title: Bitter taste receptor research comes of age: from characterization to modulation of TAS2Rs.
abstract: The recognition of potentially harmful food components by the gustatory system is important for survival and well-being of vertebrates. The plethora of structurally diverse bitter substances present in nature is recognized by multiple bitter taste receptors belonging to the taste receptor 2 family (TAS2R) of heptahelical receptors resulting in a highly complex mechanism of bitterness perception. In particular, research on human bitter taste receptors allowed the characterization of the receptive range of most of the 25 TAS2Rs, which was a prerequisite for detailed experiments to elucidate the structure-function relationships of TAS2Rs and for the discovery of the first reasonably specific TAS2R antagonists. These new findings will be the focus of the present review.
authors.affiliation: German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Dept. Molecular Genetics, Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-116, 14558 Nuthetal, Germany.
authors.forename: Maik
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Behrens
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Meyerhof
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D011485:Protein Binding; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013649:Taste
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled