Peripheral Processing and Coding of Gustatory Input

描述(申请人提供)：本申请的目标是了解味觉感受器细胞对自然味觉刺激的处理和编码，味觉感受器细胞位于昆虫模型口器的味觉器官中。味觉感受器细胞构成了环境味觉信号的感觉过滤器，在昆虫中，它们将有关味觉刺激的信息直接传输到大脑中的味觉中心。因此，味觉感受器细胞构成了决策过程的第一层，最终决定了动物是否接受或拒绝食物。这项研究的主要前提是，我们对摄食背后的神经机制知之甚少，特别是味觉器官的超微结构组织，味觉刺激的神经编码，或这些刺激引起的摄食行为。毛虫的味觉器官提供了一个很好的系统来解决有关味觉系统的问题。这些器官形成了一个相对简单的感觉系统。两个味觉器官，每个都有四个假定的味觉感受器细胞，被认为在不同的行为或生态环境中对刺激做出反应。然而，味觉刺激可能相当复杂，因为它们可能是由多分子混合物组成的。这只动物面临的任务是解读每个人的口味，然后做出适当的喂养选择。我们的研究策略是首先描述味觉器官和其中的受体细胞的细胞和亚细胞组织。在第二步中，我们将使用摄食行为生物测定来测试哪些味觉刺激能唤起摄食或食物排斥。在第三步中，我们描述味觉感受器细胞对选定的单个味觉刺激以及对混合味觉刺激的神经反应，并将神经和行为反应联系起来。这些研究将以前所未有的方式提供从分子到行为的对外围味觉处理的洞察。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this application is to understand the processing and coding of natural taste stimuli by gustatory receptor cells that are housed in taste organs on the mouthparts of an insect model. Gustatory receptor cells constitute a sensory filter for environmental taste signals and in insects, they transfer information about taste stimuli directly to taste centers in the brain. Therefore, gustatory receptor cells form the first layer of a decision making process that ultimately determines whether food is accepted or rejected by the animal. The major premise of this research is that we know very little about the neural mechanisms that underlie feeding, specifically the ultrastructural organization of the taste apparatus, the neural coding of taste stimuli, or the feeding behavior evoked by these stimuli. The gustatory organs of caterpillars provide an excellent system to address questions about the taste system. These organs form a relatively simple sensory system. Two gustatory organs, each with four putative gustatory receptor cells, are thought to respond to stimuli in different behavioral or ecological contexts. However, taste stimuli can be fairly complex because they can be composed of multimolecular mixtures. The animal faces the task to decipher individual tastants and then to make an appropriate feeding choice. Our research strategy is to first describe the cellular and subcellular organization of taste organs and receptor cells therein. In a second step, we will use feeding behavioral bioassays to test which taste stimuli evoke feeding or food rejection. In a third step, we describe the neural responses of gustatory receptor cells to selected individual taste stimuli, as well as to mixtures, and will correlate the neural and behavioral responses. These studies will provide insights into peripheral taste processing from molecules to behavior in an unprecedented manner.