Cholinergic chemosensory cells in the respiratory epithelium sense the luminal microenvironment

Recently, we have shown that brush cells of the trachea are cholinergic and affect respiration upon stimulation with cycloheximide, a bitter tasting substance. Here, using mice expressing eGFP under the control of the promoter of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), we show the presence of identical solitary cholinergic villin-positive brush cells also in the mouse auditory tube. They also express the vesicular ACh transporter and proteins of the taste transduction pathway (α-gustducin and PLCβ2). Messenger RNA for bitter taste receptor (Tas2R) 105 and Tas2R108 involved in perception of the bitter substances cycloh…