A Transcription Factor Etv1/Er81 Is Involved in the Differentiation of Sweet, Umami, and Sodium Taste Cells.

Taste cells are maintained by continuous turnover throughout a lifetime, yet the mechanisms of taste cell differentiation, and how taste sensations remain constant despite this continuous turnover, remain poorly understood. Here, we report that a transcription factor Etv1 (also known as Er81) is involved in the differentiation of taste cells responsible for the preference for sweet, umami, and salty tastes. Molecular analyses revealed that is expressed by a subset of taste cells that depend on Skn-1a (also known as Pou2f3) for their generation and express T1R genes (responsible for sweet and umami tastes) or (responsible for amiloride-sensitive salty taste).

A genetic variant of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) exacerbates hormone-mediated orexigenic feeding in mice.

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) degrades the endocannabinoid anandamide. A polymorphism in (FAAH C385A) reduces FAAH expression, increases anandamide levels, and increases the risk of obesity. Nevertheless, some studies have found no association between FAAH C385A and obesity.

Quantifying peripheral modulation of olfaction by trigeminal agonists.

In the mammalian nose, two chemosensory systems, the trigeminal and the olfactory mediate the detection of volatile chemicals. Most odorants in fact are able to activate the trigeminal system, and vice versa, most trigeminal agonists activate the olfactory system as well. Although these two systems constitute two separate sensory modalities, trigeminal activation modulates the neural representation of an odor.

Factors Affecting BMI Changes in Mothers during the First Year Postpartum.

We tested the hypotheses that mothers of infants who exclusively breastfed would differ in the trajectories of postpartum BMI changes than mothers of infants who exclusively formula fed, but such benefits would differ based on the maternal BMI status prepregnancy (primary hypothesis) and that psychological eating behavior traits would have independent effects on postpartum BMI changes (secondary hypothesis). To these aims, linear mixed-effects models analyzed measured anthropometric data collected monthly from 0.5 month (baseline) to 1 year postpartum from two groups of mothers distinct in infant feeding modality (Lactating vs.

Alkaline taste sensation through the alkaliphile chloride channel in Drosophila.

The sense of taste is an important sentinel governing what should or should not be ingested by an animal, with high pH sensation playing a critical role in food selection. Here we explore the molecular identities of taste receptors detecting the basic pH of food using Drosophila melanogaster as a model. We identify a chloride channel named alkaliphile (Alka), which is both necessary and sufficient for aversive taste responses to basic food.

Science interrupted .

Recent research contends that the behavioral immune system, operating largely outside conscious awareness, motivates individuals to exhibit higher levels of prejudice toward unfamiliar out-groups. This research finds that individual variance in disgust sensitivity correlates with support for political policies that facilitate the avoidance of out-groups. We were interested in developing less intrusive indicators of disgust sensitivity via olfactory measures (i.

Chloride ions evoke taste sensations by binding to the extracellular ligand-binding domain of sweet/umami taste receptors.

Salt taste sensation is multifaceted: NaCl at low or high concentrations is preferably or aversively perceived through distinct pathways. Cl is thought to participate in taste sensation through an unknown mechanism. Here, we describe Cl ion binding and the response of taste receptor type 1 (T1r), a receptor family composing sweet/umami receptors.

Proof-of-concept: SCENTinel 1.1 rapidly discriminates COVID-19-related olfactory disorders.

It is estimated that 20%-67% of those with COVID-19 develop olfactory disorders, depending on the SARS-CoV-2 variant. However, there is an absence of quick, population-wide olfactory tests to screen for olfactory disorders. The purpose of this study was to provide a proof-of-concept that SCENTinel 1.

Evolution of bitter receptor genes and ontogenetic dietary shift in a frog.

Vertebrate Tas2r taste receptors detect bitter compounds that are potentially poisonous. Previous studies found substantial variation in the number of genes across vertebrates, with some frog species carrying the largest number. Peculiar among vertebrates, frogs undergo metamorphosis, often associated with a dietary shift between tadpoles and adults.

Paradoxical electro-olfactogram responses in TMEM16B knock-out mice.

The Ca2+-activated Cl¯ channel TMEM16B carries up to 90% of the transduction current evoked by odorant stimulation in olfactory sensory neurons and control the number of action potential firing and therefore the length of the train of action potentials. A loss of function approach revealed that TMEM16B is required for olfactory-driven behaviors such as tracking unfamiliar odors. Here, we used the electro-olfactogram (EOG) technique to investigate the contribution of TMEM16B to odorant transduction in the whole olfactory epithelium.

Coronavirus infection in chemosensory cells.

Clinical manifestations of human coronavirus (HCoV)-related diseases are mostly related to the respiratory system, although secondary complications such as headache, anosmia, ageusia, and myalgia have been reported. HCoV infection and replication in chemosensory cells associated with ageusia and anosmia is poorly understood. Here, we characterized HCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV-2 infection in two types of chemosensory cells, olfactory and taste cells, with their unique molecular and histological characteristics.

Covid-19 affects taste independently of smell: results from a combined chemosensory home test and online survey from a global cohort (N=10,953).

People often confuse smell loss with taste loss, so it is unclear how much gustatory function is reduced in patients self-reporting taste loss. Our pre-registered cross-sectional study design included an online survey in 12 languages with instructions for self-administering chemosensory tests with ten household items. Between June 2020 and March 2021, 10,953 individuals participated.

Characterization of Ethyl Butyrate-Induced Cough Before and After Breath Control Techniques in Healthy Adults.

Purpose: Methods for cough elicitation frequently involve aerosolized tussive agents. Here, we sought to determine whether healthy individuals demonstrate a quantifiable cough response after inhaling a volatile ester and if breath control techniques modify this chemically induced cough response.

Method: Sixty adult male and female participants inhaled prepared liquid dilutions of ethyl butyrate dissolved in paraffin oil at 20%, 40%, and 60% v/v concentrations in triplicate, with presentation order randomized.

Type II taste cells participate in mucosal immune surveillance.

The oral microbiome is second only to its intestinal counterpart in diversity and abundance, but its effects on taste cells remains largely unexplored. Using single-cell RNASeq, we found that mouse taste cells, in particular, sweet and umami receptor cells that express taste 1 receptor member 3 (Tas1r3), have a gene expression signature reminiscent of Microfold (M) cells, a central player in immune surveillance in the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) such as those in the Peyer's patch and tonsils. Administration of tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 11 (TNFSF11; also known as RANKL), a growth factor required for differentiation of M cells, dramatically increased M cell proliferation and marker gene expression in the taste papillae and in cultured taste organoids from wild-type (WT) mice.

Genetic variation in the human olfactory receptor OR5AN1 associates with the perception of musks.

Humans have significant individual variations in odor perception, derived from their experience or sometimes from differences in the olfactory receptor (OR) gene repertoire. In several cases, the genetic variation of a single OR affects the perception of its cognate odor ligand. Musks are widely used for fragrance and are known to demonstrate specific anosmia.

Microbial metabolite succinate activates solitary chemosensory cells in the human sinonasal epithelium.

Background: Succinate, although most famous for its role in the Krebs cycle, can be released extracellularly as a signal of cellular distress, particularly in situations of metabolic stress and inflammation. Solitary chemosensory cells (SCCs) express SUCNR1, the succinate receptor, and modulate type 2 inflammatory responses in helminth and protozoal infections in the small intestine. SCCs are the dominant epithelial source of interleukin-25, as well as an important source of cysteinyl leukotrienes in the airway, and have been implicated as upstream agents in type 2 inflammation in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and asthma.

A microbiome-dependent gut-brain pathway regulates motivation for exercise.

Exercise exerts a wide range of beneficial effects for healthy physiology. However, the mechanisms regulating an individual's motivation to engage in physical activity remain incompletely understood. An important factor stimulating the engagement in both competitive and recreational exercise is the motivating pleasure derived from prolonged physical activity, which is triggered by exercise-induced neurochemical changes in the brain.

Sweet taste perception in mice is blunted by PTBP1-regulated skipping of Tas1r2 exon 4.

Taste perception, initiated by activation of taste receptors in taste bud cells, is crucial for regulating nutrient intake. Genetic polymorphisms in taste receptor genes cannot fully explain the wide individual variations of taste sensitivity. Alternative splicing (AS) is a ubiquitous posttranscriptional mode of gene regulation that enriches the functional diversity of proteins.

The Adaptive Olfactory Measure of Threshold (ArOMa-T): a rapid test of olfactory function.

Many widely used psychophysical olfactory tests have limitations that can create barriers to adoption. For example, tests that measure the ability to identify odors may confound sensory performance with memory recall, verbal ability, and prior experience with the odor. Conversely, classic threshold-based tests avoid these issues, but are labor intensive.

Effects of COVID-19 on the Human Central Olfactory System: A Natural Pre-Post Experiment.

Background And Purpose: Reduced olfactory function is the symptom with the highest prevalence in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with nearly 70% of infected individuals experiencing partial or total loss of their sense of smell at some point during the disease. The exact cause is not known, but beyond peripheral damage, studies have demonstrated insults to both the olfactory bulb and central olfactory brain areas. However, these studies often lack both baseline pre-COVID-19 assessments and control groups, and the effects could, therefore, simply reflect pre-existing risk factors.

The quality of energy- and macronutrient-balanced diets regulates host susceptibility to influenza in mice.

Modulation of individual macronutrients or caloric density is known to regulate host resistance to infection in mice. However, the impact of diet composition, independent of macronutrient and energy content, on infection susceptibility is unclear. We show that two laboratory rodent diets, widely used as standard animal feeds and experimental controls, display distinct abilities in supporting mice during influenza infection.

Is congenital anosmia protective for Parkinson's disease triggered by pathogenic entrance through the nose?

The prevalence of smell loss in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients greatly exceeds that of the characteristic motor symptoms defining the disease by several years. One hypothesis of the cause of PD states that it is initiated in the olfactory bulb — the critical first central processing stage of the olfactory system — and that the olfactory nerve might serve as an entry point to the OB for pathogens or environmental components. But what if there was no OB to start with? Recent data demonstrate that cortical, but not peripheral, blindness acts as a protective factor against schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.

Reprogramming cultured human fungiform (HBO) taste cells into neuron-like cells through in vitro induction.

Human taste cells are a heterogeneous population of specialized epithelial cells that are constantly generated from progenitor taste cells. Type I and type III taste cells express some neural markers, and studies have reported that direct innervation by neurons is not required for taste cell development. To our knowledge, no previous study has demonstrated that taste cells can differentiate into neuron-like cells or any other non-taste cell type.

Chemosensory Dysfunction in Long-Term COVID-19 Assessed by Self-Reported and Direct Psychophysical Methods.

Chemosensory dysfunction is a frequent postacute sequela of COVID-19. Depending on the type of test used to measure it (self-report vs. direct test), the degree of chemosensory dysfunction in long-term COVID-19 has been found to be highly variable.

Capturing high and low levels of participant engagement in sensory and consumer evaluations via a known groups design and an implicit correlate.

Recently developed to characterize consumer engagement during sensory and consumer testing, the Engagement Questionnaire (EQ) can quantify differences in participant engagement; however, the limits of the scale to detect disengagement has not been established. We conducted a known-group experimental design to verify the EQ's ability to differentiate between an engaged and disengaged participant. Participants were randomly assigned to a more engaging (positive condition) and a less engaging sensory task (negative condition).