The search for mechanisms underlying the sour taste evoked by acids continues

It has been postulated for decades that ion channels serve as receptors for most sour tasting stimuli. Though many candidates exist, definitive evidence linking any particular channel to sour taste perception has been elusive. Several studies have suggested that two members of the polycystic kidney disease-like family may function as components of an ionotropic taste receptor mediating the transduction of acids. However, the precise role of these proteins in sour taste is controversial. In this issue of Chemical Senses, Nelson et al. use behavioral and electrophysiological approaches in gene-targeted mice to show that one of these putative sour taste receptor subunits, Pkd1l3, is unnecessary for normal taste responses to acids. Their results suggest that other mechanisms and/or other candidate receptors must be contributing to the transduction of acids and the subsequent perception of sour taste.