Dataset Information

Genetic sensitivity to the bitter taste of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and its association with physiological mechanisms controlling body mass index (BMI).

ABSTRACT: Taste sensitivity to the bitter compound 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) is considered a marker for individual differences in taste perception that may influence food preferences and eating behavior, and thereby energy metabolism. This review describes genetic factors that may contribute to PROP sensitivity including: (1) the variants of the TAS2R38 bitter receptor with their different affinities for the stimulus; (2) the gene that controls the gustin protein that acts as a salivary trophic factor for fungiform taste papillae; and (3) other specific salivary proteins that could be involved in facilitating the binding of the PROP molecule with its receptor. In addition, we speculate on the influence of taste sensitivity on energy metabolism, possibly via modulation of the endocannabinoid system, and its possible role in regulating body composition homeostasis.

SUBMITTER: Tepper BJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4179166 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Genetic sensitivity to the bitter taste of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and its association with physiological mechanisms controlling body mass index (BMI).

Tepper Beverly J BJ Banni Sebastiano S Melis Melania M Crnjar Roberto R Tomassini Barbarossa Iole I

Nutrients 20140827 9

Taste sensitivity to the bitter compound 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) is considered a marker for individual differences in taste perception that may influence food preferences and eating behavior, and thereby energy metabolism. This review describes genetic factors that may contribute to PROP sensitivity including: (1) the variants of the TAS2R38 bitter receptor with their different affinities for the stimulus; (2) the gene that controls the gustin protein that acts as a salivary trophic factor f ...[more]

PMID: 25166026

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundOverweight and obesity have become public health problems worldwide. An increasing number of research works are focusing on skin physiology and the manifestations of obesity-associated skin diseases, but little is known about the correlations between body mass index (BMI), facial skin physiological parameters, and the facial skin microbiome in healthy women.ObjectiveTo investigate the correlations between BMI, facial skin physiological parameters and facial bacteria and fungi in 198 women aged 18 to 35 years in Shanghai.MethodsAccording to the international BMI standard and Chinese reference standard, subjects were divided into three groups, "lean" B1, "normal" B2 and "overweight" B3, and the physiological parameters of facial skin were measured by non-invasive instrumental methods, and the skin microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA and ITS high-throughput sequencing.ResultsCompared with the skin physiological parameters of the normal group, those of the overweight group exhibited a significant increase in trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), which indicated that the skin barrier was impaired. The skin haemoglobin content was significantly increased, and skin surface pH was significant decreased in those with a high BMI. Furthermore, α-diversity, analysed using the Shannon, Chao, Sobs, and Ace indexes, was increased in the overweight group, suggesting that the diversity and species abundance of facial bacterial and fungal microbiota were also increased. Moreover, the overweight group had higher abundances of Streptococcus, Corynebacterium, Malassezia, and Candida. Notably, skin surface pH was significantly and negatively correlated with the relative abundances of Malassezia, Candida, and Cladosporium. Besides, the abundance of Malassezia was positively associated with the abundances of Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium.ConclusionThese results indicate that BMI is associated with differences in the biophysical properties and microbiome of the facial skin. A high BMI affects the integrity of skin barrier and changes the skin flora diversity and species composition.

Project description:Although human bitter taste perception is hypothesized to be a dietary adaptation, little is known about genetic signatures of selection and patterns of bitter taste perception variability in ethnically diverse populations with different diets, particularly from Africa. To better understand the genetic basis and evolutionary history of bitter taste sensitivity, we sequenced a 2,975 bp region encompassing TAS2R38, a bitter taste receptor gene, in 611 Africans from 57 populations in West Central and East Africa with diverse subsistence patterns, as well as in a comparative sample of 132 non-Africans. We also examined the association between genetic variability at this locus and threshold levels of phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) bitterness in 463 Africans from the above populations to determine how variation influences bitter taste perception. Here, we report striking patterns of variation at TAS2R38, including a significant excess of novel rare nonsynonymous polymorphisms that recently arose only in Africa, high frequencies of haplotypes in Africa associated with intermediate bitter taste sensitivity, a remarkably similar frequency of common haplotypes across genetically and culturally distinct Africans, and an ancient coalescence time of common variation in global populations. Additionally, several of the rare nonsynonymous substitutions significantly modified levels of PTC bitter taste sensitivity in diverse Africans. While ancient balancing selection likely maintained common haplotype variation across global populations, we suggest that recent selection pressures may have also resulted in the unusually high level of rare nonsynonymous variants in Africa, implying a complex model of selection at the TAS2R38 locus in African populations. Furthermore, the distribution of common haplotypes in Africa is not correlated with diet, raising the possibility that common variation may be under selection due to their role in nondietary biological processes. In addition, our data indicate that novel rare mutations contribute to the phenotypic variance of PTC sensitivity, illustrating the influence of rare variation on a common trait, as well as the relatively recent evolution of functionally diverse alleles at this locus.

Dataset Information

Genetic sensitivity to the bitter taste of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and its association with physiological mechanisms controlling body mass index (BMI).

Publications

Genetic sensitivity to the bitter taste of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and its association with physiological mechanisms controlling body mass index (BMI).

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets