MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 19 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:
Christopher Nosrat, DDS, PhD, professor of Dentistry and director of the Oral Cancer Division in the Center for Cancer Research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), recently published a manuscript in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC), one of the highest impact research publications in the field. The manuscript titled, 'Targeted Taste Cell Specific Over-Expression of BDNF in Adult Taste Buds Elevates pTrkB Levels in Taste Cells, Increases Taste Bud Size and Promotes Gustatory Innervation,' discusses making new models for 'supertasting.' The manuscript, which was featured in the May 11 issue, is the second paper Dr. Nosrat has had published in the JBC.
In 1995, Dr. Nosrat, a dentist by training with doctorate and postdoctorate education in neurosciences, showed that a specific protein, called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), is found in the developing and adult taste buds of rodents and humans. To prove the importance of BDNF in the taste system, he showed that transgenic rodents that lack this protein lose their taste buds as well as the nerves that connect the taste sensors to the brain.
With his laboratory partner and spouse Irina Nosrat, DDS, and Robert Margolskee, MD, PhD, the team embarked on developing a new genetically modified mouse model, in which taste cells strongly overproduced this protein. Dr. Margolskee is co-director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, Pa., -- the largest research institute for studies of taste and smell disorders in the United States.
Based on research findings, they hypothesized that these rodents might represent a model for a phenomenon seen in humans known as supertasting. Human supertasters perceive a much greater intensity from tastants* than the average person. About 25 percent of Americans are supertasters, directly correlating with a larger number of taste sensory cells and detection threshold for different taste substances. There is evidence in scientific literature that due to the intensity of their sensory ability, supertasters need to consume less sugary and fatty substances, helping to protect the cardiovascular system. This novel model is significant because it will allow therapeutic strategies to be developed that will improve nerve recovery after injury, where the taste wiring to the brain is damaged.
'BDNF is an evolutionary important protein, not only for the taste system but also for the development and correct wiring of the nervous system. By generating the supertaster rodent model, we are able to study the supertasting phenomenon in detail.'
As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrated its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com
Sheila Champlin, 901/448-4957, schampli@uthsc.edu.
