TAS2R expression profile in brown adipose, white adipose, skeletal muscle, small intestine, liver and common cell lines derived from mice

Abstract

The taste 2 receptors (TAS2Rs) comprise a family of G-protein-coupled receptors, of which 25 subtypes and 35 subtypes have been identified in humans and mice, respectively. TAS2Rs are orally expressed receptors responsible for perceiving bitter compounds and sensing bitter tastes. Over the last decade, investigations have uncovered TAS2R expression in some extraoral tissues and roles for TAS2Rs in the airways and gut, while their expression and function in other extraoral organs have been largely unexplored. In this study, we analyzed the mRNA expression of TAS2Rs in mice total RNA derived from brown adipose, white adipose, skeletal muscle, small intestine and liver, along with two common mouse-derived cell lines (3T3-L1 and C2C12). Nine members of TAS2R were characterized in brown adipose, 11 in white adipose, 8 in skeletal muscle, 10 in small intestine, and 8 in liver tissues. Both cell lines were found to express multiple TAS2Rs reflecting the expression of corresponding tissues. These results suggest that TAS2Rs may have functions in the corresponding organs and that 3T3-L1 and C2C12 may be useful as model cell lines to explore the functions of TAS2Rs.