Sugar binding to purified fractions from bovine taste buds and epithelial tissue relationships to bioactivity

Abstract

Binding of various sugars was compared in purified subfractions of taste buds isolated from bovine circumvallate papillae and of non-taste bud-bearing epithelium isolated from tissue surrounding these papillae. Binding of 14C-labeled sugars was greater in purified subfractions obtained from taste bud than from non-taste bud-bearing tissue and was, in general, greater in those taste bud subfractions in which a greater membrane purification was achieved. Binding specificity of the 14C-labeled sugars sucrose, fructose, glucose and of 14C-labeled cyclamate and saccharine was measured by competition of each 14C-labeled sugar or synthetic sweetener with its unlabeled homologous sugar in P 4(B) taste bud subfractions; this binding, as shown for sucrose, was reversible and temperatue dependent. Essentially no competition of the 14C-labeled sugars, sucrose, fructose, glucose or 14C-labeled cyclamate and saccharine by their respective unlabeled homologues occurred in epithelial tissue P 4(B) subfractions; this binding was not reversible. Binding specificity was further observed by the competition of 14C-labeled sucrose, fructose and glucose with each unlabeled sugar for binding sites on P 4(B) taste bud subfractions; unlabeled sucrose was more effective in competing with each 14C-labeled sugar than was unlabeled fructose or glucose. The relatively non-sweet sugar lactose did not compete with 14C-labeled lactose in P 4(B) subfractions from either taste bud or non-taste bud-bearing epithelial tissue. Binding of 14C-labeled sucrose in purified P 4(B) bud subfractions was inhibited by increased concentrations of unlabeled sucrose, phospholipase C, neuraminidase, EDTA, NaCl and urea. Dissociation constants for sugar or synthetic sweetener binding were low (approx. 10 −3 M) but in a rank order (sucrose > fructose > glucose ⪢ saccharine) consistent with preference and electrophysiological responses in cow. The cow is behaviorally indifferent to saccharine and lactose consistent with the data obtained in the present study.