Role of Taste Receptors in Innate Immunity and Oral Health.

ABSTRACT: Taste receptors are receptor proteins that detect ligands belonging to the 5 taste modalities: sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and umami. Taste receptors are not restricted to taste cells in taste buds; rather, they are distributed throughout the entire body. For example, solitary chemosensory cells (SCCs) and tuft cells express taste signal proteins and are present in several mucosae. In the airways, SCCs sense bacteria, allergens, viruses, and noxious stimuli and drive evasive behavior, neuroinflammation, and antibacterial responses. In the gut, tuft cells detect helminth infection and bacterial dysbiosis and initiate type II immune responses characterized by tissue remodeling. In the gingiva, SCCs detect oral pathogenic bacteria, evoke innate immune responses and release antimicrobial compo

SUBMITTER: Xi R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9218499 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature