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| Poster #275 Molecular Mechanisms Shaping Taste Receptor Differentiation in Sweet and Bitter Receptor Lineages |
| Kaitao Zhao1, Thirada Boonrawd2, Yue Yu2, Hojoon Lee2, Kevin Monahan1 1Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, United States 2Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States |
Taste buds detect a wide range of flavors using specialized taste cells. Among these, type II taste cells mediate umami, sweet, and bitter tastes via distinct G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), specifically T1Rs and T2Rs. Key signaling molecules such as Skn-1, TRPM5, and PLCβ2 are essential for detecting sweet, amino acid, and bitter stimuli. However, the molecular mechanisms driving the differentiation of progenitor cells into distinct sweet- and bitter-detecting lineages remain unclear. Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on circumvallate papillae, we identified distinct cell clusters characterized by sweet- and bitter-specific biomarkers. Among several transcription factors identified through motif analysis and cell type-specific gene expression, Fezf1 stood out as exclusively expressed in bitter receptor cell clusters, suggesting its potential role in lineage specification. We hypothesize that Fezf1 plays a crucial role in the differentiation of progenitor cells into bitter taste receptor cells. This preliminary analysis sets the stage for further investigation using complementary approaches to elucidate the molecular pathways governing taste receptor cell differentiation. |