Effects of TG on the increases in [Ca²⁺]i in CD36-positive TBC.

The CD36-positive TBC were isolated from CVP of P. obesus as described in Materials and Methods. Ca²⁺ imaging studies were performed on CD36-positive TBC in Ca²⁺-containing (100% Ca²⁺) media. The changes in intracellular Ca²⁺ (F₃₄₀/F₃₈₀) were monitored under the Nikon microscope (TiU) by using S-fluor 40x oil immersion objectives. Colored time-lapse changes show the kinetics of the rise in [Ca²⁺]i, induced by TG at 5 µM, in a CD36-positive taste bud cell freshly isolated from CVP of control (A) and obese (B) animals. (C) represents the single traces of observations and the arrow indicates when the test molecule (TG, 5 µM) was added into the cuvette without interruptions in the recording.