Effect of polarization of mouse taste cells

Abstract

The sucrose response in mouse taste cells has been investigated further using intracellular recording and dye marking techniques. Only responses recorded from taste buds with fluorescent cells, as observed in subsequent histological preparations, were used in this study. Taste cells could be classified into two types, H-cells and D-cells, according to their sucrose responses. The response to sucrose in which a depolarization was accompanied by an increase in membrane resistance had a more negative reversal potential than the resting membrane potential (H-cell). The response to sucrose in which a depolarization was not accompanied by a membrane resistance change had a more positive reversal potential than the resting potential (D-cell). It suggests that the H-cell response is due to a decrease of G _K and/or G _Cl , membrane conductances to potassium and chloride, respectively, and the D-cell response is due to an increase in G _Na .