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Investigators have identified a molecular pathway that aids the renewal of taste buds, and they believe this discovery may have implications for cancer patients who suffer from an altered sense of taste during treatment.
“Taste dysfunction can . . . result from an alteration of the renewal capacities of taste buds and is often associated with psychological distress and malnutrition,” said Dany Gaillard, PhD, of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.
He and his colleagues decided to investigate this dysfunction using mouse models, and the group reported their findings in PLOS Genetics.
The investigators discovered that a protein in the Wnt pathway, ß-catenin, controls the renewal of taste cells by regulating separate stages of taste-cell turnover.
Previous research showed that Wnt/β-catenin signaling is crucial in developing taste buds in embryos and regulating the renewal of epithelial tissue in adults, including skin, hair follicles, the intestine, and the mouth.
“We show that activating this pathway directs the newly born cells to become, primarily, a specific taste- cell type whose role is to support the other taste cells and help them work efficiently,” said Linda Barlow, PhD, also of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
As chemotherapy destroys dividing precursor cells, including those that produce taste cells, the investigators believe that activating Wnt signaling may be a way to renew taste buds after chemotherapy.
New small-molecule drugs that specifically block the Wnt pathway are under development, and Drs Gaillard and Barlow predict these drugs could also cause taste dysfunction.
Dr Barlow said more research is needed to understand how taste is altered at the cellular level, but this research holds promise for developing new ways to improve cancer patients’ quality of life. 
Image by Jonas Töle
Investigators have identified a molecular pathway that aids the renewal of taste buds, and they believe this discovery may have implications for cancer patients who suffer from an altered sense of taste during treatment.
“Taste dysfunction can . . . result from an alteration of the renewal capacities of taste buds and is often associated with psychological distress and malnutrition,” said Dany Gaillard, PhD, of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.
He and his colleagues decided to investigate this dysfunction using mouse models, and the group reported their findings in PLOS Genetics.
The investigators discovered that a protein in the Wnt pathway, ß-catenin, controls the renewal of taste cells by regulating separate stages of taste-cell turnover.
Previous research showed that Wnt/β-catenin signaling is crucial in developing taste buds in embryos and regulating the renewal of epithelial tissue in adults, including skin, hair follicles, the intestine, and the mouth.
“We show that activating this pathway directs the newly born cells to become, primarily, a specific taste- cell type whose role is to support the other taste cells and help them work efficiently,” said Linda Barlow, PhD, also of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
As chemotherapy destroys dividing precursor cells, including those that produce taste cells, the investigators believe that activating Wnt signaling may be a way to renew taste buds after chemotherapy.
New small-molecule drugs that specifically block the Wnt pathway are under development, and Drs Gaillard and Barlow predict these drugs could also cause taste dysfunction.
Dr Barlow said more research is needed to understand how taste is altered at the cellular level, but this research holds promise for developing new ways to improve cancer patients’ quality of life.
Image by Jonas Töle
Investigators have identified a molecular pathway that aids the renewal of taste buds, and they believe this discovery may have implications for cancer patients who suffer from an altered sense of taste during treatment.
“Taste dysfunction can . . . result from an alteration of the renewal capacities of taste buds and is often associated with psychological distress and malnutrition,” said Dany Gaillard, PhD, of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.
He and his colleagues decided to investigate this dysfunction using mouse models, and the group reported their findings in PLOS Genetics.
The investigators discovered that a protein in the Wnt pathway, ß-catenin, controls the renewal of taste cells by regulating separate stages of taste-cell turnover.
Previous research showed that Wnt/β-catenin signaling is crucial in developing taste buds in embryos and regulating the renewal of epithelial tissue in adults, including skin, hair follicles, the intestine, and the mouth.
“We show that activating this pathway directs the newly born cells to become, primarily, a specific taste- cell type whose role is to support the other taste cells and help them work efficiently,” said Linda Barlow, PhD, also of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
As chemotherapy destroys dividing precursor cells, including those that produce taste cells, the investigators believe that activating Wnt signaling may be a way to renew taste buds after chemotherapy.
New small-molecule drugs that specifically block the Wnt pathway are under development, and Drs Gaillard and Barlow predict these drugs could also cause taste dysfunction.
Dr Barlow said more research is needed to understand how taste is altered at the cellular level, but this research holds promise for developing new ways to improve cancer patients’ quality of life.