Duffy Valerie B, Hayes John E, Davidson Andrew C, Kidd Judith R, Kidd Kenneth K, Bartoshuk Linda M
Department of Allied Health Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Connecticut, 358 Mansfield Road, Unit 2101, Storrs, CT 06269-2101, USA.
Chemosens Percept. 2010 Dec 1;3(3-4):137-148. doi: 10.1007/s12078-010-9079-8.
Taste and oral sensations vary in humans. Some of this variation has a genetic basis, and two commonly measured phenotypes are the bitterness of propylthiouracil (PROP) and the number of fungiform papillae on the anterior tongue. While the genetic control of fungiform papilla is unclear, PROP bitterness associates with allelic variation in the taste receptor gene, TAS2R38. The two common alleles are AVI and PAV (proline, alanine, valine, and isoleucine); AVI/AVI homozygotes taste PROP as less bitter than heterozygous or homozygous PAV carriers. In this laboratory-based study, we determined whether taste of a bitter probe (quinine) and vegetable intake varied by taste phenotypes and TAS2R38 genotype in healthy adults (mean age=26 years). Vegetable intake was assessed via two validated, complementary methods: food records (Food Pyramid servings standardized to energy intake) and food frequency questionnaire (general intake question and composite vegetable groups). Quinine bitterness varied with phenotypes but not TAS2R38; quinine was more bitter to those who tasted PROP as more bitter or had more papillae. Nontasters by phenotype or genotype reported greater consumption of vegetables, regardless of type (i.e., the effect generalized to all vegetables and was not restricted to those typically thought of as being bitter). Furthermore, nontasters with more papillae reported greater vegetable consumption than nontasters with fewer papillae, suggesting that when bitterness does not predominate, more papillae enhance vegetable liking. These findings suggest that genetic variation in taste, measured by multiple phenotypes or TAS2R38 genotype, can explain differences in overall consumption of vegetables, and this was not restricted to vegetables that are predominantly bitter.
人类的味觉和口腔感觉存在差异。其中一些差异具有遗传基础，两种常见的可测量表型是丙硫氧嘧啶（PROP）的苦味以及舌前部菌状乳头的数量。虽然菌状乳头的遗传控制尚不清楚，但PROP苦味与味觉受体基因TAS2R38的等位基因变异有关。两种常见的等位基因是AVI和PAV（脯氨酸、丙氨酸、缬氨酸和异亮氨酸）；AVI/AVI纯合子品尝PROP时比杂合子或PAV纯合子携带者感觉苦味更轻。在这项基于实验室的研究中，我们确定了健康成年人（平均年龄 = 26岁）中，苦味探针（奎宁）的味觉和蔬菜摄入量是否因味觉表型和TAS2R38基因型而异。蔬菜摄入量通过两种经过验证的互补方法进行评估：食物记录（根据能量摄入量标准化的食物金字塔份数）和食物频率问卷（一般摄入量问题和复合蔬菜组）。奎宁苦味随表型而变化，但与TAS2R38无关；对于那些品尝PROP时感觉苦味更重或菌状乳头更多的人来说，奎宁的苦味更强。无论表型或基因型如何，非味觉者报告的蔬菜摄入量都更高，无论蔬菜类型如何（即这种影响适用于所有蔬菜，并不局限于通常被认为是苦味的蔬菜）。此外，菌状乳头较多的非味觉者报告的蔬菜摄入量比菌状乳头较少的非味觉者更高，这表明当苦味不占主导时，更多的菌状乳头会增加对蔬菜的喜爱。这些发现表明，通过多种表型或TAS2R38基因型测量的味觉遗传变异可以解释蔬菜总体摄入量的差异，而且这种差异并不局限于主要为苦味的蔬菜。
