Chemosensory Perception in the Gut

The ability of the gut mucosa to sense the chemical composition of chyme is important for gastrointestinal functions. The demonstration of gustducin and transducin, two alpha-subunits of GTP-binding proteins involved in gustatory signal transduction, in gastrointestinal epithelial cells provides first clues to the molecular basis of enteric chemosensitivity. Nitric oxide may play a role as a secondary messenger.