0000000000713584
AUTHOR
Roberto Barale
Bitter taste genetics and food preference in italian population
Objective: To investigate the possible role of the polymorphic bitter taste gene, TAS2R38, known to be involved in the perception of the bitter synthetic chemical phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), in influencing food preference and body mass index(BMI). Methods: up to now more than 1500 university students (17-25 years old) at Catania, Cosenza, Rome, Palermo, Pisa, Parma, Chieti, Trento University have been enrolled in the study. DNA was extracted from saliva, and genotyped by TaqMan assay for the most frequent polymorphism (PAV/AVI) of TAS2R38 gene. A possible association between genotype and food preference was assessed by administering a detailed questionnaire for food preferences and life styl…
Global diversity in the TAS2R38 bitter taste receptor: revisiting a classic evolutionary PROPosal
AbstractThe ability to taste phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) is a polymorphic trait mediated by the TAS2R38 bitter taste receptor gene. It has long been hypothesized that global genetic diversity at this locus evolved under pervasive pressures from balancing natural selection. However, recent high-resolution population genetic studies of TAS2Rs suggest that demographic events have played a critical role in the evolution of these genes. We here utilized the largest TAS2R38 database yet analyzed, consisting of 5,589 individuals from 105 populations, to examine natural selection, haplotype frequencies and linkage disequilibrium to estimate the effects of both selectio…