Taste Receptor News and Research

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Genes dictate taste: Study finds genetic links to food preferences

Study reveals the significant impact of genetic variations on adult dietary preferences, highlighting the complex interplay between genetics and food choices.

13 Feb 2024

Numbing agent lidocaine may have cancer-fighting properties

Lidocaine-;often used as numbing agent for outpatient medical procedures-;activates certain bitter taste receptors through two unique mechanisms that result in cancer cell death, according to researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

22 Nov 2023

Study reveals contrasting effects of sucralose on insulin and glucose control

Sucralose, a commonly used artificial sweetener, has contrasting effects on insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis. While bolus administration of sucralose enhances insulin secretion and decreases glucose levels, long-term consumption exacerbates insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, particularly in combination with a high-fat diet. The study highlights the involvement of the T1R3-ERK1/2 pathway in sucralose-induced insulin resistance in the liver.

22 Jun 2023

Study may pave way for a more nuanced understanding of taste perception

Humans perceive five basic taste sensations: sweet, umami, bitter, salty, and sour. Specific foods trigger taste recognition of these sensations through the activation of different receptors in our taste buds.

23 Mar 2023

Molecular basis for alkaline taste discovered

The sense of taste is among the first to come into contact with food before we ingest it, but whether animals can taste basic or alkaline food and how they do it remained unclear until now.

20 Mar 2023

Bitter taste receptors are a potential target for treating asthma or COPD

Surprisingly, bitter taste receptors are not only located in the mouth, but also elsewhere in the body, including the airways.

13 Mar 2023

Deep learning reveals genetic determinants of COVID-19-associated mortality

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers applied deep learning methods and identified genetic variants linked to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)-caused mortality.

11 May 2022

Systematic review: The involvement of bitter taste receptors in cancer

Humans have 25 different types of functional bitter taste receptors. These are found on our tongue, where they facilitate the taste perception of bitter tasting compounds. In addition, there are increasing findings that cells of extra-oral organs also have such receptors.

4 Dec 2021

Research uncovers a new human sensory ability to detect sugars in the mouth

Most everyone understands that a major role of our sense of taste is to inform us when sugar is present in foods and beverages by eliciting sweetness on our tongues. A study led by the Monell Chemical Senses Center, published this month in PLOS ONE, identifies a new human sensory ability to detect sugars in the mouth with a molecular calorie detector, of sorts.

20 Oct 2021

Simple at-home taste test could predict duration and severity of SARS-CoV-2 symptoms

A JAMA Network Open research paper published today (26 May 2021) by Doctorpedia contributor Henry P. Barham, M.D correlating an association between the bitter taste receptor phenotype and clinical outcomes among patients with COVID-19 has confirmed that a simple at-home taste test could be a gamechanger in predicting duration and symptom severity of the virus.

29 May 2021

Why do we lose our sense smell/taste with COVID?

The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) enzyme attached to the membranes of cells is the entry point for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). They are abundantly found all over the body and most prominently in the lungs and nose.

28 Apr 2021

Study: Sugar substitute doesn't lead to the development of diabetes in healthy adults

For those trying to live a healthy lifestyle, the choice between sugar and artificial sweeteners such as saccharin can be confusing.

12 Jan 2021

USF researchers discover promising new compound to open constricted airways

Despite the progress made in managing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), poorly controlled symptoms for both respiratory diseases can lead to severe shortness of breath, hospitalizations or even death.

4 Jan 2021

New insights into the relationship between sweet taste of sugar and satiety regulation

To date, very little is known about how sweetness perception contributes to satiety. This study, conducted by an Austrian-German team led by chemists Veronika Somoza and Barbara Lieder, provides new insights into the relationship between the sweet taste of sugar, energy intake and the regulatory process of hunger and satiety.

10 Nov 2020

Research finds drugs for better long-term treatment of poorly controlled asthma

The waning effectiveness of drugs over time continues to be a major challenge in treating diseases, including asthma.

11 Oct 2019

Chemical-sensing cells in the gums protect the mouth from infections

Newly discovered chemical-sensing cells in the gums protect the mouth by standing guard against infections that damage soft tissue and destroy the bone that supports the teeth, report researchers from the Monell Chemical Senses Center in an animal study published this week in Nature Communications.

3 Oct 2019

Scientists identify receptor responsible for bitter taste of Epsom salt

A team of scientists headed by Maik Behrens from the Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has identified the receptor responsible for the bitter taste of various salts. These include medically used Epsom salt.

8 Apr 2019

Researchers discover first sour taste receptor used by flies to choose between foods

Taste is so familiar a sensation that you might think scientists had long ago sorted out how the sense works. Yet such research is far from settled.

6 Feb 2019

A love of coffee and tea is mostly genetic

The morning coffee or tea can perk one up for the day, however, for some of us these beverages are too bitter. Researchers have now found that the bitter taste experienced is all down to genes. The new study titled, “Understanding the role of bitter taste perception in coffee, tea and alcohol consumption through Mendelian randomization,” was published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

25 Nov 2018

New project aims to increase patient willingness to take life-saving oral drugs

A new collaboration grant to scientists from Discovery BioMed, Inc. and the Monell Center will support development of next-generation screening technologies to enable identification of bitter taste blockers.

14 Sep 2018