AI Article Synopsis
- The "salty taste" is produced when sodium and chloride ions are together in the mouth, and while there's a known channel for sodium, a specific chloride receptor had not been identified before this study.
- Researchers discovered that the TMC4 protein is expressed in parts of the tongue and plays a key role in perceiving high levels of sodium chloride, as shown by experiments with cells and Tmc4-deficient mice.
- TMC4 has been characterized as a voltage-dependent chloride channel that allows for the passage of certain organic anions but works best with chloride, suggesting its importance in the sensation of saltiness.
Article Abstract
"Salty taste" sensation is evoked when sodium and chloride ions are present together in the oral cavity. The presence of an epithelial cation channel that receives Na has previously been reported. However, no molecular entity involving Cl receptors has been elucidated. We report the strong expression of transmembrane channel-like 4 (TMC4) in the circumvallate and foliate papillae projected to the glossopharyngeal nerve, mediating a high-concentration of NaCl. Electrophysiological analysis using HEK293T cells revealed that TMC4 was a voltage-dependent Cl channel and the consequent currents were completely inhibited by NPPB, an anion channel blocker. TMC4 allowed permeation of organic anions including gluconate, but their current amplitudes at positive potentials were less than that of Cl. Tmc4-deficient mice showed significantly weaker glossopharyngeal nerve response to high-concentration of NaCl than the wild-type littermates. These results indicated that TMC4 is a novel chloride channel that responds to high-concentration of NaCl.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10717410 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12576-021-00807-z | DOI Listing |
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