Molecular cloning of Ebnerin, a von Ebner's gland protein associated with taste buds

Salivary secretions modulate taste perception. Taste buds in the circumvallate and foliate papillae are bathed in secretions of unique lingual salivary glands, von Ebner's glands (VEG). We have identified a rat cDNA encoding a novel protein of 1290 amino acids, Ebnerin, that is specifically expressed in VEG and released onto the tongue surface along the apical region of taste buds in the clefts of circumvallate papillae. Ebnerin possesses a putative single transmembrane domain at the C terminus with 17 amino acids in the cytoplasmic area. The extracellular region of Ebnerin contains a number of repeated domains with homology to the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain and to a repeated domain of bone morphogenetic protein-I and other related proteins. Western blot analysis reveals that Ebnerin exists in particulate and soluble forms in VEG and is present in secretions from VEG. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry demonstrate that Ebnerin is located in secretory duct epithelial cells of VEG and is released onto the tongue surface along the apical region of taste buds in the clefts of circumvallate papillae. The unique structure and localization of Ebnerin suggest that it may function as a binding protein in saliva for the regulation of taste sensation.