A Novel Family of Mammalian Taste Receptors

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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.

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Combinatorial receptor codes for odors.

Bettina Malnic, Junzo Hirono, Takaaki Sato … (1999)

The discriminatory capacity of the mammalian olfactory system is such that thousands of volatile chemicals are perceived as having distinct odors. Here we used a combination of calcium imaging and single-cell RT-PCR to identify odorant receptors (ORs) for odorants with related structures but varied odors. We found that one OR recognizes multiple odorants and that one odorant is recognized by multiple ORs, but that different odorants are recognized by different combinations of ORs. Thus, the olfactory system uses a combinatorial receptor coding scheme to encode odor identities. Our studies also indicate that slight alterations in an odorant, or a change in its concentration, can change its "code," potentially explaining how such changes can alter perceived odor quality.

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A spatial map of olfactory receptor expression in the Drosophila antenna.

L B Vosshall, H Amrein, P S Morozov … (1999)

Insects provide an attractive system for the study of olfactory sensory perception. We have identified a novel family of seven transmembrane domain proteins, encoded by 100 to 200 genes, that is likely to represent the family of Drosophila odorant receptors. Members of this gene family are expressed in topographically defined subpopulations of olfactory sensory neurons in either the antenna or the maxillary palp. Sensory neurons express different complements of receptor genes, such that individual neurons are functionally distinct. The isolation of candidate odorant receptor genes along with a genetic analysis of olfactory-driven behavior in insects may ultimately afford a system to understand the mechanistic link between odor recognition and behavior.

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Divergent seven transmembrane receptors are candidate chemosensory receptors in C. elegans.

Lisa H. Colbert, J. Chou, Emily Troemel … (1995)

Using their senses of taste and smell, animals recognize a wide variety of chemicals. The nematode C. elegans has only fourteen types of chemosensory neurons, but it responds to dozens of chemicals, because each chemosensory neuron detects several stimuli. Here we describe over 40 highly divergent members of the G protein-coupled receptor family that could contribute to this functional diversity. Most of these candidate receptor genes are in clusters of two to nine similar genes. Eleven of fourteen tested genes appear to be expressed in small subsets of chemosensory neurons. A single type of chemosensory neuron can potentially express at least four different receptor genes. Some of these genes might encode receptors for water-soluble attractants, repellents, and pheromones.