Role of the taste system in ingestive behavior. Studies in NaCl and fatty acid transduction

The transduction of tastants involves a variety of mechanisms both within and across stimulus classes. Taste stimuli have been shown to permeate and block ion channels, activate both ionotropic and metabotropic receptors and directly permeate the membrane of taste receptor cells. Though significant progress has been made in recent years in elucidating the mechanisms of taste transduction, there has been comparatively little emphasis placed upon investigating how the transduction process in taste receptor cells is modulated. Moreover, because of the general opinion that the sense of taste has little or no direct role in the regulation of ingestive behavior, there have been few studies aimed at directly assessing the link between the performance of the peripheral gustatory system and underlying nutritional preferences. Recent work in our laboratory in NaCl and fatty acid transduction supports the idea that the transduction of taste stimuli is a very dynamic process that both contributes to the control of ingestive behavior and is reflective of underlying nutrient preferences.