title: Extraoral bitter taste receptors in health and disease.
abstract: Bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs or T2Rs) belong to the superfamily of seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors, which are the targets of >50% of drugs currently on the market. Canonically, T2Rs are located in taste buds of the tongue, where they initiate bitter taste perception. However, accumulating evidence indicates that T2Rs are widely expressed throughout the body and mediate diverse nontasting roles through various specialized mechanisms. It has also become apparent that T2Rs and their polymorphisms are associated with human disorders. In this review, we summarize the physiological and pathophysiological roles that extraoral T2Rs play in processes as diverse as innate immunity and reproduction, and the major challenges in this emerging field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605.
authors.forename: Cheng-Hai
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6759-3782
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Imaging Group, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605.|Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605.
authors.forename: Lawrence M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Lifshitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 Ronghua.zhuge@umassmed.edu.|Biomedical Imaging Group, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605.
authors.forename: Ronghua
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: ZhuGe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D032342:Muscle Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D019899:Paracrine Communication; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D000098706:Taste Receptors, Type 2
chemical_list: D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D000098706:Taste Receptors, Type 2