• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Monday, August 25, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Health

Success tastes so sweet

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
May 7, 2019
in Health
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Neurons that encode sweetness identified in mice

IMAGE

Credit: Ken-ichiro Nakajima / National Institute for Physiological Sciences

Researchers from the National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Japan identify the neurons responsible for relaying sweet taste signals to the gustatory thalamus and cortex in mice.

Okazaki, Japan – While the peripheral taste system has been extensively investigated, relatively little is known about the contribution of CNS gustatory neurons in the sensation of taste. In this new study, researchers have identified neurons in the brainstem that are responsible for encoding sweet tastes.

In mice, the parabrachial nucleus of the pons in the brainstem is a major hub that receives sensory information about hunger, satiety, and taste information and relays it to the cortex via the gustatory thalamus. One clue to the molecular properties of gustatory neurons in the parabrachial nucleus may lie in the neuronal expression of SatB2; the role of neurons in the parabrachial nucleus that possess this transcription factor has so far remained a mystery. Ken-ichiro Nakajima and his research team at the National Institute for Physiological Sciences have found that SatB2-expressing neurons in the parabrachial nucleus of mice encode sweet tastes, and those that projected to the gustatory thalamus induced appetitive lick behaviors in mice. They recently published their findings in Cell Reports.

“We’ve known about the presence of taste-responsive neurons in the parabrachial nucleus for over 40 years,” Nakajima says. “Only recently have we had the appropriate molecular markers and imaging methods to properly characterize these neurons–we used cell ablation, in vivo calcium imaging, and optogenetics to define the role of SatB2-expressing neurons is in the sensation of taste.”

Selective ablation of SatB2-expressing neurons led to the loss of normal sweet taste sensing, which was measured by licking behavior in mice, but had little impact on the sensitivities to umami, bitter, sour, and salty tastes. This indicates that SatB2-expressing neurons have selective roles in sweet taste transduction.

Furthermore, the researchers clarified the functional role of SatB2-expressing neurons. Artificial activation by optogenetics caused dramatic changes in licking behavior; mice intensively licked tasteless water as if it were the sweet-tasting solution. These findings indicated that SatB2-expressing neurons convey sweet taste-specific signals.

“Our findings indicate that different taste qualities are processed by different types of neurons, at least in the brainstem,” says lead author Ou Fu. “The next important step will be to identify a whole set of gustatory neurons, including SatB2 neurons, in the mouse parabrachial nucleus. This will allow us to understand how their assemblage forms complex flavors.”

This new work could be pivotal in characterizing taste processing at molecular and cellular levels.

###

Media Contact
Ken-ichiro Nakajima
[email protected]

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.04.040

Tags: BiologyCell BiologyDiet/Body WeightEating Disorders/ObesityFood/Food ScienceMolecular BiologyneurobiologyOlfactory/Taste
Share13Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Introducing the Second Beijing Consensus on Holistic Integrative Medicine for Managing Helicobacter pylori-Associated Disease-Syndrome

August 25, 2025

Bacterial Strains Infecting Cattle and Humans in the US Show High Genetic Similarity

August 25, 2025

Impact of Disability, Income, and Race on Medical Leave

August 25, 2025

Study Explores How Carotid Endarterectomy Enhances Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity

August 25, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • blank

    Breakthrough in Computer Hardware Advances Solves Complex Optimization Challenges

    143 shares
    Share 57 Tweet 36
  • Molecules in Focus: Capturing the Timeless Dance of Particles

    142 shares
    Share 57 Tweet 36
  • New Drug Formulation Transforms Intravenous Treatments into Rapid Injections

    115 shares
    Share 46 Tweet 29
  • Neuropsychiatric Risks Linked to COVID-19 Revealed

    81 shares
    Share 32 Tweet 20

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Revolutionary Cyclic Thioether Additive Boosts Lithium Metal Batteries to 3,000 Stable Cycles!

Breakthroughs in Screening Techniques and Point-of-Care Diagnostics Transform Colorectal Cancer Detection

Introducing the Second Beijing Consensus on Holistic Integrative Medicine for Managing Helicobacter pylori-Associated Disease-Syndrome

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.