Genetic Architecture of Sweet Taste

Abstract

Genetic studies help to gain insight into mechanisms of sweet taste, a phenotype with a complex genetic architecture. The genetic approach was instrumental for discovering sweet taste receptors, detecting their functionally important polymorphic sites, and characterizing their ligand specificity. The genetic in vivo approach to analyze receptor-ligand interactions complements the in vitro approach and overcomes some methodological limitations of in vitro studies. Variation of the sweet taste receptor genes contributes to differences in sweet taste perception within and between species. In addition to the sweet taste receptors, a number of other genes influence sweet taste responses. These yet unknown genes are likely to be involved in peripheral or central mechanisms of sweet taste processing or in its interaction with homeostatic systems of ingestive behavior and reward. There is evidence that responses to different sweeteners are affected by different sets of genes. Some data suggest that individual differences in sweet taste perception are associated with obesity and predisposition to alcoholism. Recent advances in development of genomic resources make genetics a powerful approach for understanding mechanisms of sweet taste.