Taste is a chemical sense, but we know far less about the cellular mechanisms of taste reception than about smell. There have been remarkable recent discoveries about olfactory receptor molecules in the nose, but no comparable breakthrough in taste. This project is a Small Grant for Exploratory Research to try to establish whether molecular correlates for gustatory receptor molecules in taste buds in the human tongue can be identified. Molecular biological techniques will be used on isolated taste buds to determine if certain DNA is found only in taste receptor cells, implying a specific role for certain genes in expressing proteins involved in taste. This is a high-impact/high-risk project because the outcome is not at all clear, but the potential impact of success is wide-ranging. Results will be fundamental to a substantial advance in understanding cellular mechanisms of taste, and could have an immediate impact on applications in the food industry.
