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ATP Signaling Is Crucial for Communication from Taste Buds to Gustatory Nerves
Thomas E. Finger,1,2Vicktoria Danilova,3Jennell Barrows,1,2Dianna L. Bartel,1,2Alison J. Vigers,1,2Leslie Stone,1,4Goran Hellekant,3,5Sue C. Kinnamon1,4*
Taste receptor cells detect chemicals in the oral cavity andtransmit this information to taste nerves, but the neurotransmitter(s)have not been identified. We report that adenosine 5'-triphosphate(ATP) is the key neurotransmitter in this system. Genetic eliminationof ionotropic purinergic receptors (P2X2 and P2X3) eliminatestaste responses in the taste nerves, although the nerves remainresponsive to touch, temperature, and menthol. Similarly, P2X-knockoutmice show greatly reduced behavioral responses to sweeteners,glutamate, and bitter substances. Finally, stimulation of tastebuds in vitro evokes release of ATP. Thus, ATP fulfils the criteriafor a neurotransmitter linking taste buds to the nervous system.
1 Rocky Mountain Taste and Smell Center, Aurora CO 80045, USA. 2 University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora CO 80045, USA. 3 Department of Animal Health and Biomedical Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA. 4 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. 5 Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN 55812, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: sue.kinnamon{at}colostate.edu
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