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1.
Immunity ; 52(4): 683-699.e11, 2020 04 14.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32294408

RESUMEN

Mucociliary clearance through coordinated ciliary beating is a major innate defense removing pathogens from the lower airways, but the pathogen sensing and downstream signaling mechanisms remain unclear. We identified virulence-associated formylated bacterial peptides that potently stimulated ciliary-driven transport in the mouse trachea. This innate response was independent of formyl peptide and taste receptors but depended on key taste transduction genes. Tracheal cholinergic chemosensory cells expressed these genes, and genetic ablation of these cells abrogated peptide-driven stimulation of mucociliary clearance. Trpm5-deficient mice were more susceptible to infection with a natural pathogen, and formylated bacterial peptides were detected in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Optogenetics and peptide stimulation revealed that ciliary beating was driven by paracrine cholinergic signaling from chemosensory to ciliated cells operating through muscarinic M3 receptors independently of nerves. We provide a cellular and molecular framework that defines how tracheal chemosensory cells integrate chemosensation with innate defense.


Asunto(s)
Acetilcolina/inmunología , Proteínas Bacterianas/farmacología , Cilios/inmunología , Depuración Mucociliar/inmunología , Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica/inmunología , Canales Catiónicos TRPM/inmunología , Tráquea/inmunología , Acetilcolina/metabolismo , Animales , Proteínas Bacterianas/inmunología , Transporte Biológico , Cilios/efectos de los fármacos , Cilios/metabolismo , Femenino , Formiatos/metabolismo , Expresión Génica , Humanos , Inmunidad Innata , Masculino , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Ratones Noqueados , Optogenética/métodos , Comunicación Paracrina/inmunología , Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica/genética , Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica/patología , Receptor Muscarínico M3/genética , Receptor Muscarínico M3/inmunología , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/genética , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/inmunología , Canales Catiónicos TRPM/deficiencia , Canales Catiónicos TRPM/genética , Papilas Gustativas/inmunología , Papilas Gustativas/metabolismo , Tráquea/efectos de los fármacos , Tráquea/patología , Virulencia
2.
J Biol Chem ; 298(12): 102642, 2022 12.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36309087

RESUMEN

Formyl peptide receptors (FPRs) may contribute to inflammation in Alzheimer's disease through interactions with neuropathological Amyloid beta (Aß) peptides. Previous studies reported activation of FPR2 by Aß1-42, but further investigation of other FPRs and Aß variants is needed. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the interactions of mouse and human FPRs with different physiologically relevant Aß-peptides using transiently transfected cells in combination with calcium imaging. We observed that, in addition to hFPR2, all other hFPRs also responded to Aß1-42, Aß1-40, and the naturally occurring variants Aß11-40 and Aß17-40. Notably, Aß11-40 and Aß17-40 are very potent activators of mouse and human FPR1, acting at nanomolar concentrations. Buffer composition and aggregation state are extremely crucial factors that critically affect the interaction of Aß with different FPR subtypes. To investigate the physiological relevance of these findings, we examined the effects of Aß11-40 and Aß17-40 on the human glial cell line U87. Both peptides induced a strong calcium flux at concentrations that are very similar to those obtained in experiments for hFPR1 in HEK cells. Further immunocytochemistry, qPCR, and pharmacological experiments verified that these responses were primarily mediated through hFPR1. Chemotaxis experiments revealed that Aß11-40 but not Aß17-40 evoked cell migration, which argues for a functional selectivity of different Aß peptides. Together, these findings provide the first evidence that not only hFPR2 but also hFPR1 and hFPR3 may contribute to neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease through an interaction with different Aß variants.


Asunto(s)
Enfermedad de Alzheimer , Péptidos beta-Amiloides , Receptores de Formil Péptido , Humanos , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/metabolismo , Péptidos beta-Amiloides/metabolismo , Calcio/metabolismo , Línea Celular , Fragmentos de Péptidos/metabolismo , Receptores de Formil Péptido/metabolismo , Animales , Ratones
3.
Biol Chem ; 403(1): 27-41, 2022 01 26.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34505459

RESUMEN

Inflammation is a central element of many neurodegenerative diseases. Formyl peptide receptors (FPRs) can trigger several receptor-dependent signal transduction pathways that play a key role in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. They are chemotactic receptors that help to regulate pro- and anti-inflammatory responses in most mammals. FPRs are primarily expressed in the immune and nervous systems where they interact with a complex pattern of pathogen-derived and host-endogenous molecules. Mounting evidence points towards a contribution of FPRs - via neuropathological ligands such as Amyloid beta, and neuroprotective ligands such as Humanin, Lipoxin A4, and Annexin A1 - to multiple pathological aspects of neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we aim to summarize the interplay of FPRs with neuropathological and neuroprotective ligands. Next, we depict their capability to trigger a number of ligand-dependent cell signaling pathways and their potential to interact with additional intracellular cofactors. Moreover, we highlight first studies, demonstrating that a pharmacological inhibition of FPRs helps to ameliorate neuroinflammation, which may pave the way towards novel therapeutic strategies.


Asunto(s)
Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas , Receptores de Formil Péptido , Péptidos beta-Amiloides , Animales , Humanos , Ligandos , Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas/tratamiento farmacológico , Enfermedades Neuroinflamatorias
4.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 116(30): 15236-15243, 2019 07 23.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31285329

RESUMEN

Dopamine neurons of the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) tonically inhibit the release of the protein hormone prolactin from lactotropic cells in the anterior pituitary gland and thus play a central role in prolactin homeostasis of the body. Prolactin, in turn, orchestrates numerous important biological functions such as maternal behavior, reproduction, and sexual arousal. Here, we identify the canonical transient receptor potential channel Trpc5 as an essential requirement for normal function of dopamine ARC neurons and prolactin homeostasis. By analyzing female mice carrying targeted mutations in the Trpc5 gene including a conditional Trpc5 deletion, we show that Trpc5 is required for maintaining highly stereotyped infraslow membrane potential oscillations of dopamine ARC neurons. Trpc5 is also required for eliciting prolactin-evoked tonic plateau potentials in these neurons that are part of a regulatory feedback circuit. Trpc5 mutant females show severe prolactin deficiency or hypoprolactinemia that is associated with irregular reproductive cyclicity, gonadotropin imbalance, and impaired reproductive capabilities. These results reveal a previously unknown role for the cation channel Trpc5 in prolactin homeostasis of female mice and provide strategies to explore the genetic basis of reproductive disorders and other malfunctions associated with defective prolactin regulation in humans.


Asunto(s)
Núcleo Arqueado del Hipotálamo/metabolismo , Neuronas Dopaminérgicas/metabolismo , Enfermedades Genéticas Congénitas/genética , Trastornos de la Lactancia/genética , Prolactina/deficiencia , Prolactina/genética , Canales Catiónicos TRPC/genética , Animales , Núcleo Arqueado del Hipotálamo/patología , Nivel de Alerta/fisiología , Neuronas Dopaminérgicas/patología , Retroalimentación Fisiológica , Femenino , Regulación de la Expresión Génica , Enfermedades Genéticas Congénitas/metabolismo , Enfermedades Genéticas Congénitas/patología , Gonadotropinas/sangre , Gonadotropinas/genética , Homeostasis/genética , Humanos , Trastornos de la Lactancia/metabolismo , Trastornos de la Lactancia/patología , Potenciales de la Membrana/fisiología , Ratones , Mutación , Prolactina/sangre , Prolactina/metabolismo , Reproducción/fisiología , Transducción de Señal , Canales Catiónicos TRPC/deficiencia
5.
J Physiol ; 596(14): 2681-2698, 2018 07.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29368348

RESUMEN

KEY POINTS: Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells are required to eliminate cancer cells. We analysed the Ca2+ dependence of CTL and NK cell cytotoxicity and found that in particular CTLs have a very low optimum of [Ca2+ ]i (between 122 and 334 nm) and [Ca2+ ]o (between 23 and 625 µm) for efficient cancer cell elimination, well below blood plasma Ca2+ levels. As predicted from these results, partial down-regulation of the Ca2+ channel Orai1 in CTLs paradoxically increases perforin-dependent cancer cell killing. Lytic granule release at the immune synapse between CTLs and cancer cells has a Ca2+ optimum compatible with this low Ca2+ optimum for efficient cancer cell killing, whereas the Ca2+ optimum for CTL migration is slightly higher and proliferation increases monotonously with increasing [Ca2+ ]o . We propose that a partial inhibition of Ca2+ signals by specific Orai1 blockers at submaximal concentrations could contribute to tumour elimination. ABSTRACT: Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells are required to protect the human body against cancer. Ca2+ is a key metabolic factor for lymphocyte function and cancer homeostasis. We analysed the Ca2+ dependence of CTL and NK cell cytotoxicity against cancer cells and found that CTLs have a bell-shaped Ca2+ dependence with an optimum for cancer cell elimination at rather low [Ca2+ ]o (23-625 µm) and [Ca2+ ]i (122-334 nm). This finding predicts that a partial inhibition of Orai1 should increase (rather than decrease) cytotoxicity of CTLs at [Ca2+ ]o higher than 625 µm. We tested this hypothesis in CTLs and indeed found that partial down-regulation of Orai1 by siRNA increases the efficiency of cancer cell killing. We found two mechanisms that may account for the Ca2+ optimum of cancer cell killing: (1) migration velocity and persistence have a moderate optimum between 500 and 1000 µm [Ca2+ ]o in CTLs, and (2) lytic granule release at the immune synapse between CTLs and cancer cells is increased at 146 µm compared to 3 or 800 µm, compatible with the Ca2+ optimum for cancer cell killing. It has been demonstrated in many cancer cell types that Orai1-dependent Ca2+ signals enhance proliferation. We propose that a decrease of [Ca2+ ]o or partial inhibition of Orai1 activity by selective blockers in the tumour microenvironment could efficiently reduce cancer growth by simultaneously increasing CTL and NK cell cytotoxicity and decreasing cancer cell proliferation.


Asunto(s)
Apoptosis , Calcio/metabolismo , Proliferación Celular , Células Asesinas Naturales/inmunología , Neoplasias/inmunología , Neoplasias/patología , Linfocitos T Citotóxicos/inmunología , Movimiento Celular , Gránulos Citoplasmáticos/metabolismo , Humanos , Neoplasias/metabolismo , Perforina/metabolismo , Células Tumorales Cultivadas
6.
Mol Cell Neurosci ; 80: 75-88, 2017 04.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28188885

RESUMEN

The Ca2+-activated monovalent cation channel Trpm5 is a key element in chemotransduction of taste receptor cells of the tongue, but the extent to which Trpm5 channels are expressed in olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) of the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) of adult mice as part of a specific pheromonal detection system is debated. Here, we used a novel Trpm5-IRES-Cre knockin strain to drive Cre recombinase expression, employed previously validated Trpm5 antibodies, performed in situ hybridization experiments to localize Trpm5 RNA, and searched extensively for Trpm5 splice variants in genetically-labeled, Trpm5-expressing MOE cells. In contrast to previous reports, we find no evidence for the existence in adult mouse OSNs of the classical Trpm5 channel known from taste cells. We show that Trpm5-expressing adult OSNs express a novel Trpm5 splice variant, Trpm5-9, that is unlikely to form a functional cation channel by itself. We also demonstrate that Trpm5 is transiently expressed in a subpopulation of mature OSNs in the embryonic olfactory epithelium, indicating that Trpm5 channels could play a specific role in utero during a narrow developmental time window. Ca2+ imaging with GCaMP3 under the control of the Trpm5-IRES-Cre allele using a newly developed MOE wholemount preparation of the adult olfactory epithelium reveals that Trpm5-GCaMP3 OSNs comprise a heterogeneous group of sensory neurons many of which can detect general odorants. Together, these studies are essential for understanding the role of transient receptor potential channels in mammalian olfaction.


Asunto(s)
Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica/genética , Mucosa Olfatoria/metabolismo , Canales Catiónicos TRPM/metabolismo , Factores de Edad , Animales , Animales Recién Nacidos , Calcio/metabolismo , Embrión de Mamíferos , Proteína GAP-43/metabolismo , Proteínas Fluorescentes Verdes/genética , Proteínas Fluorescentes Verdes/metabolismo , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Ratones Transgénicos , Proteínas de Microfilamentos/metabolismo , Proteína Marcadora Olfativa/genética , Proteína Marcadora Olfativa/metabolismo , Mucosa Olfatoria/citología , Mucosa Olfatoria/embriología , Mucosa Olfatoria/crecimiento & desarrollo , Neuronas Receptoras Olfatorias/metabolismo , ARN Mensajero/metabolismo , Canales Catiónicos TRPM/genética , Órgano Vomeronasal/embriología , Órgano Vomeronasal/crecimiento & desarrollo , Órgano Vomeronasal/metabolismo
7.
J Biol Chem ; 291(18): 9762-75, 2016 Apr 29.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26957543

RESUMEN

Formyl peptide receptor 3 (Fpr3, also known as Fpr-rs1) is a G protein-coupled receptor expressed in subsets of sensory neurons of the mouse vomeronasal organ, an olfactory substructure essential for social recognition. Fpr3 has been implicated in the sensing of infection-associated olfactory cues, but its expression pattern and function are incompletely understood. To facilitate visualization of Fpr3-expressing cells, we generated and validated two new anti-Fpr3 antibodies enabling us to analyze acute Fpr3 protein expression. Fpr3 is not only expressed in murine vomeronasal sensory neurons but also in bone marrow cells, the primary source for immune cell renewal, and in mature neutrophils. Consistent with the notion that Fpr3 functions as a pathogen sensor, Fpr3 expression in the immune system is up-regulated after stimulation with a bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide). These results strongly support a dual role for Fpr3 in both vomeronasal sensory neurons and immune cells. We also identify a large panel of mouse strains with severely altered expression and function of Fpr3, thus establishing the existence of natural Fpr3 knock-out strains. We attribute distinct Fpr3 expression in these strains to the presence or absence of a 12-nucleotide in-frame deletion (Fpr3Δ424-435). In vitro calcium imaging and immunofluorescence analyses demonstrate that the lack of four amino acids leads to an unstable, truncated, and non-functional receptor protein. The genome of at least 19 strains encodes a non-functional Fpr3 variant, whereas at least 13 other strains express an intact receptor. These results provide a foundation for understanding the in vivo function of Fpr3.


Asunto(s)
Regulación de la Expresión Génica/inmunología , Receptores de Formil Péptido/inmunología , Células Receptoras Sensoriales/inmunología , Órgano Vomeronasal/inmunología , Animales , Células de la Médula Ósea/citología , Células de la Médula Ósea/inmunología , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Ratones , Ratones Noqueados , Receptores de Formil Péptido/genética , Células Receptoras Sensoriales/citología , Especificidad de la Especie , Órgano Vomeronasal/citología
8.
Nature ; 472(7342): 186-90, 2011 Apr 14.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21441906

RESUMEN

Loss of function of the gene SCN9A, encoding the voltage-gated sodium channel Na(v)1.7, causes a congenital inability to experience pain in humans. Here we show that Na(v)1.7 is not only necessary for pain sensation but is also an essential requirement for odour perception in both mice and humans. We examined human patients with loss-of-function mutations in SCN9A and show that they are unable to sense odours. To establish the essential role of Na(v)1.7 in odour perception, we generated conditional null mice in which Na(v)1.7 was removed from all olfactory sensory neurons. In the absence of Na(v)1.7, these neurons still produce odour-evoked action potentials but fail to initiate synaptic signalling from their axon terminals at the first synapse in the olfactory system. The mutant mice no longer display vital, odour-guided behaviours such as innate odour recognition and avoidance, short-term odour learning, and maternal pup retrieval. Our study creates a mouse model of congenital general anosmia and provides new strategies to explore the genetic basis of the human sense of smell.


Asunto(s)
Proteínas Mutantes/genética , Proteínas Mutantes/metabolismo , Mutación/genética , Trastornos del Olfato/genética , Trastornos del Olfato/fisiopatología , Canales de Sodio/genética , Potenciales de Acción , Animales , Conducta Animal , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Femenino , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica , Humanos , Masculino , Ratones , Canal de Sodio Activado por Voltaje NAV1.7 , Odorantes/análisis , Trastornos del Olfato/congénito , Trastornos del Olfato/patología , Mucosa Olfatoria/citología , Mucosa Olfatoria/patología , Vías Olfatorias/metabolismo , Vías Olfatorias/patología , Vías Olfatorias/fisiopatología , Percepción Olfatoria/genética , Percepción Olfatoria/fisiología , Neuronas Receptoras Olfatorias/metabolismo , Neuronas Receptoras Olfatorias/patología , Dolor/genética , Dolor/fisiopatología , Fenotipo , Olfato/genética , Olfato/fisiología , Canales de Sodio/deficiencia , Canales de Sodio/metabolismo , Sinapsis/metabolismo , Sinapsis/patología , Orina/química
9.
J Biol Chem ; 290(12): 7369-87, 2015 Mar 20.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25605714

RESUMEN

Formyl peptide receptors (FPRs) are G-protein-coupled receptors that function as chemoattractant receptors in innate immune responses. Here we perform systematic structure-function analyses of FPRs from six mammalian species using structurally diverse FPR peptide agonists and identify a common set of conserved agonist properties with typical features of pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Guided by these results, we discover that bacterial signal peptides, normally used to translocate proteins across cytoplasmic membranes, are a vast family of natural FPR agonists. N-terminally formylated signal peptide fragments with variable sequence and length activate human and mouse FPR1 and FPR2 at low nanomolar concentrations, thus establishing FPR1 and FPR2 as sensitive and broad signal peptide receptors. The vomeronasal receptor mFpr-rs1 and its sequence orthologue hFPR3 also react to signal peptides but are much more narrowly tuned in signal peptide recognition. Furthermore, all signal peptides examined here function as potent activators of the innate immune system. They elicit robust, FPR-dependent calcium mobilization in human and mouse leukocytes and trigger a range of classical innate defense mechanisms, such as the production of reactive oxygen species, metalloprotease release, and chemotaxis. Thus, bacterial signal peptides constitute a novel class of immune activators that are likely to contribute to mammalian immune defense against bacteria. This evolutionarily conserved detection mechanism combines structural promiscuity with high specificity and enables discrimination between bacterial and eukaryotic signal sequences. With at least 175,542 predicted sequences, bacterial signal peptides represent the largest and structurally most heterogeneous class of G-protein-coupled receptor agonists currently known for the innate immune system.


Asunto(s)
Bacterias/aislamiento & purificación , Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Señales de Clasificación de Proteína , Receptores de Formil Péptido/metabolismo , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Proteínas Bacterianas/química , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Datos de Secuencia Molecular
10.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 108(31): 12898-903, 2011 Aug 02.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21768373

RESUMEN

The rodent vomeronasal organ (VNO) mediates the regulation of species-specific and interspecies social behaviors. We have used gene targeting to examine the role of the G protein Gαo, encoded by the gene Gnao1, in vomeronasal function. We used the Cre-loxP system to delete Gαo in those cells that express olfactory marker protein, which includes all vomeronasal sensory neurons of the basal layer of the VNO sensory epithelium. Using electrophysiology and calcium imaging, we show that the conditional null mice exhibit strikingly reduced sensory responses in V2R receptor-expressing vomeronasal sensory neurons to specific molecular cues, including MHC1 antigens, major urinary proteins, and exocrine gland-secreting peptide. Gαo is also vital for vomeronasal sensing of two N-formylated mitochondrially encoded peptides derived from NADH dehydrogenase 1. Furthermore, we show that Gαo is an essential requirement for the display of male-male territorial aggression as well as maternal aggression in mice. Finally, we show that Gαo-dependent maternal aggression can be induced by major urinary proteins. These cellular and behavioral phenotypes identify Gαo as the primary G-protein α-subunit mediating the detection of peptide and protein pheromones by sensory neurons of the VNO.


Asunto(s)
Agresión/fisiología , Subunidades alfa de la Proteína de Unión al GTP Gi-Go/fisiología , Células Receptoras Sensoriales/fisiología , Órgano Vomeronasal/fisiología , Análisis de Varianza , Animales , Animales Recién Nacidos , Calcio/metabolismo , Femenino , Subunidades alfa de la Proteína de Unión al GTP Gi-Go/genética , Subunidades alfa de la Proteína de Unión al GTP Gi-Go/metabolismo , Expresión Génica , Habituación Psicofisiológica/fisiología , Inmunohistoquímica , Masculino , Potenciales de la Membrana/fisiología , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Ratones Noqueados , Odorantes , Proteína Marcadora Olfativa/genética , Proteína Marcadora Olfativa/metabolismo , Embarazo , Receptores de Vasopresinas/genética , Receptores de Vasopresinas/metabolismo , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa de Transcriptasa Inversa , Células Receptoras Sensoriales/metabolismo , Órgano Vomeronasal/metabolismo
11.
J Biol Chem ; 287(40): 33644-55, 2012 Sep 28.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22859307

RESUMEN

The formyl peptide receptor (Fpr) family is well known for its contribution to immune defense against pathogens in human and rodent leukocytes. Recently, several structurally related members of these receptors were discovered in sensory neurons of the mouse vomeronasal organ (VNO), key detectors of pheromones and related semiochemicals. Although the biological role of vomeronasal Fprs is not yet clear, the known contribution of other Fprs to host immune defense suggested that they could contribute to vomeronasal pathogen sensing. Precise knowledge about the agonist properties of mouse Fprs is required to determine their function. We expressed all seven mouse and three human Fprs using an in vitro system and tested their activation with 32 selected compounds by conducting high throughput calcium measurements. We found an intriguing functional conservation between human and mouse immune Fprs that is most likely a consequence of closely similar biological constraints. By contrast, our data suggest a neofunctionalization of the vomeronasal Fprs. We show that the vomeronasal receptor mFpr-rs1 can be activated robustly by W-peptide and structural derivatives but not by other typical ligands of immune Fprs. mFpr-rs1 exhibits a stereo-selective preference for peptides containing d-amino acids. The same peptide motifs are contained in pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, the ligand profile of mFpr-rs1 is consistent with a role in vomeronasal pathogen sensing.


Asunto(s)
Sistema Inmunológico/fisiología , Receptores de Formil Péptido/química , Órgano Vomeronasal/fisiología , Animales , Secuencia de Bases , Calcio/química , Calcio/metabolismo , Cartilla de ADN/genética , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Ligandos , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Modelos Biológicos , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Péptidos/química , Feromonas , Olfato
12.
Hum Mol Genet ; 20(17): 3437-49, 2011 Sep 01.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21672920

RESUMEN

Bitter taste perception is initiated by TAS2R receptors, which respond to agonists by triggering depolarization of taste bud cells. Mutations in TAS2Rs are known to affect taste phenotypes by altering receptor function. Evidence that TAS2Rs overlap in ligand specificity suggests that they may also contribute joint effects. To explore this aspect of gustation, we examined bitter perception of saccharin and acesulfame K, widely used artificial sweeteners with aversive aftertastes. Both substances are agonists of TAS2R31 and -43, which belong to a five-member subfamily (TAS2R30-46) responsive to a diverse constellation of compounds. We analyzed sequence variation and linkage structure in the ∼140 kb genomic region encoding TAS2R30-46, taste responses to the two sweeteners in subjects, and functional characteristics of receptor alleles. Whole-gene sequences from TAS2R30-46 in 60 Caucasian subjects revealed extensive diversity including 34 missense mutations, two nonsense mutations and high-frequency copy-number variants. Thirty markers, including non-synonymous variants in all five genes, were associated (P< 0.001) with responses to saccharin and acesulfame K. However, linkage disequilibrium (LD) in the region was high (D', r(2) > 0.95). Haplotype analyses revealed that most associations were spurious, arising from LD with variants in TAS2R31. In vitro assays confirmed the functional importance of four TAS2R31 mutations, which had independent effects on receptor response. The existence of high LD spanning functionally distinct TAS2R loci predicts that bitter taste responses to many compounds will be strongly correlated even when they are mediated by different genes. Integrative approaches combining phenotypic, genetic and functional analysis will be essential in dissecting these complex relationships.


Asunto(s)
Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/genética , Sacarina/farmacología , Edulcorantes/farmacología , Percepción del Gusto/genética , Gusto/genética , Adulto , Femenino , Genotipo , Haplotipos , Humanos , Desequilibrio de Ligamiento , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Mutación Missense , Percepción del Gusto/efectos de los fármacos , Adulto Joven
13.
Nat Genet ; 32(3): 397-401, 2002 Nov.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-12379855

RESUMEN

Bitter taste generally causes aversion, which protects humans from ingesting toxic substances. But bitter flavors also contribute to the palatability of food and beverages, thereby influencing nutritional habits in humans. Although many studies have examined bitter taste, the underlying receptor mechanisms remain poorly understood. Anatomical, functional and genetic data from rodents suggest the existence of a family of receptors that are responsive to bitter compounds. Here we report that a human member of this family, TAS2R16, is present in taste receptor cells on the tongue and is activated by bitter beta-glucopyranosides. Responses to these phytonutrients show a similar concentration dependence and desensitization in transfected cells and in experiments assessing taste perception in humans. Bitter compounds consisting of a hydrophobic residue attached to glucose by a beta-glycosidic bond activate TAS2R16. Thus, TAS2R16 links the recognition of a specific chemical structure to the perception of bitter taste. If the ability of TAS2R16 to detect substances with common molecular properties is typical of the bitter receptor family, it may explain how a few receptors permit the perception of numerous bitter substances.


Asunto(s)
Glucósidos/farmacología , Receptores de Superficie Celular/fisiología , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G , Gusto , Alcoholes Bencílicos/farmacología , Membrana Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Cromosomas Humanos Par 12 , Cromosomas Humanos Par 7 , Clonación Molecular , ADN Complementario/metabolismo , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Humanos , Inmunohistoquímica , Hibridación in Situ , Microscopía Confocal , Modelos Químicos , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Filogenia , Receptores de Superficie Celular/química , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa de Transcriptasa Inversa , Espectrometría de Fluorescencia , Factores de Tiempo , Distribución Tisular , Transfección
14.
Chem Senses ; 37(5): 479-93, 2012 Jun.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22302156

RESUMEN

The capacity of the mammalian olfactory system to detect an enormous collection of different chemical compounds is based on a large repertoire of odorant receptors (ORs). A small group of these ORs, the OR37 family, is unique due to a variety of special features. Members of this subfamily are exclusively found in mammals, they share a high degree of sequence homology and are highly conserved during evolution. It is still elusive which odorants may activate these atypical receptors. We have reasoned that compounds from skin, hairs, or skin glands might be potential candidates. We have exposed mice to such compounds and monitored activation of glomeruli through the expression of the activity marker c-fos in juxtaglomerular cells surrounding ventrally positioned glomeruli in the olfactory bulb (OB). Employing this methodology it was found that stimulation with long-chain alkanes elicits activation in the ventral part of the OB, however, none of the OR37 glomeruli. Analyses of long-chain hydrocarbon compounds with different functional groups revealed that long-chain aliphatic aldehydes elicited an activation of defined OR37 glomeruli, each of them responding preferentially to an aldehyde with different chain lengths. These results indicate that OR37 receptors may be tuned to distinct fatty aldehydes with a significant degree of ligand specificity.


Asunto(s)
Aldehídos/farmacología , Ácidos Grasos/farmacología , Bulbo Olfatorio/efectos de los fármacos , Receptores Odorantes/agonistas , Olfato/efectos de los fármacos , Animales , Biomarcadores/metabolismo , Regulación de la Expresión Génica , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Ratones , Ratones Transgénicos , Odorantes , Bulbo Olfatorio/citología , Bulbo Olfatorio/metabolismo , Isoformas de Proteínas/agonistas , Isoformas de Proteínas/genética , Isoformas de Proteínas/metabolismo , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-fos/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-fos/metabolismo , Receptores Odorantes/genética , Receptores Odorantes/metabolismo , Olfato/fisiología
15.
Nature ; 441(7091): 354-7, 2006 May 18.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16633339

RESUMEN

'Water-tastes' are gustatory after-impressions elicited by water following the removal of a chemical solution from the mouth, akin to colour after-images appearing on 'white' paper after fixation on coloured images. Unlike colour after-images, gustatory after-effects are poorly understood. One theory posits that 'water-tastes' are adaptation phenomena, in which adaptation to one taste solution causes the water presented subsequently to act as a taste stimulus. An alternative hypothesis is that removal of the stimulus upon rinsing generates a receptor-based, positive, off-response in taste-receptor cells, ultimately inducing a gustatory perception. Here we show that a sweet 'water-taste' is elicited when sweet-taste inhibitors are rinsed away. Responses of cultured cells expressing the human sweetener receptor directly parallel the psychophysical responses-water rinses remove the inhibitor from the heteromeric sweetener receptor TAS1R2-TAS1R3, which activates cells and results in the perception of strong sweetness from pure water. This 'rebound' activity occurs when equilibrium forces on the two-state allosteric sweet receptors result in their coordinated shift to the activated state upon being released from inhibition by rinsing.


Asunto(s)
Receptores de Glutamato Metabotrópico/metabolismo , Gusto/efectos de los fármacos , Gusto/fisiología , Agua/farmacología , Adaptación Fisiológica/efectos de los fármacos , Adaptación Fisiológica/fisiología , Regulación Alostérica/efectos de los fármacos , Humanos , Modelos Biológicos , Receptores de Glutamato Metabotrópico/antagonistas & inhibidores , Sacarina/farmacología , Agua/metabolismo
16.
Nature ; 440(7086): 930-4, 2006 Apr 13.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16612383

RESUMEN

It was reported over 65 years ago that chimpanzees, like humans, vary in taste sensitivity to the bitter compound phenylthiocarbamide (PTC). This was suggested to be the result of a shared balanced polymorphism, defining the first, and now classic, example of the effects of balancing selection in great apes. In humans, variable PTC sensitivity is largely controlled by the segregation of two common alleles at the TAS2R38 locus, which encode receptor variants with different ligand affinities. Here we show that PTC taste sensitivity in chimpanzees is also controlled by two common alleles of TAS2R38; however, neither of these alleles is shared with humans. Instead, a mutation of the initiation codon results in the use of an alternative downstream start codon and production of a truncated receptor variant that fails to respond to PTC in vitro. Association testing of PTC sensitivity in a cohort of captive chimpanzees confirmed that chimpanzee TAS2R38 genotype accurately predicts taster status in vivo. Therefore, although Fisher et al.'s observations were accurate, their explanation was wrong. Humans and chimpanzees share variable taste sensitivity to bitter compounds mediated by PTC receptor variants, but the molecular basis of this variation has arisen twice, independently, in the two species.


Asunto(s)
Evolución Biológica , Pan troglodytes/genética , Pan troglodytes/fisiología , Feniltiourea/farmacología , Gusto/fisiología , Alelos , Animales , Secuencia de Bases , Genotipo , Gorilla gorilla/genética , Gorilla gorilla/fisiología , Humanos , Fenotipo , Receptores de Superficie Celular/genética , Receptores de Superficie Celular/metabolismo , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G , Gusto/efectos de los fármacos
17.
Cells ; 11(21)2022 10 29.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36359817

RESUMEN

Recent advances have placed the pro-inflammatory activity of amyloid ß (Aß) on microglia cells as the focus of research on Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Researchers are confronted with an astonishing spectrum of over 100 different Aß variants with variable length and chemical modifications. With the exception of Aß1-42 and Aß1-40, the biological significance of most peptides for AD is as yet insufficiently understood. We therefore aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the contributions of these neglected Aß variants to microglia activation. First, the impact of Aß receptors, signaling cascades, scavenger mechanisms, and genetic variations on the physiological responses towards various Aß species is described. Furthermore, we discuss the importance of different types of amyloid precursor protein processing for the generation of these Aß variants in microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and neurons, and highlight how alterations in secondary structures and oligomerization affect Aß neurotoxicity. In sum, the data indicate that gene polymorphisms in Aß-driven signaling pathways in combination with the production and activity of different Aß variants might be crucial factors for the initiation and progression of different forms of AD. A deeper assessment of their interplay with glial cells may pave the way towards novel therapeutic strategies for individualized medicine.


Asunto(s)
Enfermedad de Alzheimer , Péptidos beta-Amiloides , Humanos , Péptidos beta-Amiloides/metabolismo , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/genética , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/metabolismo , Precursor de Proteína beta-Amiloide/metabolismo , Microglía/metabolismo , Isoformas de Proteínas/genética , Isoformas de Proteínas/metabolismo
19.
Chem Senses ; 35(5): 395-406, 2010 Jun.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20212011

RESUMEN

A family of 25 G protein-coupled receptors, TAS2Rs, mediates bitter taste in humans. Many of the members of this family are coexpressed in a subpopulation of taste receptor cells on the tongue, thereby allowing the possibility of receptor-receptor interactions with potential influences on their function. In this study, we used several experimental approaches to investigate whether TAS2Rs can form oligomers and if this has an effect on receptor function. Coimmunoprecipitations clearly demonstrated that TAS2Rs can physically interact in HEK293T cells. Further bioluminescence resonance energy transfer analysis of all 325 possible binary combinations of TAS2Rs established that the vast majority of TAS2R pairs form oligomers, both homomers and heteromers. Subsequent screenings of coexpressed bitter receptors with 104 different tastants did not reveal any heteromer-specific agonists. Additional studies also showed no obvious influence of TAS2R hetero-oligomerization on plasma membrane localization or pharmacological properties of the receptors. Thus, our results show that receptor oligomerization occurs between TAS2R bitter taste receptors; however, functional consequences of hetero-oligomerization were not obvious.


Asunto(s)
Evolución Molecular , Variación Genética , Polimorfismo de Nucleótido Simple/genética , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/clasificación , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/genética , Papilas Gustativas/fisiología , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Clonación Molecular , Secuencia Conservada , Etnicidad , Preferencias Alimentarias , Genoma Humano , Humanos , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/fisiología , Alineación de Secuencia , Análisis de Secuencia de ADN , Umbral Gustativo/clasificación , Lengua/fisiología
20.
Chem Senses ; 35(2): 157-70, 2010 Feb.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20022913

RESUMEN

Humans perceive thousands of compounds as bitter. In sharp contrast, only approximately 25 taste 2 receptors (TAS2R) bitter taste receptors have been identified, raising the question as to how the vast array of bitter compounds can be detected by such a limited number of sensors. To address this issue, we have challenged 25 human taste 2 receptors (hTAS2Rs) with 104 natural or synthetic bitter chemicals in a heterologous expression system. Thirteen cognate bitter compounds for 5 orphan receptors and 64 new compounds for previously identified receptors were discovered. Whereas some receptors recognized only few agonists, others displayed moderate or extreme tuning broadness. Thus, 3 hTAS2Rs together were able to detect approximately 50% of the substances used. Conversely, though 63 bitter substances activated only 1-3 receptors, 19 compounds stimulated up to 15 hTAS2Rs. Our data suggest that the detection of the numerous bitter chemicals is related to the molecular receptive ranges of hTAS2Rs.


Asunto(s)
Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/metabolismo , Gusto/fisiología , Compuestos de Anilina/farmacología , Señalización del Calcio/efectos de los fármacos , Línea Celular , Colorantes Fluorescentes/farmacología , Humanos , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/agonistas , Gusto/efectos de los fármacos , Umbral Gustativo , Xantenos/farmacología
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