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Why do taste cells generate action potentials?

Aurelie Vandenbeuch and Sue C Kinnamon*

Author Affiliations

Department of Otolaryngology and Rocky Mountain Taste and Smell Center, 12700 E. 19th Ave, Aurora, CO 80045, USA

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Journal of Biology 2009, 8:42 doi:10.1186/jbiol138

Published: 28 April 2009

Abstract

Taste cells regularly generate action potentials, but their functional significance in taste signaling is unclear. A paper in BMC Neuroscience reveals the identity of the voltage-gated Na+ channels underlying action potentials, providing the foundation for insights into their function.