Flavour from the molecules to the behaviour

Impact of aldehyde dehydrogenases and aldo-keto reductases on human olfactory peri-receptor events

International audience

Les cinq sens

Les protéines recombinantes : quels intérêts dans l'agroalimentaire

Evolution des systèmes enzymatiques impliqués dans la péri-olfaction

National audience

The NAOMI (Nasal Odorant Metabolites) consortium: an international, multidisciplinary consortium investigating how metabolites resulting from nasal enzymatic odorant metabolism can shape odor perception

International audience; A functional sense of smell is essential for evaluating and enjoying food, receiving information about conspecifics, and detecting threats via airborne chemical cues. Olfactory dysfunction has been associated with an impaired quality of life, reflected by a higher incidence of undesirable mental states such as depression and social insecurity. Addressing and overcoming related olfactory dysfunction issues require a detailed understanding of peripheral and central processes involved in olfaction. Consequently, there is a growing body of research unravelling molecular and cellular interactions that shape olfactory sensation. Recent studies have demonstrated that in the…

In-mouth metabolism and production of flavor sulfur compounds by oral microbiota enzymes

Flavor perception is the main factor in the acceptance of food. Cysteine derivatives are aroma precursors present in a number of plant-based foods (vegetables, fruits, as well as beverages such as wine). They have low odorant properties, but become odorant when metabolized into aroma sulfur compounds in the oral cavity. These sulfur compounds are sometimes associated with food aversion. Therefore, it is desirable to improve our knowledge of the entailed enzymatic mechanisms and design strategies aiming at controlling their release in-mouth. The involved enzymes are presumably carbon-sulfur lyases (C-S lyases) from the oral microbiota, but evidences are scarce. Recently, we showed that saliv…

Molecules of the flavor

TBA

Effect of oenological tannins on wine aroma before and after oxidation: a real-time study by coupling sensory (TDS) and chemical (PTR-ToF-MS) analyses

ADN : le code du vivant [Université pour tous de Bourgogne]

Importance du sulfate vacuolaire pour l’établissement du rendement et de la qualité des graines de pois

Les graines de pois constituent un aliment sain et nourrissant, notamment de par leur forte teneur en protéines (environ 25%). La qualité nutritionnelle de ces protéines est néanmoins limitée par leur faible proportion en acides aminés soufrés (AAS) : cystéine et méthionine. L’objectif était d’étudier la contribution du stock de sulfate contenu dans les vacuoles à l’élaboration du rendement et de la qualité des graines, notamment la synthèse des AAS. Nous avons ciblé l’unique gène SULTR4 de pois qui code un transporteur permettant l’efflux de sulfate de la vacuole vers le cytosol. Après avoir confirmé sa localisation à la membrane vacuolaire, nous avons recherché des mutants de pois pour ce…

ADN : le code du vivant

Development of a new in vitro model of oral mucosa to investigate a new hypothesis on the molecular origin of astringency

Astringency is described as an oral tactile perception occurring during the consumption of tannin-rich foods. This sensation, mediated by the trigeminal nerves, participates negatively to the flavor of foods leading to the rejection of food with high astringency by the consumer. The exact molecular mechanism of its origin and the nature of the sensory receptors activated are still under debate. Up to recently, the main hypotheses involved changes in the lubrication properties of the oral cavity triggering the activation of mechanoreceptors. Recently, we have put a new hypothesis involving the mucin MUC1 forward as an explanation of the origin of astringency. MUC1 is a transmembrane mucin wi…

Novel canine odorant binding proteins

The present invention relates to the use of a sequence chosen among Seq ID No 3, Seq ID No l, Seq ID No 2, Seq ID No 4, Seq ID No 5, Seq ID No 6, Seq ID No 7, Seq ID No 8, and functional variants thereof, as an odorant binding protein (OBP).

The pea sulfate transporter, PsSULTR4, contributes to seed yield and quality

To investigate the role of vacuolar sulfate in seed yield and quality, we have targeted the single pea SULTR4 gene (PsSULTR4), which encodes a transporter homologous to Arabidopsis SULTR4;1 and 4;2 that allow sulfate efflux from the vacuole to the cytosol. By simulating the 3D structure of PsSULTR4, we observed that it is similar to that of SULTR4;1 in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, a phylogenetic analysis revealed a high level of conservation of SULTR4 protein motifs across land species. A fluorescent protein fusion experiment confirmed that PsSULTR4 localizes to the vacuolar membrane.Five sultr4 mutants were identified by TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes), two of which showe…

Biochemistry of smell and taste perception: from the receptors to the peri-receptors events

Les cinq sens

Role of oxidoreductase enzymes in olfactory perireceptor events

Expertise des projets de l'appel national à financement

Comment nos gènes nous permettent-ils de goûter et de sentir ?

Biochemistry of the smell and taste

Expertise des projets du pôle AE2F

Enzymatic systems involved in peri-receptor events of olfaction in mammalian: evolutionary perspectives

International audience; The olfactory epithelium is continuously exposed to exogenous chemicals, including compounds bearing odor activity. Organisms have developed multiple mechanisms for the protection of this epithelium, among which anti-microbial proteins, enzymes fighting the oxidative stress and xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes. Our approach consists in characterizing by immunohistochemistry and mass spectroscopy analysis the proteome of the nasal mucus in different mammals (currently including Harbour porpoise, Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, Oryctolagus cuniculus, Rattus norvegicus). These analyses reveal core some enzyme families in the different species investigated, including glutathi…

Role of human metabolizing enzymes in food perception

Flavor is the main factor determining food acceptability. Flavor corresponds to the combination of the signals from the gustatory system, the olfactory system and the trigeminal system. Interactions between proteins and flavor molecules in oral/nasal cavities are proposed to modulate flavor perception through a series of events knowns as perireceptor events. Among these proteins involved in this modulation are found enzymes mainly known for their role in the detoxification process. These enzymes are able to recognize a large panel of molecules. We proposed to explore the role of these enzymes in food perception. We demonstrated that enzymatic activities present in the oral epithelium and sa…

Metabolism of flavor sulfur precursors by the oral microbiota

Mucin MUC1: a key protein in oral physiology and the molecular mechanisms of sensory perception of astringency