CALHM1 was recently demonstrated to be a voltage‐gated ATP‐permeable ion channel and to serve as a bona fide conduit for ATP release from sweet‐, umami‐, and bitter‐sensing type II taste cells. Calhm1 is expressed in taste buds exclusively in type II cells and its product has structural and functional similarities with connexins and pannexins, two families of channel protein candidates for ATP release by type II cells. Calhm1 knockout in mice leads to loss of perception of sweet, umami, and bitter (...) compounds and to impaired gustatory nerve responses to these tastants. These new studies validate the concept of ATP as the primary neurotransmitter from type II cells to gustatory neurons. Furthermore, they identify voltage‐gated ATP release through CALHM1 as an essential molecular mechanism of ATP release in taste buds. We discuss these new findings, as well as unresolved issues in peripheral taste signaling that we hope will stimulate future research. (shrink)

科学技術の発展とともに、バイオエシックスはいつも新しい課題に直面し、挑戦し続けている。このバイオエシックスの軌跡を「環境・自然」、「こどもの医療」、「生死の決断」等、私たちのいのちに関わる重要なテーマ に焦点をあてて検討、考察し、問題解決への提言を行った。.

Ē chartographēsē tou anthrōpinou genetikou ylikou anoixe to dromo gia tē diereunēsē tou phainomenou tēs zōēs. Ē katanoēsē tou tropou leitourgias tōn gonidiōn anamenetai oti tha dōsei apantēseis gia ta aitia ekdēlōsēs sēmantikōn astheneiōn alla kai tha prospherei tropous prolēpsēs ē therapeias tous. Enō etsi einai dynatē ē diagnōsē sēmantikōn astheneiōn, eite progennētika eite meta tē gennēsē tou anthrōpou, sto ameso mellon tha einai dynatē ē epharmogē apotelesmatikōn therapeutikōn agōgōn me tēn anaptyxē tēs gonidiakēs therapeias. Ē epistēmonikē euphoria pou synodeuse (...) tis diavevaiōseis kai tis yposcheseis tōn genetistōn metatrapēke euloga se skeptikismo mprosta stous kindynous pou egkymonei ē kakē chrēsē tōn genetikōn diagnōstikōn methodōn. Etsi, ē allē opsē tēs analysēs tou anthrōpinou gonidiōmatos einai ē dēmiourgia mias "genetikēs tautotētas" kai ē synakolouthē dēmiourgia genetika perithōriopoiēmenōn atomōn. Antistoicha, ē dynatotēta progennētikēs ereunas olo kai perissotero genetikōn "meionektēmatōn" prokalei syneirmous peri "poiotikou elenchou" tēs zōēs. To "phantasma" tēs eugonikēs provallei xana. Ston tomo auto epicheireitai o entopismos tōn krisimōn provlēmatōn pou thetoun oi genetikes exetaseis sto dikaio, ē anadeixē tōn krisimōn isorropiōn kai ē symmetochē se mia syzētēsē pou diexagetai diethnōs me oloena kai megalytero endiapheron. (shrink)