taste Preference Assay for Adult Drosophila

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Published on: September 8, 2016

Taste Exam: A Brief and Validated Test

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Published on: August 17, 2018

Whole-Mount Staining, Visualization, and Analysis of Fungiform, Circumvallate, and Palate Taste Buds

Whole-Mount Staining, Visualization, and Analysis of Fungiform, Circumvallate, and Palate Taste Buds

Published on: February 11, 2021

Area of Science:

Molecular Biology
Sensory Neuroscience
Genetics

Background:

Bitter taste perception is a crucial defense mechanism against ingesting toxins.
Mammalian taste receptors, specifically T2Rs, are implicated in detecting bitter compounds.

Purpose of the Study:

To functionally characterize specific mammalian taste receptors (T2Rs).
To demonstrate that T2Rs function as bitter taste receptors.

Main Methods:

Heterologous expression system used to test receptor function.
Analysis of mouse strains with altered cycloheximide detection.
Expression of mouse T2R (mT2R-5) in insect cells to study G protein activation.

Main Results:

Specific T2Rs (mT2R-5, hT2R-4, mT2R-8) responded to bitter tastants (cycloheximide, denatonium, 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil).
Genetic variations in mT2R-5 correlated with altered cycloheximide detection in mice.
mT2R-5 activation led to specific tastant-dependent activation of gustducin.

Conclusions:

Specific T2Rs function as bitter taste receptors, mediating the detection of toxic compounds.
The diverse repertoire of T2Rs expressed in taste cells explains the perception of various bitter substances.