Absinthin, an agonist of the bitter taste receptor hTAS2R46, uncovers an ER-to-mitochondria Ca²⁺-shuttling event.

ABSTRACT: Type 2 taste receptors (TAS2R) are G protein-coupled receptors first described in the gustatory system, but have also been shown to have extraoral localizations, including airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells, in which TAS2R have been reported to induce relaxation. TAS2R46 is an unexplored subtype that responds to its highly specific agonist absinthin. Here, we first demonstrate that, unlike other bitter-taste receptor agonists, absinthin alone (1 μm) in ASM cells does not induce Ca²⁺ signals but reduces histamine-induced cytosolic Ca²⁺ increases. To investigate this mechanism, we introduced into ASM cells aequorin-based Ca²⁺ probes targeted to the cytosol, subplasma membrane domain, or the mitochondrial matrix. We show that absinthin reduces cytosolic histamin

SUBMITTER: Talmon M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6699840 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature