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Journal of Dental Research
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Gustducin and its Role in Taste

A.I. Spielman

New York University College of Dentistry, Basic Science Division, 345 E. 24th Street, New York, New York 10010, Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

The mechanisms responsible for taste signal transductions are very complex. A key molecule, {alpha}-gustducin, a primarily taste-specific G protein {alpha}-subunit, was discovered in 1992 and was later found to be Involved in both bitter and sweet taste transduction. A proposed mechanism for {alpha}-gustducin involves coupling specific cell-surface receptors with a cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase which would open a cyclic nucleotide-suppressible cation channel leading to influx of calcium, and ultimately leading to release of neurotransmitter. Although "knock-out" animals deficient in the {alpha}-gustducin gene clearly demonstrate that gustducin is an essential molecule for tasting certain bitter and sweet compounds, the precise role of {alpha}-gustducin in bitter and sweet taste is presently unclear, Indeed, there are several other signaling mechanisms in sweet and bitter taste, apparently unrelated to {alpha}-gustducin, that increase cyclic AMP or inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate. Thus, proposed models for {alpha}-gustducin and those found by other laboratories may be parallel and interdependent.

Key Words: G proteins • gustducin • taste • gustatory transduction.

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Journal of Dental Research, Vol. 77, No. 4, 539-544 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/00220345980770040601
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