Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hongxia Xiu, Yajie Liu, Huihui Yang, Haibin Ren, Bowen Luo, Zhipeng Wang, Hong Shao, Fengzhong Wang, Jingjian Zhang, Yutang Wang
Summary: This study proposes an in silico method to identify novel umami-tasting molecules using QSAR models, PCA, molecular docking, and electronic tongue analysis. A total of 169 potential umami molecules were identified, with 18 molecules confirmed as umami molecules through electronic tongue analysis. This work holds promise in elucidating the crystal structure of umami receptors and taste-sensing mechanisms, as well as the practical application of new umami molecules in food.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiaoli Zeng, Min Huang, Qing-Xue Sun, Ye-Jun Peng, Xiaomei Xu, Yun-Bin Tang, Ju-Yuan Zhang, Yiling Yang, Cheng-Cai Zhang
Summary: This study identified a c-di-GMP receptor called CdgR, which plays a crucial role in regulating cell size in cyanobacteria. CdgR interacts with a global transcription factor DevH and functions through c-di-GMP-mediated signaling. The findings provide insights into the mechanism of c-di-GMP signaling in controlling bacterial cell size.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yanxuan Xiao, Hangfan Zhou, Lu Jiang, Rui Liu, Qianming Chen
Summary: Taste is mediated by specialized neuroepithelial cells called taste receptor cells located at tongue papillae. Ion channels play a crucial role in various cell physiological activities, while epigenetic modifications regulate gene expression without altering DNA sequence.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ying Bu, Yingnan Liu, Hongwei Luan, Wenhui Zhu, Xuepeng Li, Jianrong Li
Summary: Six novel umami peptides were isolated, purified, and identified from Thai fish sauce in this study. Molecular docking and the three dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship model revealed the association between the structure and activity of umami peptides, with a significant spatial effect observed for long chain peptides.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Wenwen Ren, Xudong Cha, Rui Xu, Tianyu Wang, Caiquan Liang, Janice Chou, Xiujuan Zhang, Fengzhen Li, Shenglei Wang, Boyu Cai, Peihua Jiang, Hong Wang, Huanhai Liu, Yiqun Yu
Summary: This study investigated the effects of cisplatin on taste cell homeostasis and gustatory function. It found that cisplatin inhibits cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis in taste buds, leading to impaired taste function and receptor cell generation. The study also identified critical genes and biological processes affected by chemotherapy and proposed a potential therapeutic target for taste dysfunction in cancer patients.
Review
Food Science & Technology
Chunyong Song, Zhijun Wang, Hanqi Li, Wenhong Cao, Zhongqin Chen, Huina Zheng, Jialong Gao, Haisheng Lin, Guoping Zhu
Summary: Taste peptides are oligopeptides that enhance the aroma and taste of food. They are classified into five categories based on their taste characteristics. Recent research has focused on the taste receptors and transduction mechanisms of taste peptides, which are not yet fully understood. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the perception of taste peptides by taste receptors, the proposed transduction pathway, and the structural features of taste peptides. Various methods, such as molecular docking, peptidomic analysis, and taste bud biosensors, can be used to explore the taste mechanism of taste peptides. The review also discusses current challenges and future trends in taste peptide research. Taste peptides derived from food proteins have the potential to be important taste substances, meeting the principles of safe, nutritious, and sustainable food development.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Kelly L. Buchanan, Laura E. Rupprecht, M. Maya Kaelberer, Atharva Sahasrabudhe, Marguerita E. Klein, Jorge A. Villalobos, Winston W. Liu, Annabelle Yang, Justin Gelman, Seongjun Park, Polina Anikeeva, Diego Bohorquez
Summary: Buchanan, Rupprecht, Kaelberer and colleagues have discovered that the preference for sugar over sweetener in mice is dependent on gut neuropod cells, which rapidly communicate stimuli to drive food choices. These cells differentiate and transduce stimuli from sweeteners and sugars to the vagus nerve using sweet taste receptors and sodium glucose transporters. This study provides insights into how the gut steers preferences for nutritive sugars.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Joshua I. Raji, Joanna K. Konopka, Christopher J. Potter
Summary: The mosquito's antenna is its main olfactory appendage for detecting volatile chemical cues. The antenna can be divided into proximal and distal functional domains, with a specific number of ionotropic receptors (IRs) within each segment. Highly expressed odor-tuning IRs show distinct co-localization patterns with IR coreceptors, indicating their functional properties. Knockin and functional imaging of IR41c-expressing neurons reveal both activation and inhibition to amine compounds, but targeted mutagenesis of IR41c does not abolish behavioral responses to these compounds. This study provides a comprehensive map of IR-expressing neurons in the mosquito's antenna, giving insights into their functional contribution to odor detection.
Article
Neurosciences
Debarghya Dutta Banik, Kathryn F. F. Medler
Summary: Peripheral taste receptor cells use multiple signaling pathways to transduce taste stimuli, with a subpopulation of Type III taste cells responding broadly to multiple taste stimuli. The PLC beta 3/IP(3)R1 signaling pathway is used to detect bitter, sweet, and umami stimuli, while a separate pathway is used for sour taste. This study identifies TRPM4 as an important downstream component in the PLC beta 3 signaling pathway.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Stephanie D. Nofal, Avnish Patel, Michael J. Blackman, Christian Flueck, David A. Baker
Summary: Guanylyl cyclases synthesize cyclic GMP, which plays a critical role in regulating cellular functions. In malaria parasites, GCs are associated with a unique bifunctional domain. The study shows that Plasmodium falciparum GC alpha is essential for cGMP production and merozoite egress, with the P4-ATPase domain playing a primary role in cGMP synthesis.
Review
Neurosciences
Rameshwar K. K. Sharma
Summary: This article reviews the history of the membrane guanylate cyclase (MGC) development from 1963 to 1987. It highlights the effort and continuous work that led to the establishment of this critical cellular signaling pathway for the survival of prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and complex vertebrate organisms.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Qin-Xue Sun, Min Huang, Ju-Yuan Zhang, Xiaoli Zeng, Cheng-Cai Zhang
Summary: This study identified a two-component signaling system, composed of CdgK and CdgS, that regulates cell size in cyanobacteria. The GGDEF domain of CdgS was found to be essential in cell size control. This research provides insights into the mechanisms of cell size regulation in cyanobacteria.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Applied
Pinhu Wang, Xiang Ye, Jun Liu, Yao Xiao, Min Tan, Yue Deng, Mulan Yuan, Xingmei Luo, Dingkun Zhang, Xingliang Xie, Xue Han
Summary: Taste refers to the distinctive sensation elicited by food in the oral cavity. This paper reviews the basic biology and physiology of various tastes and summarizes the detection process and methods. It also discusses the future development of taste component detection.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Ben Wu, Xirui Zhou, Imre Blank, Yuan Liu
Summary: This study used EEG technology to investigate the responsive regions of the brain to umami taste. The results showed that the most responsive frequency to umami taste was 2 Hz, and the most responsive brain regions were T4CzA2, F8CzA2, and Fp2CzA2. The study also found higher sensitivity to umami taste in the right brain region. This research provides potential for further exploring the relevance between different brain responses to umami taste.
FOOD SCIENCE AND HUMAN WELLNESS
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Yuxia Fan, Weizhu Chen, Ninglong Zhang, Mingyang Li, Yiwen Zhu, Gaole Chen, Yin Zhang, Yuan Liu
Summary: A self-assembled biosensor based on matured taste receptor cells (TRCs) was developed, which successfully detected L-monosodium glutamate (MSG) and other umami substances, providing insights into taste signal transduction mechanisms and suggesting the potential for biomimetic sensors in intelligent perception applications.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2023)