ABSTRACT
The taste receptor cell is an ideal example of biology’s complicated solution to an essentially technological problem. The task of this cell is to serve as a detector; taste receptor cells act to relay the presence of chemicals in the oral cavity to the central nervous system (CNS). To accomplish its mission, the taste receptor cell has evolved a myriad array of signaling mechanisms; seven-transmembrane receptors, G-proteins, second messengers, and ion channels have been choreographed in still illunderstood manners to signal the identity and intensity of gustatory stimuli. At its core, the manner of this orchestration, which on the surface appears to so seamlessly initiate perceptions of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter, is unknown to us. Its scientific study has thus far merely underscored its complexity and those familiar with the techniques outlined in this chapter do not underestimate its difficulty.
