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Gustatory sensory cells express a receptor responsive to protein breakdown products (GPR92)

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Abstract

The ingestion of dietary protein is of vital importance for the maintenance of fundamental physiological processes. The taste modality umami, with its prototype stimulus, glutamate, is considered to signal the protein content of food. Umami was thought to be mediated by the heterodimeric amino acid receptor, T1R1 + T1R3. Based on knockout studies, additional umami receptors are likely to exist. In addition to amino acids, certain peptides can also elicit and enhance umami taste suggesting that protein breakdown products may contribute to umami taste. The recently deorphanized peptone receptor, GPR92 (also named GPR93; LPAR5), is expressed in gastric enteroendocrine cells where it responds to protein hydrolysates. Therefore, it was of immediate interest to investigate if the receptor GPR92 is expressed in gustatory sensory cells. Using immunohistochemical approaches we found that a large population of cells in murine taste buds was labeled with an GPR92 antibody. A molecular phenotyping of GPR92 cells revealed that the vast majority of GPR92-immunoreactive cells express PLCβ2 and can therefore be classified as type II cells. More detailed analyses have shown that GPR92 is expressed in the majority of T1R1-positive taste cells. These results indicate that umami cells may respond not only to amino acids but also to peptides in protein hydrolysates.

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Abbreviations

DAPI:

4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole

GPCR:

G protein-coupled receptor

GPR92:

G protein-coupled receptor 92 (GPR93; LPAR5)

mGluR4:

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 4

T1R:

Taste receptor type 1

T2R:

Taste receptor type 2

T1R1:

Taste receptor type 1, member 1

T1R3:

Taste receptor type 1, member 3

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Kerstin Bach for excellent technical assistance and Prof. Meyerhof for providing the T1R1-mCherry mice. This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, BR 712/25-1.

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Author notes

  1. Ulrich Boehm

    Present address: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Saarland, School of Medicine, 66421, Homburg, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Physiology, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstraße 30, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany

    Désirée Haid, Patricia Widmayer & Heinz Breer

  2. Department of Molecular Genetics, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE), Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-116, 14558, Nuthetal, Germany

    Anja Voigt

  3. Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Nirupa Chaudhari

  4. Institute for Neural Signal Transduction, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg (ZMNH), Falkenried 94, 20251, Hamburg, Germany

    Anja Voigt & Ulrich Boehm

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  1. Désirée Haid
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  2. Patricia Widmayer
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Correspondence to Désirée Haid.

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Haid, D., Widmayer, P., Voigt, A. et al. Gustatory sensory cells express a receptor responsive to protein breakdown products (GPR92). Histochem Cell Biol 140, 137–145 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-013-1080-2

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