title: Taste perception: from the tongue to the testis.
abstract: In mammals, the sense of taste helps in the evaluation and consumption of nutrients, and in avoiding toxic substances and indigestible materials. Distinct cell types expressing unique receptors detect each of the five basic tastes: salty, sour, bitter, sweet and umami. The latter three tastes are detected by two distinct families of G protein-coupled receptors: T2Rs and T1Rs. Interestingly, these taste receptors have been found in tissues other than the tongue, such as the digestive system, respiratory system, brain, testis and spermatozoa. The functional implications of taste receptors distributed throughout the body are unknown. We therefore reviewed the remarkable advances in our understanding of the molecular basis of taste perception in 'taste' and 'non-taste' tissues. We also present our speculations on the direction of further research in the field of male reproduction.
authors: School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 280 South Chongqing Road, Shanghai 200025, People's Republic of China. lifengwest@gmail.com
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*; D013650:Taste Buds / Q000502:physiology; D055697:Taste Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013737:Testis / Q000502:physiology*; D014059:Tongue / Q000502:physiology; D000098706:Taste Receptors, Type 2
chemical_list: D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; C431926:taste receptors, type 1; D000098706:Taste Receptors, Type 2
keywords: G protein-coupled receptor; male reproduction; spermatozoa; taste perception; testis