title: Mediation of responses to calcium in taste cells by modulation of a potassium conductance.
abstract: Calcium salts are strong taste stimuli in vertebrate animals. However, the chemosensory transduction mechanisms for calcium are not known. In taste buds of Necturus maculosus (mud puppy), calcium evokes depolarizing receptor potentials by acting extracellularly on the apical ends of taste cells to block a resting potassium conductance. Therefore, divalent cations elicit receptor potentials in taste cells by modulating a potassium conductance rather than by permeating the cell membrane, the mechanism utilized by monovalent cations such as sodium and potassium ions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bigiani
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Roper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D009337:Necturus; D011188:Potassium / Q000502:physiology*; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*; D013757:Tetraethylammonium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D014059:Tongue / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015221:Potassium Channels; D013757:Tetraethylammonium Compounds; D002104:Cadmium; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium