Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Taste Buds and Receptors01:20

Taste Buds and Receptors

4.5K
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,...
4.5K
Gustation01:43

Gustation

51.8K
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.
51.8K
The Physiology of Taste01:24

The Physiology of Taste

7.1K
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...
7.1K
G-Protein Gated Ion Channels01:21

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

5.5K
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...
5.5K
Introduction to Special Senses01:26

Introduction to Special Senses

7.3K
Sensory receptors play an integral part in comprehending our external and internal environments. They receive diverse stimuli, converting them into the nervous system's electrochemical signals. This conversion occurs as the stimulus alters the sensory neuron's cell membrane potential, instigating the generation of an action potential. This action potential is subsequently transmitted to the central nervous system (CNS), which integrates with other sensory data or higher cognitive...
7.3K
The Tongue and Taste Buds00:49

The Tongue and Taste Buds

40.5K
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.
40.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Functional dissection of the zDHHC palmitoyltransferase 5-golgin A7 palmitoylation complex.

The Journal of biological chemistry·2025
Same author

The molecular basis of sugar detection by an insect taste receptor.

Nature·2024
Same author

Optimization of Triarylpyridinone Inhibitors of the Main Protease of SARS-CoV-2 to Low-Nanomolar Antiviral Potency.

ACS medicinal chemistry letters·2021
Same author

Structure-guided design of a perampanel-derived pharmacophore targeting the SARS-CoV-2 main protease.

Structure (London, England : 1993)·2021
Same author

Modelling and understanding powder flow properties and compactability of selected active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients and physical mixtures from critical material properties.

International journal of pharmaceutics·2017
Same journal

A method for assessing approach and avoidance behavior across multiple olfactory stimuli in mice including multivariate hypothesis comparisons.

Chemical senses·2026
Same journal

From Receptors to Behavior: Molecular and Functional Logic of Sensory Coding in the Mouse Accessory Olfactory System.

Chemical senses·2026
Same journal

Vomeronasal sensory input and its social behavioral output.

Chemical senses·2026
Same journal

Reference data for Bayesian adaptive QUEST-based taste recognitions thresholds from pooled individual participant data.

Chemical senses·2026
Same journal

Expression of Calca gene-derived peptides in the murine taste system.

Chemical senses·2026
Same journal

The trigeminal function questionnaire (TriFunQ): a tool for clinical and research use.

Chemical senses·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 11, 2026

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding
10:59

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding

Published on: June 29, 2017

9.9K

A structural perspective on insect gustatory receptors.

João Victor Gomes1, Raquel A Reilly1, Joel A Butterwick1

  • 1Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, P.O. Box 208066, New Haven, CT 06520, United States.

Chemical Senses
|November 10, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Insect gustatory receptors (GRs) are diverse proteins crucial for taste perception. Recent structural studies reveal how these ligand-gated channels recognize sugars, advancing our understanding of insect chemosensation.

Keywords:
chemoreceptioncryo-electron microscopyinsectligand-gated ion channelsugartaste receptor

More Related Videos

Electrophysiological Recording From Drosophila Labellar Taste Sensilla
06:32

Electrophysiological Recording From Drosophila Labellar Taste Sensilla

Published on: February 26, 2014

17.0K
Single Sensillum Recordings for Locust Palp Sensilla Basiconica
07:16

Single Sensillum Recordings for Locust Palp Sensilla Basiconica

Published on: June 23, 2018

8.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 11, 2026

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding
10:59

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding

Published on: June 29, 2017

9.9K
Electrophysiological Recording From Drosophila Labellar Taste Sensilla
06:32

Electrophysiological Recording From Drosophila Labellar Taste Sensilla

Published on: February 26, 2014

17.0K
Single Sensillum Recordings for Locust Palp Sensilla Basiconica
07:16

Single Sensillum Recordings for Locust Palp Sensilla Basiconica

Published on: June 23, 2018

8.7K

Area of Science:

  • * Insect biology and neuroethology
  • * Molecular and structural biology
  • * Chemosensory systems evolution

Background:

  • * Insects possess a vast array of chemoreceptors, with gustatory receptors (GRs) forming a diverse protein family essential for taste.
  • * Insect GRs are phylogenetically distinct from mammalian taste receptors and function as ligand-gated cation channels.
  • * Understanding GRs is key to comprehending insect sensory ecology and behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To highlight recent advancements in the structural and functional understanding of insect gustatory receptors.
  • * To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying tastant recognition by insect GRs.
  • * To provide insights into the structural basis of sugar detection in insects.

Main Methods:

  • * Review of recent structural biology studies, particularly cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM).
  • * Analysis of structural data from unbound and ligand-bound insect GRs.
  • * Integration of functional data with structural insights into GR mechanisms.

Main Results:

  • * Cryo-EM has visualized the 3D structures of several insect sugar-detecting GRs.
  • * Structural data reveals principles of ligand binding and conformational changes in GRs.
  • * These findings illuminate the molecular basis for sugar discrimination in insects.

Conclusions:

  • * Structural insights are crucial for understanding insect GR function and evolution.
  • * Advances in cryo-EM are rapidly expanding our knowledge of chemoreceptor mechanisms.
  • * This research deepens our comprehension of insect taste perception and chemosensory diversity.