Abstract
Gustducin is a transducin-like G protein selectively expressed in taste receptor cells. The α subunit of gustducin (α-gustducin) is critical for transduction of responses to bitter or sweet compounds. We identified a G-protein γ subunit (Gγ13) that colocalized with α-gustducin in taste receptor cells. Of 19 α-gustducin/Gγ13-positive taste receptor cells profiled, all expressed the G protein β3 subunit (Gβ3); ~80% also expressed Gβ1. Gustducin heterotrimers (α-gustducin/Gβ1/Gγ13) were activated by taste cell membranes plus bitter denatonium. Antibodies against Gγ13 blocked the denatonium-induced increase of inositol trisphosphate (IP3) in taste tissue. We conclude that gustducin heterotrimers transduce responses to bitter and sweet compounds via α-gustducin's regulation of phosphodiesterase (PDE) and Gβγ's activation of phospholipase C (PLC).
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Acknowledgements
We thank N. Gautam and D. Logothetis for providing the cDNA clones for Gβ and Gγ subunits, W. He for help in isolation of taste cells, A. Kozak for help with in-situ hybridization and T. McClintock, J. Kay, L. Ruiz-Avila, E. Basyuk, L. Briggemann, R. Ramkumar and B. Knox for discussions. R.F.M. is an Associate Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This research was supported by NIH grants DC03155 (R.F.M.), MH57241 (M.M.), DE10754 (A.I.S.) and DC00310 (L.H.) and by grant M93-14 from the BARD foundation (A.I.S.).
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Huang, L., Shanker, Y., Dubauskaite, J. et al. Gγ13 colocalizes with gustducin in taste receptor cells and mediates IP3 responses to bitter denatonium. Nat Neurosci 2, 1055–1062 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/15981
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/15981
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