Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Nat Neurosci. 2011 Jun;14(6):685-7. doi: 10.1038/nn.2820. Epub 2011 May 15.
Functional diversification of taste cells is crucial for proper discrimination of taste qualities. We found the homeodomain protein Skn-1a (Pou2f3) to be expressed in sweet, umami and bitter taste cells. Skn-1a-deficient mice lacked electrophysiological and behavioral responses to sweet, umami and bitter tastes, as a result of a complete absence of sweet, umami and bitter cells and the concomitant expansion of sour cells. Skn-1a is critical for generating and balancing the diverse composition of taste cells.
味觉细胞的功能多样化对于正确辨别味觉至关重要。我们发现同源域蛋白 Skn-1a（Pou2f3）在甜味、鲜味和苦味细胞中表达。Skn-1a 缺陷小鼠对甜味、鲜味和苦味缺乏电生理和行为反应，这是由于甜味、鲜味和苦味细胞完全缺失以及酸味细胞的相应扩张所致。Skn-1a 对于产生和平衡不同类型的味觉细胞组成至关重要。
