Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2025
07:53
µTongue: A Microfluidics-Based Functional Imaging Platform for the Tongue In Vivo
Published on: April 22, 2021
4.2K
Nutrient Sensing by Lingual G-Protein-Coupled Taste Receptors
Debarghya Dutta Banik1, Kathryn F Medler2
1Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|February 24, 2025
Summary
Researchers detail a method for isolating individual taste receptor cells from mouse taste buds. This technique enables the study of cellular responses to taste stimuli and their signaling pathways using live cell imaging.
Area of Science:
- * Sensory neuroscience
- * Molecular biology
- * Cell physiology
Background:
- * Taste receptor cells (TRCs) are crucial for detecting chemical stimuli in food.
- * Understanding TRC signaling pathways is key to deciphering taste perception.
- * Physiological characterization requires preserving the cells' native response profiles.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To describe a reliable procedure for isolating individual mouse TRCs.
- * To enable the physiological characterization of TRC responses to chemical stimuli.
- * To facilitate live cell imaging of TRC signaling pathways.
Main Methods:
- * Isolation of individual TRCs from mouse taste buds.
- * Loading of isolated TRCs with fluorescent dyes.
- * Live cell imaging techniques for physiological analysis.
Main Results:
- * Successful isolation of viable individual TRCs from mouse taste buds.
- * Demonstrated feasibility of loading TRCs with fluorescent dyes.
- * Established a platform for live imaging of TRC responses.
Conclusions:
- * The described method provides a robust approach for studying TRC physiology.
- * This technique supports the investigation of taste signaling mechanisms.
- * Enables detailed analysis of cellular responses to taste compounds.
Related Concept Videos
01:43Gustation
47.6K
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.
47.6K
01:24The Physiology of Taste
3.7K
The perception of a salty flavor is facilitated by sodium ions within the oral salivary fluid. Upon consumption of a salty substance, salt crystals disassemble, leading to the liberation of its constituents—Na+ and Cl- ions. These ions subsequently dissolve into the salivary fluid present in the oral cavity. The external environment of the gustatory cells experiences an elevation in Na+ concentration, thereby establishing a potent concentration gradient. This gradient propels the...
3.7K
01:20Taste Buds and Receptors
1.8K
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,...
1.8K
01:21G-Protein Gated Ion Channels
4.5K
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.
Sensory...
Sensory...
4.5K
00:49The Tongue and Taste Buds
36.3K
The surface of the tongue is covered with various small bumps called papillae, which either distribute what has been ingested (filiform papillae) or contain the sensory taste (or gustatory) receptor cells (fungiform, circumvallate, and foliate papillae). Embedded within each taste-related papilla are the taste buds—clusters of 30 to 100 gustatory receptor cells.
36.3K
01:27Tactile and Chemical Senses
274
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.
274