TY  - JOUR
A1  - Liu, Shuya
A1  - Lu, Shun
A1  - Xu, Rui
A1  - Atzberger, Ann
A1  - Günther, Stefan
A1  - Wettschureck, Nina
A1  - Offermanns, Stefan
T1  - Members of bitter taste receptor cluster Tas2r143/Tas2r135/Tas2r126 are expressed in the epithelium of murine airways and other non-gustatory tissues
T2  - Frontiers in physiology
N2  - The mouse bitter taste receptors Tas2r143, Tas2r135, and Tas2r126 are encoded by genes that cluster on chromosome 6 and have been suggested to be expressed under common regulatory elements. Previous studies indicated that the Tas2r143/Tas2r135/Tas2r126 cluster is expressed in the heart, but other organs had not been systematically analyzed. In order to investigate the expression of this bitter taste receptor gene cluster in non-gustatory tissues, we generated a BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome) based transgenic mouse line, expressing CreERT2 under the control of the Tas2r143 promoter. After crossing this line with a mouse line expressing EGFP after Cre-mediated recombination, we were able to validate the Tas2r143-CreERT2 transgenic mouse line and monitor the expression of Tas2r143. EGFP-positive cells, indicating expression of members of the cluster, were found in about 47% of taste buds, and could also be found in several other organs. A population of EGFP-positive cells was identified in thymic epithelial cells, in the lamina propria of the intestine and in vascular smooth muscle cells of cardiac blood vessels. EGFP-positive cells were also identified in the epithelium of organs readily exposed to pathogens including lower airways, the gastrointestinal tract, urethra, vagina, and cervix. With respect to the function of cells expressing this bitter taste receptor cluster, RNA-seq analysis in EGFP-positive cells isolated from the epithelium of trachea and stomach showed expression of genes related to innate immunity. These data further support the concept that bitter taste receptors serve functions outside the gustatory system.
KW  - Tas2r143
KW  - Tas2r135
KW  - Tas2r126
KW  - chemosensory cells
KW  - tuft cells
Y1  - 2017
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/45068
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-450687
SN  - 1664-042X
N1  - Copyright © 2017 Liu, Lu, Xu, Atzberger, Günther, Wettschureck and Offermanns. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
VL  - 8
IS  - Art. 849
SP  - 1
EP  - 17
PB  - Frontiers Research Foundation
CY  - Lausanne
ER  -