title: Vertebrate Bitter Taste Receptors: Keys for Survival in Changing Environments.
abstract: Research on bitter taste receptors has made enormous progress during recent years. Although in the early period after the discovery of this highly interesting receptor family special emphasis was placed on the deorphanization of mainly human bitter taste receptors, the research focus has shifted to sophisticated structure-function analyses, the discovery of small-molecule interactors, and the pharmacological profiling of nonhuman bitter taste receptors. These findings allowed novel perspectives on, for example, evolutionary and ecological questions that have arisen and that are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics , German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke , Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-116 , 14558 Nuthetal , Germany.
authors.forename: Maik
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2082-8860
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Behrens
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics , German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke , Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-116 , 14558 Nuthetal , Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Meyerhof
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013649:Taste; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
keywords: G protein-coupled receptors; bitter taste perception