Mucous membrane tastes bitter germs

The human mucous membrane can detect germs in the bitter taste

09/10/2012

US researchers have found in the course of a study that the body recognizes pathogenic germs in the taste. The findings should serve to design a relatively simple taste test. The test could indicate if specific sensor genes are functioning well or if intensive therapy is needed.

More susceptible to colds and colds
Some people are more prone to colds than others. A taste test will now help to identify the pathogens faster. In the course of research, scientists have found that the human organism is capable of detecting pathogens in the airways via sensor genes. „These taste bitter“, said study leader Robert Lee of the University of Pennsylvania. Bacteria that have penetrated the nose or throat release identifiable substances that are detected by the sensors.

Airborne pollutants, foreign bodies, viruses and bacteria are constantly entering the body through the air. „In the majority of cases, the body's own defense is sufficient to eliminate the pests“, Lee explains. As soon as the body releases the „taste“ of the germ, the immune defense of the mucous membranes begins to work by increasing mucus production and activating antibacterial defense. After this process, the fine hairs of the respiratory tract remove the veiled bacteria.

People often suffer from respiratory infections, it could be because, „that this mechanism does not work properly and that the immune system is weakened“. The antibacterial mucus is produced little or not at all in those affected. Researchers believe that those affected have a gene variant responsible for making them more susceptible to colds than others, as described in the journal "Journal of Clinical Investigation" (doi: 10.1172 / JCI64240).

Specific signals to sensor genes
So far, it has not been known which specific signals trigger mucus production and antibodies. Previous studies had already determined that a sensor named „T2R38 receptor“ responsible for the bitter taste. This one is coming „especially common in the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract“. So far, it has not been proven to which exact substances the receptor reacts and whether it plays an essential role in the identification of the pathogens. These findings have now been delivered with the current study.

In a first series of tests, the cultures in the test tube reacted to samples of humanoid mucosa for bitter substances, but also to a nutrient-rich solution in which the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa was previously cultivated. The tissue produced mucus and nitric oxide. „This mixture obtained an antibacterial gas“, the researchers write in the report. In addition, it could be observed that the fine hairs moved faster on the tissue sample. Such a reaction did not occur if the sensors in the sample were restricted due to genetic dispositions.

Impairment of the sensor genes
In the second round, the scientists wanted to find out if people with little or no sensor function in the mucous membranes could defend bad bacteria in the real world. The study involved volunteers whose fauna in the nose and throat had no significant germs, and those that carried pathogens in the airways. „We discovered significant differences“, the researchers write.

Patients who suffered from a chronically altered microbial fauna showed significant impairment of the bitmap sensors. Subjects whose bacterial populations were normal, on the other hand, would have possessed fully functioning sensor genes. „Our work demonstrates the importance of the sensor for the immune reaction of the respiratory tract“, sums up Lee.

The new discovered context can now help to create a taste test so that patients can find out whether or not they have fully functional sensor genes. "The result of the taste test could then show whether this patient is particularly susceptible to bacterial respiratory tract infections and therefore requires a stronger therapy than others," write the scientists. Patients could also be treated more purposefully. (Sb)

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Picture: Gerd Altmann