Research from the Monell Chemical Senses Center highlights the role of the TAS1R2-TAS1R3 receptor in regulating glucose metabolism, offering insights into potential treatments for metabolic disorders. The rich research portfolio of the Monell Chemical Senses Center on sweet taste goes way back: Monell scientists were one of four teams in 2001 that found and described the mammalian sweet taste receptor – TAS1R2-TAS1R3. Twenty years later in 2021, a pair of papers published in Mammalian Genome by Monell researchers covered the genetics of sugar-loving mice.
The sweet taste receptor, expressed in taste bud cells, conveys sweetness from the mouth when it is activated. Earlier this month, a study in PLOS One , led by another Monell researcher, delved into how the sweet-taste receptor might be the first stop in a metabolic surveillance system for sugar. The receptor is also expressed in certain intestinal cells, where it may facilitate glucose absorption and assimilation, as part of this system.
The team found that stimulation and inhibition of TAS1R2-TAS1R3 demonstrates that it helps regulate glucose metabolism in humans and may have implications for managing such metabolic disorders as diabetes. Glucose is the primary type of sugar found in human blood, making it a key source of energy for cells. “Our objective was to determine whether TAS1R2-TAS1R3 influences glucose metabolism in two directions,” said Monell Member Paul Breslin, PhD, Professor of Nutritional Sciences, Rut.
