Bitter Taste: Physiology and Behavior

描述(申请人提供)：近交系之间存在相当大的差异 品系的老鼠对苦味化合物的行为。这些 几乎完全使用长期(24小时或更长时间)证明了差异 48小时)进食测试。这种行为的自然变化导致了 旨在阐明味觉的生理、生化和分子研究 转导事件和潜在机制的基因识别 苦涩的味道。存在两个近交系，它们的摄入量有很大的不同 苦味刺激：SWR/J(Sw：苦味敏感)和C3HeB/FEJ(C3：苦味 不敏感)。了解这些菌株在生理上的差异可能会 为苦味功能模型的开发提供了有用的信息。 然而，人们对味觉感受器细胞的反应知之甚少 这些菌株对苦味的刺激。此外，还不能肯定长期- 用于对比这些菌株的长期摄入测试提供了未受污染的 味觉功能指标。此应用程序中采用的方法是 将精细的行为程序与味觉的电生理研究结合起来 受体细胞来阐明这些行为的生理基础 不同之处。来自两个品系的小鼠的行为测量将被获得 使用旨在最大限度地减少无味的短期测试(例如，进食后) 各种因素。以这种方式获得的精确的浓度-响应函数将 为苦味刺激之间的行为差异提供了明确的指示 对于这些品系，基于味觉提示。在电生理实验中， 这些小鼠舌头和上颚的味觉感受器细胞 用全细胞记录方法对完整的上皮细胞进行研究 准备工作。细胞将用一系列苦味刺激进行测试，以测试 假设菌株之间的行为差异是由于：1)a) 在苦味敏感的短波中，对苦味刺激有更多反应的细胞 或2)改变了对苦味刺激的浓度-反应函数 苦味不敏感的C3菌株。通过检查这些菌株的差异， 受体细胞功能，这些研究应该有助于将正在进行的分子联系起来 苦味功能的神经机制研究进展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Considerable variation exists among inbred strains of mice in their behavior toward bitter-tasting compounds. These differences have been demonstrated almost exclusively using long-term (24- or 48-hour) intake tests. Such natural variation in behavior has fostered physiological, biochemical, and molecular research aimed at elucidating taste transduction events and the identity of genes underlying the mechanisms of bitter taste. Two inbred strains exist that differ substantially in their intake of bitter stimuli: SWR/J (SW: bitter sensitive) and C3HeB/FeJ (C3: bitter insensitive). An understanding of how these strains differ physiologically could provide information useful for developing models of bitter taste function. However, very little is known about the responsiveness of taste receptor cells of these strains to bitter stimuli. Further, it is not certain that the long- term intake tests used to contrast these strains provide uncontaminated indicators of gustatory function. The approach taken in this application is to combine refined behavioral procedures with electrophysiological studies of taste receptor cells to elucidate the physiological bases of these behavioral differences. Behavioral measures from mice from both strains will be acquired using a short-term test designed to minimize non-taste (e.g., post-ingestive) factors. Precise concentration-response functions acquired in this way will provide a clear indication of the behavioral differences among bitter stimuli for these strains, based on taste cues. In electrophysiological experiments, taste receptor cells from the tongue and palate of these mice will be investigated using whole-cell-recording methods in an intact epithelial preparation. Cells will be tested with an array of bitter stimuli to test the hypothesis that the behavioral differences between strains are due to: 1) a greater number of cells responding to bitter stimuli in the bitter-sensitive SW strain; or 2) an altered concentration-response function for bitter stimuli in the bitter-insensitive C3 strain. By examining these strain differences in receptor cell function, these studies should help to link ongoing molecular advances to the neural mechanisms underlying bitter taste function.