title: A novel family of mammalian taste receptors.
abstract: In mammals, taste perception is a major mode of sensory input. We have identified a novel family of 40-80 human and rodent G protein-coupled receptors expressed in subsets of taste receptor cells of the tongue and palate epithelia. These candidate taste receptors (T2Rs) are organized in the genome in clusters and are genetically linked to loci that influence bitter perception in mice and humans. Notably, a single taste receptor cell expresses a large repertoire of T2Rs, suggesting that each cell may be capable of recognizing multiple tastants. T2Rs are exclusively expressed in taste receptor cells that contain the G protein alpha subunit gustducin, implying that they function as gustducin-linked receptors. In the accompanying paper, we demonstrate that T2Rs couple to gustducin in vitro, and respond to bitter tastants in a functional expression assay.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hoon
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chandrashekar
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Ryba
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Zuker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008322:Mammals; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*; D013650:Taste Buds / Q000502:physiology*; D015293:Transducin / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000098706:Taste Receptors, Type 2
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D000098706:Taste Receptors, Type 2; C075192:gustducin; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D015293:Transducin