Ion Channel Releases ATP for Taste Perception

The sense of taste consists of five primary types: sweet, sour, salt, bitter and umami (savory). Researchers have figured out how cells transmit information regarding three of these taste types. The involvement of ATP, the body’s main fuel source, was already known, but how it participated remained a mystery. A study conducted in mice found that CALHM1, which is expressed in sweet, bitter and savory tastes bud cells and forms an opening in the pore of the cell membrane, releases ATP molecules. These molecules alert neurons to signal the taste centers of the brain. CALHM1 and its different forms could also play a part in physiologically important ATP release elsewhere.

Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - April 18, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news