Expression of taste reception response of fleshfly in Xenopus oocytes.
Functional expression of the gustatory sensitivity to amino acids and sugars was investigated in Xenopus oocytes injected with poly(A+) RNA extracted from fleshfly labellar taste organs. The current induced by the application of amino acids and sugars that stimulate fleshfly sugar receptor cells was recorded under voltage clamp conditions. L-Phenylalanine and L-valine induced a large transient inward current in poly(A+) RNA-injected oocytes but only small responses in uninjected control oocytes. Glucose and fructose also produced inward currents in the RNA-injected oocytes. N-methylated compounds or D-isomers of these amino acids induced either no response or a much smaller response than L-amino acids as they did in the fleshfly sugar receptor cells. The oocyte expression system is a useful tool for characterizing the taste transduction mechanism.
Koganezawa
M
M
Biological Institute, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
Shingai
R
R
Isono
K
K
Shimada
I
I
D000818:Animals; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D004175:Diptera / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000494:pharmacology; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D008745:Methylation; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D010649:Phenylalanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*; D014633:Valine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D014982:Xenopus laevis
D010649:Phenylalanine; D014633:Valine; D005947:Glucose