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About the Authors:
Cedrick D. Dotson
Affiliation: Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Lan Zhang
Affiliation: Senomyx, Inc., San Diego, California, United States of America
Hong Xu
Affiliation: Senomyx, Inc., San Diego, California, United States of America
Yu-Kyong Shin
Affiliation: National Institute on Aging/NIH, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Stephan Vigues
Affiliation: Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Sandra H. Ott
Affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Amanda E. T. Elson
Affiliation: Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Hyun Jin Choi
Affiliation: Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Hillary Shaw
Affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Josephine M. Egan
Affiliation: National Institute on Aging/NIH, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Braxton D. Mitchell
Affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Xiaodong Li
Affiliation: Senomyx, Inc., San Diego, California, United States of America
Nanette I. Steinle
Affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Steven D. Munger
* E-mail: [email protected]
Affiliation: Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Introduction
Taste strongly influences food preference and intake [1]–[3], and taste receptor variants have been associated with differences in taste perception [4]–[6], alcohol consumption [7]–[9] and tobacco use [10]. TAS1R- and TAS2R-type taste receptors are expressed in both the gustatory [11]–[13] and digestive [12], [14] systems, where they play important roles in taste sensation [11], [13] and post-ingestive nutrient responses [14]–[17], respectively. Bitter-tasting compounds activate TAS2R receptors, while taste stimuli that evoke perceptions of sweet or umami (e.g., the taste of glutamate) are detected by receptors of the TAS1R family [11], [12]. Variation in sensitivity to some bitter-tasting molecules has a strong genetic component in humans [12], [18], [19], and in certain cases has...