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Activation of oral trigeminal neurons by fatty acids is dependent upon intracellular calcium

  • Sensory physiology
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Abstract

The chemoreception of dietary fat in the oral cavity has largely been attributed to activation of the somatosensory system that conveys the textural properties of fat. However, the ability of fatty acids, which are believed to represent the proximate stimulus for fat taste, to stimulate rat trigeminal neurons has remained unexplored. Here, we found that several free fatty acids are capable of activating trigeminal neurons with different kinetics. Further, a polyunsaturated fatty acid, linoleic acid (LA), activates trigeminal neurons by increasing intracellular calcium concentration and generating depolarizing receptor potentials. Ion substitution and pharmacological approaches reveal that intracellular calcium store depletion is crucial for LA-induced signaling in a subset of trigeminal neurons. Using pseudorabies virus (PrV) as a live cell tracer, we identified a subset of lingual nerve-innervated trigeminal neurons that respond to different subsets of fatty acids. Quantitative real-time PCR of several transient receptor potential channel markers in individual neurons validated that PrV labeled a subset but not the entire population of lingual-innervated trigeminal neurons. We further confirmed that the LA-induced intracellular calcium rise is exclusively coming from the release of calcium stores from the endoplasmic reticulum in this subset of lingual nerve-innervated trigeminal neurons.

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Acknowledgments

The project described was partially supported by award number R01DK059611 (T.A.G.) from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases or the National Institutes of Health. Additional support was provided by project #630 from the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station and from International Flavors & Fragrances.

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  1. Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322, USA

    Tian Yu, Bhavik P. Shah, Dane R. Hansen, MieJung Park-York & Timothy A. Gilbertson

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  1. Tian Yu
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  2. Bhavik P. Shah
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Correspondence to Timothy A. Gilbertson.

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Yu, T., Shah, B.P., Hansen, D.R. et al. Activation of oral trigeminal neurons by fatty acids is dependent upon intracellular calcium. Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol 464, 227–237 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-012-1116-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-012-1116-9

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