# Role of taste signaling in airway epithelial function

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2020 · $54,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 In this project, we aim to study the role of chemosensory detection in inflammatory diseases of the nose
and sinuses. These diseases—in particular rhinitis and rhinosinusitis—are extremely prevalent and
bothersome disorders. Recently, basic science research in rodents has demonstrated a contribution to airway
mucosal immunity from taste signaling pathways in specialized cells known as solitary chemosensory cells
(SCCs). We have recently discovered these cells in human tissues, and our long-term objective is to examine
the role of SCCs in human sinonasal health and disease.
 Our first aim is to use immunolocalization techniques on human tissues to determine where these cells
are located in the sinonasal cavity, and infer their possible roles. We expect to see a moderate abundance of
this cell type, and uneven distribution, based on our prior experiments. Understanding the distribution of SCCs
in the airway will inform future research using tissue biopsies.
 In the second aim, we will examine the distribution of taste receptors based on anatomic location and
disease state. There are 25 human bitter taste receptors, and we expect to see that some of these are found
more often in the front of the nose, whereas others will be found deeper in the sinuses. Similarly, some may be
more expressed in disease states such as allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis. To test this hypothesis, we
will evaluate the relative expression of these bitter taste receptors in different areas of the airway, and compare
healthy to diseased patient tissues. Then, we will test putative natural ligands for bitter receptors using calcium
imaging in a heterologous expression system. These findings will establish the connection of chemosensory
detection to the human diseases of rhinitis and rhinosinusitis, and open the door for novel therapies to treat
these highly burdensome chronic diseases.
 In the third and final aim, we will evaluate if taste transduction is required to regulate the bacterial
colonization of the mucosal surface. The microbiome varies markedly between people, yet the host factors that
influence bacterial colonization are poorly understood. Prior evidence in rodents and humans has shown that
SCCs and bitter taste mechanisms are able to detect respiratory pathogens and initiate a response to kill and
clear these bacteria. In this aim, we will use modern DNA sequencing techniques to examine the airway
surface bacterial communities from (1) mice that lack the ability to use bitter taste pathways, and (2) humans
that have a genetic bitter receptor defect (T2R38). We will also use novel gene-targeting approaches to
interrogate second messenger pathways and immune processes activated by SCCs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10147214
- **Project number:** 3K23DC014747-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Vijay Ramakrishnan
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $54,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2015-07-01 → 2020-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10147214

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10147214, Role of taste signaling in airway epithelial function (3K23DC014747-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10147214. Licensed CC0.

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