The human bitter taste receptor, hTAS2R16, discriminates slight differences in the configuration of disaccharides

• Published in: Biochemical and biophysical research communications Vol. 402; no. 4; pp. 595 - 601
• Main Authors: Sakurai, Takanobu, Misaka, Takumi, Ueno, Yohei, Ishiguro, Masaji, Matsuo, Shinji, Ishimaru, Yoshiro, Asakura, Tomiko, Abe, Keiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 26.11.2010
• Subjects: Benzyl Alcohols - chemistry; Binding site; Binding Sites; Bitter; Calcium imaging; Cell Line; Disaccharides - chemistry; Disaccharides - metabolism; Gentiobiose; Glucosides - chemistry; Humans; Molecular Conformation; Mutation; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled - genetics; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled - metabolism; Sweet; Taste; Taste - physiology; Calcium imaging; Bitter; Sweet; Taste; Binding site; Gentiobiose

► The bitterness of gentiobiose is mediated by activation of hTAS2R16. ► Only slight differences in sugar configuration can lead to the activation of different taste receptors, and therefore elicit quite different tastes. ► Mutational analysis of hTAS2R16 also indicated that gentiobiose and β-d-gluc...