Intracellular free calcium concentration in human taste bud cells increases in response to taste stimuli.
We examined changes of intracellular free calcium concentration [Ca2+]i elicited by taste stimuli of sucrose, denatonium and NaCl in the taste buds of seven human fungiform papillae. In one taste bud we observed an increase in [Ca2+]i induced by only NaCl. In another bud an increase of [Ca2+]i in response to both NaCl and sucrose was found. The Ca2+ responses to NaCl and sucrose occurred in differential areas within the one taste bud. In the other five fungiform papillae [Ca2+]i was not changed by the taste stimuli. These results suggest that an increase of [Ca2+]i participates in taste transduction mechanisms for sucrose and NaCl, and that taste cells in one taste bud may respond to differential stimuli.
Fujiyama
R
R
Department of Oral Physiology, Nagasaki University School of Dentistry, Japan. rierika@net.nagasaki-u.ac.jp
Miyazaki
T
T
Miyamoto
T
T
Okada
Y
Y
Mizuno
A
A
Inokuchi
T
T
Sato
T
T
D000328:Adult; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D016257:Fura-2; D006801:Humans; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D013395:Sucrose / Q000494:pharmacology; D013650:Taste Buds / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D013395:Sucrose; D002118:Calcium; D016257:Fura-2