title: The bitter taste of infection.
abstract: The human innate immune response to pathogens is complex, and it has been difficult to establish the contribution of epithelial signaling in the prevention of upper respiratory tract infection. The prevalence of chronic sinusitis in the absence of systemic immune defects indicates that there may be local defects in innate immunity associated with such mucosal infections. In this issue of the JCI, Cohen and colleagues investigate the role of the bitter taste receptors in airway epithelial cells, and find that these are critical to sensing the presence of invading pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA. asp7@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prince
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009297:Nasal Mucosa; D010256:Paranasal Sinuses; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D012220:Rhinitis; D000098706:Taste Receptors, Type 2
chemical_list: D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D000098706:Taste Receptors, Type 2