Heat activation of TRPM5 underlies thermal sensitivity of sweet taste

TRPM5, a cation channel of the TRP superfamily, is highly expressed in taste buds of the tongue, where it has a key role in the perception of sweet, umami and bitter tastes. Activation of TRPM5 occurs downstream of the activation of G-protein-coupled taste receptors and is proposed to generate a depolarizing potential in the taste receptor cells. Factors that modulate TRPM5 activity are therefore expected to influence taste. Here we show that TRPM5 is a highly temperature-sensitive, heat-activated channel: inward TRPM5 currents increase steeply at temperatures between 15 and 35 degrees C. TRPM4, a close homologue of TRPM5, shows similar temperature sensitivity. Heat activation is due to a temperature-dependent shift of the activation curve, in analogy to other thermosensitive TRP channels. Moreover, we show that increasing temperature between 15 and 35 degrees C markedly enhances the gustatory nerve response to sweet compounds in wild-type but not in Trpm5 knockout mice. The strong temperature sensitivity of TRPM5 may underlie known effects of temperature on perceived taste in humans, including enhanced sweetness perception at high temperatures and 'thermal taste', the phenomenon whereby heating or cooling of the tongue evoke sensations of taste in the absence of tastants.     

The development of taste transduction and taste chip technology

Taste is one of important sensations. The primary taste sensations commonly are categorized as sweet, acid, bitter, salty and umami, of which various tastes are composed. The sensation of taste is initiated by the interaction of tas- tants with receptors and ion channels in the apical micro- villi of taste receptor cells (TRCs) when some sapid molecules (tastants) dissolve in saliva. Subsequently, through a cellular signaling pathway (TRC depolarization and Ca2+ release) gustatory signals a…     

The menthol receptor TRPM8 is the principal detector of environmental cold

Sensory nerve fibres can detect changes in temperature over a remarkably wide range, a process that has been proposed to involve direct activation of thermosensitive excitatory transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels. One such channel--TRP melastatin 8 (TRPM8) or cold and menthol receptor 1 (CMR1)--is activated by chemical cooling agents (such as menthol) or when ambient temperatures drop below approximately 26 degrees C, suggesting that it mediates the detection of cold thermal stimuli by primary afferent sensory neurons. However, some studies have questioned the contribution of TRPM8 to cold detection or proposed that other excitatory or inhibitory channels are more critical to this sensory modality in vivo. Here we show that cultured sensory neurons and intact sensory nerve fibres from TRPM8-deficient mice exhibit profoundly diminished responses to cold. These animals also show clear behavioural deficits in their ability to discriminate between cold and warm surfaces, or to respond to evaporative cooling. At the same time, TRPM8 mutant mice are not completely insensitive to cold as they avoid contact with surfaces below 10 degrees C, albeit with reduced efficiency. Thus, our findings demonstrate an essential and predominant role for TRPM8 in thermosensation over a wide range of cold temperatures, validating the hypothesis that TRP channels are the principal sensors of thermal stimuli in the peripheral nervous system.     

The detection of carbonation by the Drosophila gustatory system

There are five known taste modalities in humans: sweet, bitter, sour, salty and umami (the taste of monosodium glutamate). Although the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster tastes sugars, salts and noxious chemicals, the nature and number of taste modalities in this organism is not clear. Previous studies have identified one taste cell population marked by the gustatory receptor gene Gr5a that detects sugars, and a second population marked by Gr66a that detects bitter compounds. Here we identify a novel taste modality in this insect: the taste of carbonated water. We use a combination of anatomical, calcium imaging and behavioural approaches to identify a population of taste neurons that detects CO2 and mediates taste acceptance behaviour. The taste of carbonation may allow Drosophila to detect and obtain nutrients from growing microorganisms. Whereas CO2 detection by the olfactory system mediates avoidance, CO2 detection by the gustatory system mediates acceptance behaviour, demonstrating that the context of CO2 determines appropriate behaviour. This work opens up the possibility that the taste of carbonation may also exist in other organisms.     

A family of candidate taste receptors in human and mouse

The gustatory system of mammals can sense four basic taste qualities, bitter, sweet, salty and sour, as well as umami, the taste of glutamate. Previous studies suggested that the detection of bitter and sweet tastants by taste receptor cells in the mouth is likely to involve G-protein-coupled receptors. Although two putative G-protein-coupled bitter/sweet taste receptors have been identified, the chemical diversity of bitter and sweet compounds leads one to expect that there is a larger number of different receptors. Here we report the identification of a family of candidate taste receptors (the TRBs) that are members of the G-protein-coupled receptor superfamily and that are specifically expressed by taste receptor cells. A cluster of genes encoding human TRBs is located adjacent to a Prp gene locus, which in mouse is tightly linked to the SOA genetic locus that is involved in detecting the bitter compound sucrose octaacetate. Another TRB gene is found on a human contig assigned to chromosome 5p15, the location of a genetic locus (PROP) that controls the detection of the bitter compound 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil in humans.     

基于有限元分析的动力锂离子电池生热特性研究

针对电动汽车用动力锂离子电池的热安全性问题,以某11 Ah动力锂离子电池为例,进行有限元建模分析,分别对锂离子电池单体在不同充放电倍率、不同环境温度以及不同散热条件下的发热情况进行了分析.结果表明,锂电池放电倍率越高温升越高且温度分布越不均匀,良好的散热模式有助于电池温升的抑制和提高电池的热稳定性.定量化的计算仿真结果符合实际,研究结果为该类电池的建模与仿真提供了借鉴和参考,对锂电池单体的设计优化及锂电池热管理系统的研发具有指导意义.     

基于电子舌技术的不同品种大米区分识别研究

采用法国Alpha公司生产的Astree电子舌对四种不同品种大米进行区分识别研究,系统研究了大米样品经过不同预处理方法后的区分识别效果、研究味觉传感器优化前后大米样品区分效果、研究应用PCA、DFA两种模式识别方法区分识别效果;结果表明,大米经简单预处理后,电子舌能有效区分、识别出不同品种的大米。在大米品质检测方面,电子舌应用是一个新的检测方法,有着广阔的发展空间。     

混合动力车辆冷却系统优化设计

针对某特种车辆由传统的燃油动力系统改为混合动力系统的设计要求和热源部件的工作温度特点,设计了具有高、低温双循环回路的冷却系统,将高温热源部件和低温热源部件分开 ,增大了高温循环回路中冷却介质的温度,提高了冷却系统的散热效率.采用计算机辅助设计对冷却系统和关键部件的热力学参数进行了优化设计,计算结果与所选风扇的性能试验数据对比表明:冷却系统设计方案满足车辆动力系统改型后的散热要求.     

尼龙66的多重熔融行为

研究了尼龙66的双重熔融峰的转变行为。高温峰(峰1)的熔融温度几乎不变,低温峰(峰2)的熔融温度随着退火时间的延长逐渐升高。全部退火时间内双峰的总面积保持不变,而高温峰、低温峰的相对面积比变小。高温峰被认为来自于熔体的快速冷却(动力学优先),低温峰则来自于缓慢冷却(热力学优先)。低温峰向高温峰的转变是由于不同的结晶尺寸和/或完善程度引起。     

基于ANSYS的镁合金铸轧辊冷却研究

利用ANSYS有限元软件,对铸轧辊建立二维模型来模拟铸轧辊在镁合金铸轧过程中的温度场分布.通过分析不同冷却水温度及冷却水速下铸轧辊温度场的分布情况,得出在镁合金铸轧过程中,提高冷却水速可以降低铸轧辊的温度场,但随着冷却水速的提高,这种能力逐渐减弱;而冷却水温度对铸轧辊温度场影响不大.     

φ660mm粗轧机工作辊断裂失效分析

本文根据弹性理论基本原理,简化计算了辊颈上产生的冷热应力值,从理论上证明了该轧辊破断的主要原因是由于设计不当造成了辊颈局部摩擦温升,又由于采用不适当的冷却方式而造成辊颈表面的切向正应力。摸拟试验证明了上述结论的正确性。     

Possible role for salivary gland protein in taste reception indicated by homology to lipophilic-ligand carrier proteins.

Sensory transduction in taste and olfaction, the principal chemical senses, seems to be mediated by membrane-associated proteins on the apical surfaces of the respective receptor cells. The recent isolation and characterization of soluble 'odorant-binding proteins' secreted from the nasal glands of rat, cow and frog, led to the hypothesis that these proteins function as necessary cofactors in olfactory transduction by concentrating and delivering odorants to the receptors. The primary reception of taste stimuli occurs in specialized neuroepithelial receptor cells bundled in taste buds that are clustered in various types of papillae in the lingual epithelium of the tongue. Small tubulo-alveolar salivary glands, the von Ebner's glands, are located beneath the circumvallate and the foliate papillae. Their ducts open exclusively into the trough at the base of the papillae. Taste buds located in the medial and lateral walls of the papillae open with their taste pores into the trough and consequently are in direct contact with the secretions of von Ebner's glands. Here we report the molecular cloning and characterization of a protein of relative molecular mass 18,000 that is highly expressed in von Ebner's glands. Like the odorant-binding proteins, this protein shows similarity to members of a protein superfamily of hydrophobic molecule transporters, indicating that pre-receptor events could also be necessary for the concentration and delivery of sapid molecules in the gustatory system, and emphasizing the close relationship of taste and olfaction.     

高功率双包层光纤激光器温度分布的数值分析

对高功率光纤激光器热效应问题进行了理论研究,在分析热效应产生原因的基础上,建立了一套双包层光纤激光器稳态温度分布模型,数值模拟了光纤轴向和径向的温度分布,得出了不同的光纤长度、截面半径和制冷条件下光纤端面中心温度随激光输出功率的变化关系.结果表明,单根光纤在输出千瓦级激光情况下对光纤端面附近区域沿轴向制冷将显著降低热效应的影响.     

非直接蒸发冷却系统

提出一种双侧强化非直接蒸发冷却系统，并对其传热降温特性作了实验研究和全面评价，研究表明，该系统在相对湿度比较小的空气环境中降温效果非常明显，可完全起到空气调节的作用。     

注塑模热流道温度场的数值分析

通过对热流道的离散，运用数值分析的方法，与冷却分析的瞬态结果耦合，并松弛迭代求解热流道在成型过程中的温度场，在此基础上可以更为准确、可靠地设计热流道的温度调节系统．     

相变冷却服发展趋势

 冷却服能够为高温作业人员提供降温保护,提高人体微气候区的舒适度。分析了各种类型冷却服（气体冷却服、液体冷却服和相变冷却服）的降温方式、原理、特点及研究进展,着重阐述了相变冷却服的关键技术及发展方向：研究易塑性、耐腐蚀性的封装材料和相应的封装技术,解决液相相变材料存在的变形、泄露及水蚀问题;将纳米技术与相变材料微胶囊结合,研制作用时间长、散热良好的复合相变材料,提高相变材料的导热系数;将相变冷却技术与其他技术相结合,开发作用效果可调控的新型冷却服,同时研制可快速激活相变材料的设备或新型材料,使相变材料能够快速蓄冷。     

Solar-driven high temperature radiant cooling

Solar energy is widely used as one of the most important renewable energy. In addition to the growing applications of solar PV and solar water heater, solar cooling is also considered very valuable and the related researches are developing fast because of the synchronism between solar irradiance and building cooling load. Current studies mainly focus on the high temperature solar collector technique and heat-driven cooling technique, while little concern has been paid to the transport process of cooling power. In this paper, the high temperature radiant cooling is studied as an alternative way for transporting cooling power, and the performance of the combination of radiant ceiling and solar cooling is also studied. From simulation and theoretical analysis results, high temperature radiant cooling terminal shows better cooling power transportation ability against conventional air-conditioning terminal, and its thermal comfort is improved. Experiment results indicate that radiant cooling can enhance the chiller’s COP (Coefficient of Performance) by 17% and cooling power regeneration by 50%. According to analysis in this paper, high temperature radiant cooling is proved to be suitable for solar cooling system, and out work can serve as a reference for later system design and promotion. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50876064)     

贴附射流辐射冷顶板复合空调系统的性能研究

通过实验小室进行对比实验,研究采用贴附射流与辐射冷顶板空调系统复合后对室内热环境的影响,以及该复合系统防止辐射冷顶板结露的效果.结果表明,贴附射流与辐射冷顶板复合空调系统相对单纯的辐射冷顶板空调系统而言,复合空调系统的辐射冷顶板降温速度更快,降温幅度更大,在室内热环境方面,其壁面温度及室内空气温湿度更低.可以认为采用贴附射流与辐射冷顶板空调系统复合运行时,能有效降低辐射冷顶板附近空气的露点温度,防止辐射冷顶板结露,且此时辐射冷顶板空调系统的制冷性能更佳.     

The cells and logic for mammalian sour taste detection

Mammals taste many compounds yet use a sensory palette consisting of only five basic taste modalities: sweet, bitter, sour, salty and umami (the taste of monosodium glutamate). Although this repertoire may seem modest, it provides animals with critical information about the nature and quality of food. Sour taste detection functions as an important sensory input to warn against the ingestion of acidic (for example, spoiled or unripe) food sources. We have used a combination of bioinformatics, genetic and functional studies to identify PKD2L1, a polycystic-kidney-disease-like ion channel, as a candidate mammalian sour taste sensor. In the tongue, PKD2L1 is expressed in a subset of taste receptor cells distinct from those responsible for sweet, bitter and umami taste. To examine the role of PKD2L1-expressing taste cells in vivo, we engineered mice with targeted genetic ablations of selected populations of taste receptor cells. Animals lacking PKD2L1-expressing cells are completely devoid of taste responses to sour stimuli. Notably, responses to all other tastants remained unaffected, proving that the segregation of taste qualities even extends to ionic stimuli. Our results now establish independent cellular substrates for four of the five basic taste modalities, and support a comprehensive labelled-line mode of taste coding at the periphery. Notably, PKD2L1 is also expressed in specific neurons surrounding the central canal of the spinal cord. Here we demonstrate that these PKD2L1-expressing neurons send projections to the central canal, and selectively trigger action potentials in response to decreases in extracellular pH. We propose that these cells correspond to the long-sought components of the cerebrospinal fluid chemosensory system. Taken together, our results suggest a common basis for acid sensing in disparate physiological settings.     

多热源温度触觉复现装置的设计与实现

设计了一种能提供真实感的、基于物理意义的温度触觉复现设备.首先研究了人体与各种不同材质物体之间接触过程的传热过程,据此设计了一个可通过控制珀尔贴表面温度的变化来模拟这一过程的装置.该装置复现部分是由4个15 mm×15 mm的珀尔贴构成的4个独立热源,在温度控制部分增加了反馈和接触检测电路.系统能实现较高的升降温速率,通过对表面温度实时精确控制,可复现各种不同的温度变化曲线.在此基础上提出了一种创新的、基于温度补偿曲线的方法来模拟人手指触摸不同材质时的感觉.多热源复现装置小巧灵活,将来可方便地集成于机器人灵巧手上.最后,通过一系列的温度触觉复现实验,证明了本装置的有效性.