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Zaguri M, Mogilevsky I, Raubenheimer D, Hawlena D. 'Dust you shall eat': The complex nutritional and functional considerations underlying a simple diet. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14414. [PMID: 38622965 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Animals assimilate macronutrients and mineral nutrients in specific quantities and ratios to maximise fitness. To achieve this, animals must ingest different foods that contain the needed nutrients or facilitate the digestion of those nutrients. We explored how these multidimensional considerations affect the desert isopods (Hemilepistus reaumuri) curious food selection, using field and laboratory experiments. Wild isopods consumed three-fold more macronutrient-poor biological soil crust (BSC) than plant litter. Isopods tightly regulated macronutrient and calcium intake, but not phosphorus when eating the two natural foods and when artificial calcium and phosphorus sources substituted the BSC. Despite the equivalent calcium ingestion, isopods performed better when eating BSC compared to artificial foods. Isopods that consumed BSC sterilised by gamma-radiation ate more but grew slower than isopods that ate live BSC, implying that ingested microorganisms facilitate litter digestion. Our work highlights the need to reveal the multifaceted considerations that affect food-selection when exploring trophic-interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moshe Zaguri
- Department of Entomology, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization (Volcani Institute), Ramat Yishay, Israel
- Risk-Management Ecology Lab, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Irit Mogilevsky
- Risk-Management Ecology Lab, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - David Raubenheimer
- Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Dror Hawlena
- Risk-Management Ecology Lab, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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McCaughey SA. Characterization of mouse chorda tympani responses evoked by stimulation of anterior or posterior fungiform taste papillae. Neurosci Res 2018; 141:43-51. [PMID: 29580888 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2018.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Revised: 02/18/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Different gustatory papilla types vary in their locations on the tongue. Distinctions have often made between types, but variation within fungiform papillae has seldom been explored. Here, regional differences in fungiform papillae were investigated by flowing solutions selectively over either an anterior fungiform (AF, tongue tip) or a posterior fungiform (PF, middle third) region as taste-evoked activity was measured in the chorda tympani nerve of C57BL/6J (B6) mice. Significantly larger responses were evoked by NaCl applied to the AF than PF region, and the ENaC blocker amiloride reduced the NaCl response size only for the former. Umami synergy, based on co-presenting MSG and IMP, was larger for the AF than PF region. The regions did not differ in response size to sour chemicals, but responses to l-lysine, l-arginine, sucrose, and tetrasodium pyrophosphate were larger for the AF than PF region. Thus, fungiform papillae on the tongue tip differed from those found further back in their transduction mechanisms for salty and umami compounds. Gustatory sensitivity also showed regional variation, albeit with a complex relationship to palatability and taste quality. Overall, the data support a regional organization for the mouse tongue, with different functional zones for the anterior, middle, and posterior thirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart A McCaughey
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States; Center for Medical Education, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, 47306, United States.
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Abstract
Rodents consume solutions of phosphates and pyrophosphates in preference to water. Recently, we found that the preference for trisodium pyrophosphate (Na3HP2O7) was greater in T1R3 knockout (KO) mice than wild-type (WT) controls, suggesting that T1R3 is a pyrophosphate detector. We now show that this heightened Na3HP2O7 preference of T1R3 KO mice extends to disodium phosphate (Na2HPO4), disodium and tetrasodium pyrophosphate (Na2H2PO4 and Na4H2PO4), a tripolyphosphate (Na5P3O10), a non-sodium phosphate [(NH4)2HPO4], and a non-sodium pyrophosphate (K4P2O7) but not to non-P salts with large anions (sodium gluconate, acetate, or propionate). Licking rates for Na3HP2O7 are higher in T1R2 KO mice than WT controls; Na3HP2O7 preference scores are increased even more in T1R2 KO mice and T1R2+T1R3 double KO mice than in T1R3 KO mice; preference scores for Na3HP2O7 are normal in T1R1 KO mice. These results implicate each subunit of the T1R2+T1R3 dimer in the behavioral response to P-containing taste compounds.
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Baird JP, Tordoff MG, McCaughey SA. Bursting by taste-responsive cells in the rodent brain stem. J Neurophysiol 2015; 113:2434-46. [PMID: 25609109 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00862.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2014] [Accepted: 01/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons that fire in bursts have been well-characterized in vision and other neural systems, but not in taste systems. We therefore examined whether brain stem gustatory neurons fire in bursts during spontaneous activity and, if so, whether such cells differ from nonbursting cells in other characteristics. We looked at neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) of C57BL/6ByJ (B6) and 129P3/J (129) mice, and in the NST and parabrachial nucleus (PBN) of Sprague-Dawley rats. Many NST cells fired frequently with short intervals characteristic of bursting, and such neurons differed from others in their responsiveness to taste compounds. In B6 mice and rats, there was a significant positive correlation between the prevalence of short-interval firing and the net spikes evoked by application of NaCl. In contrast, in 129 mice the prevalence of short intervals was positively correlated with the size of sucrose responses. We also compared breadth-of-tuning measures based on counting either all spikes or only those following short intervals, and we found narrower tuning for the latter in the NST of B6 mice and rats. There was little evidence of spontaneous bursting in the rat PBN, and firing patterns in this nucleus were not related to the size of taste-evoked responses. We suggest that bursting may be a strategy employed by the NST to amplify the postsynaptic impact of particular taste stimuli, depending on an animal's needs. Another function may be to sharpen breadth-of-tuning and thus enhance the contrast between stimuli of different taste qualities.
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Affiliation(s)
- John-Paul Baird
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts
| | | | - Stuart A McCaughey
- Center for Medical Education, IUSM-Muncie at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
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Tordoff MG, Aleman TR, McCaughey SA. Heightened avidity for trisodium pyrophosphate in mice lacking Tas1r3. Chem Senses 2014; 40:53-9. [PMID: 25452580 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bju059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Laboratory rats and mice prefer some concentrations of tri- and tetrasodium pyrophosphate (Na3HP2O7 and Na4P2O7) to water, but how they detect pyrophosphates is unknown. Here, we assessed whether T1R3 is involved. We found that relative to wild-type littermate controls, Tas1r3 knockout mice had stronger preferences for 5.6-56mM Na3HP2O7 in 2-bottle choice tests, and they licked more 17.8-56mM Na3HP2O7 in brief-access tests. We hypothesize that pyrophosphate taste in the intact mouse involves 2 receptors: T1R3 to produce a hedonically negative signal and an unknown G protein-coupled receptor to produce a hedonically positive signal; in Tas1r3 knockout mice, the hedonically negative signal produced by T1R3 is absent, leading to a heightened avidity for pyrophosphate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G Tordoff
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA and
| | - Tiffany R Aleman
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA and
| | - Stuart A McCaughey
- Center for Medical Education, IUSM-Muncie at Ball State University, 221 N. Celia Avenue, MT 201, Muncie, IN 47306, USA
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Ackroff K, Sclafani A. Flavor Preferences Conditioned by Oral Monosodium Glutamate in Mice. Chem Senses 2013; 38:745-58. [DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjt049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Tordoff MG, Ellis HT. Taste dysfunction in BTBR mice due to a mutation of Itpr3, the inositol triphosphate receptor 3 gene. Physiol Genomics 2013; 45:834-55. [PMID: 23859941 DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00092.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The BTBR T+ tf/J (BTBR) mouse strain is indifferent to exemplars of sweet, Polycose, umami, bitter, and calcium tastes, which share in common transduction by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). To investigate the genetic basis for this taste dysfunction, we screened 610 BTBR×NZW/LacJ F2 hybrids, identified a potent QTL on chromosome 17, and isolated this in a congenic strain. Mice carrying the BTBR/BTBR haplotype in the 0.8-Mb (21-gene) congenic region were indifferent to sweet, Polycose, umami, bitter, and calcium tastes. To assess the contribution of a likely causative culprit, Itpr3, the inositol triphosphate receptor 3 gene, we produced and tested Itpr3 knockout mice. These were also indifferent to GPCR-mediated taste compounds. Sequencing the BTBR form of Itpr3 revealed a unique 12 bp deletion in Exon 23 (Chr 17: 27238069; Build 37). We conclude that a spontaneous mutation of Itpr3 in a progenitor of the BTBR strain produced a heretofore unrecognized dysfunction of GPCR-mediated taste transduction.
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Strekalova T, Steinbusch HWM. Measuring behavior in mice with chronic stress depression paradigm. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2010; 34:348-61. [PMID: 20026369 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2009.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2009] [Revised: 11/27/2009] [Accepted: 12/14/2009] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Many studies with chronic stress, a common depression paradigm, lead to inconsistent behavioral results. We are introducing a new model of stress-induced anhedonia, which provides more reproducible induction and behavioral measuring of depressive-like phenotype in mice. First, a 4-week stress procedure induces anhedonia, defined by decreased sucrose preference, in the majority of but not all C57BL/6 mice. The remaining 30-50% non-anhedonic animals are used as an internal control for stress effects that are unrelated to anhedonia. Next, a modified sucrose test enables the detection of inter-individual differences in mice. Moreover, testing under dimmed lighting precludes behavioral artifacts caused by hyperlocomotion, a major confounding factor in stressed mice. Finally, moderation of the stress load increases the reproducibility of anhedonia induction, which otherwise is difficult to provide because of inter-batch variability in laboratory mice. We believe that our new mouse model overcomes some major difficulties in measuring behavior with chronic stress depression models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana Strekalova
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, NL 6229 ER Maastricht, Netherlands.
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Licking for taste solutions by potassium-deprived rats: specificity and mechanisms. Physiol Behav 2007; 93:937-46. [PMID: 18255104 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2007] [Revised: 11/07/2007] [Accepted: 12/19/2007] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
There has been little work on the specificity and mechanisms underlying the appetite of potassium (K(+)) deprived rats, and there are conflicting results. To investigate the contribution of oral factors to changes in intake induced by K(+) deficiency, we conducted two experiments using 20-s "brief access" tests. In Experiment 1, K(+)-deprived rats licked less for water than did replete rats. After adjusting for this difference, K(+)-deprived rats exhibited increased licking for 100 mM CaCl(2), 100 mM MgCl(2), and 100 mM FeCl(2) compared with K(+)-replete rats. In Experiment 2, which used larger rats, the K(+)-deprived and replete groups licked equally for water, 500 mM Na.Gluconate, 350 mM KCl, 500 mM KHCO(3), and 1 mM quinine.HCl, but the K(+)-deprived rats licked more for 500 mM KCl, 500 mM CsCl, and 500 mM NaCl than did the replete rats. Licking was unaffected by addition to NaCl of 200 muM amiloride, an epithelial Na(+) channel (ENaC) blocker, or 100 muM ruthenium red, a vanilloid receptor 1 (VR-1) antagonist, or by addition to KCl of 50 muM 4-aminopyridine, a K(+) channel blocker. These findings suggest that K(+)-deprivation produces a non-specific appetite that is guided by oral factors. We found no evidence that this response was mediated by ENaC, VR-1, or K(+) channels in taste receptor cells.
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