sensory perception of sweet taste

Definition

Target type: biologicalprocess

The series of events required to receive a sweet taste stimulus, convert it to a molecular signal, and recognize and characterize the signal. This is a neurological process. [GOC:ai]

Sweet taste perception begins when sweet compounds, such as sugars, bind to taste receptors called T1R2/T1R3 receptors located on the surface of taste receptor cells (TRCs) in taste buds. These receptors are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), and their activation initiates a signaling cascade. Upon binding of a sweet molecule, T1R2/T1R3 receptors activate a G protein called gustducin, which in turn activates phospholipase C beta 2 (PLCβ2). PLCβ2 hydrolyzes phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) into inositol trisphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG). IP3 then binds to IP3 receptors on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), causing the release of calcium ions (Ca2+) from the ER into the cytoplasm. This calcium influx leads to the opening of calcium-activated potassium channels (K+ channels), which allows potassium ions to flow out of the cell. The efflux of potassium ions depolarizes the cell membrane, leading to the generation of an action potential. The action potential travels along the taste receptor cell's axon to the gustatory afferent nerve fibers, which transmit the signal to the brain. The brain then interprets this signal as a sweet taste.'
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Proteins (3)

Compounds (2)