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Molecular human reproduction
Jan, 2013;19 (1): 17-28.

Functional characterization of bitter-taste receptors expressed in mammalian testis.

Jiang Xu, Jie Cao, Naoko Iguchi, Dieter Riethmacher, Liquan Huang
Author Information
  1. Jiang Xu: Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
PMID: 22983952 DOI: 10.1093/molehr/gas040

Abstract

Mammalian spermatogenesis and sperm maturation are susceptible to the effects of internal and external factors. However, how male germ cells interact with and respond to these elements including those potentially toxic substances is poorly understood. Here, we show that many bitter-taste receptors (T2rs), which are believed to function as gatekeepers in the oral cavity to detect and innately prevent the ingestion of poisonous bitter-tasting compounds, are expressed in mouse seminiferous tubules. Our in situ hybridization results indicate that Tas2r transcripts are expressed postmeiotically. Functional analysis showed that mouse spermatids and spermatozoa responded to both naturally occurring and synthetic bitter-tasting compounds by increasing intracellular free calcium concentrations, and individual male germ cells exhibited different ligand-activation profiles, indicating that each cell may express a unique subset of T2r receptors. These calcium responses could be suppressed by a specific bitter-tastant blocker or abolished by the knockout of the gene for the G protein subunit α-gustducin. Taken together, our data strongly suggest that male germ cells, like taste bud cells in the oral cavity and solitary chemosensory cells in the airway, utilize T2r receptors to sense chemicals in the milieu that may affect sperm behavior and fertilization.

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Grants

  1. P30 DC011735/NIDCD NIH HHS
  2. R01DC007487/NIDCD NIH HHS

MeSH Term

Animals
Benzyl Alcohols
Caffeine
Calcium
Gene Expression
Glucosides
Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins
Humans
Male
Meiosis
Mice
Phenylthiourea
Probenecid
Protein Isoforms
Protein Subunits
RNA, Messenger
Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
Seminiferous Tubules
Signal Transduction
Spermatids
Spermatogenesis
Taste
Taste Receptors, Type 2

Chemicals

Benzyl Alcohols
Glucosides
Protein Isoforms
Protein Subunits
RNA, Messenger
Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
Taste Receptors, Type 2
Caffeine
salicin
Phenylthiourea
GNAT3 protein, mouse
Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins
Probenecid
Calcium
Journal Article Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Article has an altmetric score of 32

Word Cloud

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