Taste 2 receptors in GtoPdb v.2023.1

Taste 2 receptors or Bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) are G protein-coupled receptors expressed in oral sensory cells and a variety of non-gustatory tissues. The ~25 human TAS2Rs share low amino acid sequence identities with other GPCR families and are classified as broadly tuned "generalist" receptors with numerous, chemically diverse bitter agonists, as narrowly tuned "specialist" receptors with very few activators, as intermediately tuned receptors with an average number of agonists, or receptors specialized to interact with chemically defined activators [32]. The number of functional bitter taste receptor genes varies among species and orthologues might not be functionally conserved. Due to their expression in various tissues, the signal transduction of TAS2Rs is complex. Some TAS2Rs interact with drugs such as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial compounds. The specialist database BitterDB contains additional information on bitter compounds and receptors [14]

Bitter taste receptors of the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata)

Despite the important role of bitter taste for the rejection of potentially harmful food sources, birds have long been suspected to exhibit inferior bitter tasting abilities. Although more recent reports on the bitter recognition spectra of several bird species have cast doubt about the validity of this assumption, the bitter taste of avian species is still an understudied field. Previously, we reported the bitter activation profiles of three zebra finch receptors Tas2r5, -r6, and –r7, which represent orthologs of a single chicken bitter taste receptor, Tas2r1. In order to get a better understanding of the bitter tasting capabilities of zebra finches, we selected another Tas2r gene of this species that is similar to another chicken Tas2r. Using functional calcium mobilization experiments, we screened zebra finch Tas2r1 with 72 bitter compounds and observed responses for 7 substances. Interestingly, all but one of the newly identified bitter agonists were different from those previously identified for Tas2r5, -r6, and –r7 suggesting that the newly investigated receptor fills important gaps in the zebra finch bitter recognition profile. The most potent bitter agonist found in our study is cucurbitacin I, a highly toxic natural bitter substance. We conclude that zebra finch exhibits an exquisitely developed bitter taste with pronounced cucurbitacin I sensitivity suggesting a prominent ecological role of this compound for zebra finch

The Effect of Co Incorporation on the CO Oxidation Activity of LaFe1−xCoxO3 Perovskites

Perovskite oxides are versatile materials due to their wide variety of compositions of- fering promising catalytic properties, especially in oxidation reactions. In the presented study, LaFe1−xCoxO3 perovskites were synthesized by hydroxycarbonate precursor co-precipitation and thermal decomposition thereof. Precursor and calcined materials were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The calcined catalysts were in addition studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and N2 physisorption. The obtained perovskites were applied as catalysts in transient CO oxidation, and in operando studies of CO oxidation in diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). A pronounced increase in activity was already observed by incorporating 5% cobalt into the structure, which contin- ued, though not linearly, at higher loadings. This could be most likely due to the enhanced redox properties as inferred by H2-temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR). Catalysts with higher Co contents showing higher activities suffered less from surface deactivation related to carbonate poisoning. Despite the similarity in the crystalline structures upon Co incorporation, we observed a different promotion or suppression of various carbonate-related bands, which could indicate different surface properties of the catalysts, subsequently resulting in the observed non-linear CO oxidation activity trend at higher Co contents

Dynamics of Reactive Oxygen Species on Cobalt-Containing Spinel Oxides in Cyclic CO Oxidation

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered to be responsible for the high catalytic activity of transition metal oxides like Co3-xFexO4 in oxidation reactions, but the detailed influences of catalyst composition and morphology on the formation of these reactive oxygen species are not fully understood. In the presented study, Co3O4 spinels of different mesostructures, i.e., particle size, crystallinity, and specific surface area, are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and physisorption. The materials were tested in CO oxidation performed in consecutive runs and compared to a Co3-xFexO4 composition series with a similar mesostructure to study the effects of catalyst morphology and composition on ROS formation. In the first run, the CO conversion was observed to be dominated by the exposed surface area for the pure Co-spinels, while a negative effect of Fe content in the spinels was seen. In the following oxidation run, a U-shaped conversion curve was observed for materials with high surface area, which indicated the in situ formation of ROS on those materials that were responsible for the new activity at low temperature. This activation was not stable at the higher reaction temperature but was confirmed after temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO). However, no activation after the first run was observed for low-surface-area and highly crystalline materials, and the lowest surface-area material was not even activated after TPO. Among the catalyst series studied here, a correlation of small particle size and large surface area with the ability for ROS formation is presented, and the benefit of a nanoscaled catalyst is discussed. Despite the generally negative effect of Fe, the highest relative activation was observed at intermediate Fe contents suggesting that Fe may be involved in ROS formation

Strukturierte Versorgung von Patient*innen mit atraumatischen Bauchschmerzen in der Notaufnahme

Background: Patients with atraumatic abdominal pain are common in the emergency department and have a relatively high hospital mortality, with a very wide spectrum of different causes. Rapid, goal-directed diagnosis is essential in this context. Methods: In a Delphi process with representatives of different disciplines, a diagnostic treatment pathway was designed, which is called the Abdominal Pain Unit (APU). Results: The treatment pathway was designed as an extended event process chain. Crucial decision points were specified using standard operating procedures. Discussion: The APU treatment pathway establishes a consistent treatment structure for patients with atraumatic abdominal pain. It has the potential to improve the quality of care and reduce intrahospital mortality over the long term

Insights into the Binding of Phenyltiocarbamide (PTC) Agonist to Its Target Human TAS2R38 Bitter Receptor

Humans' bitter taste perception is mediated by the hTAS2R subfamily of the G protein-coupled membrane receptors (GPCRs). Structural information on these receptors is currently limited. Here we identify residues involved in the binding of phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and in receptor activation in one of the most widely studied hTAS2Rs (hTAS2R38) by means of structural bioinformatics and molecular docking. The predictions are validated by site-directed mutagenesis experiments that involve specific residues located in the putative binding site and trans-membrane (TM) helices 6 and 7 putatively involved in receptor activation. Based on our measurements, we suggest that (i) residue N103 participates actively in PTC binding, in line with previous computational studies. (ii) W99, M100 and S259 contribute to define the size and shape of the binding cavity. (iii) W99 and M100, along with F255 and V296, play a key role for receptor activation, providing insights on bitter taste receptor activation not emerging from the previously reported computational models

Caffeine induces gastric acid secretion via bitter taste signaling in gastric parietal cells

Caffeine, generally known as a stimulant of gastric acid secretion (GAS), is a bitter-tasting compound that activates several taste type 2 bitter receptors (TAS2Rs). TAS2Rs are expressed in the mouth and in several extraoral sites, e.g., in the gastrointestinal tract, in which their functional role still needs to be clarified. We hypothesized that caffeine evokes effects on GAS by activation of oral and gastric TAS2Rs and demonstrate that caffeine, when administered encapsulated, stimulates GAS, whereas oral administration of a caffeine solution delays GAS in healthy human subjects. Correlation analysis of data obtained from ingestion of the caffeine solution revealed an association between the magnitude of the GAS response and the perceived bitterness, suggesting a functional role of oral TAS2Rs in GAS. Expression of TAS2Rs, including cognate TAS2Rs for caffeine, was shown in human gastric epithelial cells of the corpus/fundus and in HGT-1 cells, a model for the study of GAS. In HGT-1 cells, various bitter compounds as well as caffeine stimulated proton secretion, whereby the caffeine-evoked effect was (i) shown to depend on one of its cognate receptor, TAS2R43, and adenylyl cyclase; and (ii) reduced by homoeriodictyol (HED), a known inhibitor of caffeine’s bitter taste. This inhibitory effect of HED on caffeine-induced GAS was verified in healthy human subjects. These findings (i) demonstrate that bitter taste receptors in the stomach and the oral cavity are involved in the regulation of GAS and (ii) suggest that bitter tastants and bitter-masking compounds could be potentially useful therapeutics to regulate gastric pH

In Vitro and Sensory Evaluation of Capsaicin-Loaded Nanoformulations

Capsaicin has known health beneficial and therapeutic properties. It is also able to enhance the permeability of drugs across epithelial tissues. Unfortunately, due to its pungency the oral administration of capsaicin is limited. To this end, we assessed the effect of nanoencapsulation of capsaicin, under the hypothesis that this would reduce its pungency. Core-shell nanocapsules with an oily core and stabilized with phospholipids were used. This system was used with or without chitosan coating. In this work, we investigated the in vitro release behavior of capsaicin-loaded formulations in different physiological media (including simulated saliva fluid). We also evaluated the influence of encapsulation of capsaicin on the cell viability of buccal cells (TR146). To study the changes in pungency after encapsulation we carried out a sensory analysis with a trained panel of 24 students. The in vitro release study showed that the systems discharged capsaicin slowly in a monotonic manner and that the chitosan coating had an effect on the release profile. The cytotoxic response of TR146 cells to capsaicin at a concentration of 500 μM, which was evident for the free compound, was reduced following its encapsulation. The sensory study revealed that a chitosan coating results in a lower threshold of perception of the formulation. The nanoencapsulation of capsaicin resulted in attenuation of the sensation of pungency significantly. However, the presence of a chitosan shell around the nanoformulations did not mask the pungency, when compared with uncoated systems

The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2023/24: G protein-coupled receptors.

peer reviewedThe Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2023/24 is the sixth in this series of biennial publications. The Concise Guide provides concise overviews, mostly in tabular format, of the key properties of approximately 1800 drug targets, and about 6000 interactions with about 3900 ligands. There is an emphasis on selective pharmacology (where available), plus links to the open access knowledgebase source of drug targets and their ligands (https://www.guidetopharmacology.org), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. Although the Concise Guide constitutes almost 500 pages, the material presented is substantially reduced compared to information and links presented on the website. It provides a permanent, citable, point-in-time record that will survive database updates. The full contents of this section can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/bph.16177. G protein-coupled receptors are one of the six major pharmacological targets into which the Guide is divided, with the others being: ion channels, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors, enzymes and transporters. These are presented with nomenclature guidance and summary information on the best available pharmacological tools, alongside key references and suggestions for further reading. The landscape format of the Concise Guide is designed to facilitate comparison of related targets from material contemporary to mid-2023, and supersedes data presented in the 2021/22, 2019/20, 2017/18, 2015/16 and 2013/14 Concise Guides and previous Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in close conjunction with the Nomenclature and Standards Committee of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (NC-IUPHAR), therefore, providing official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where appropriate

Structure-Function Analyses of Human Bitter Taste Receptors—Where Do We Stand?

The finding that bitter taste receptors are expressed in numerous tissues outside the oral cavity and fulfill important roles in metabolic regulation, innate immunity and respiratory control, have made these receptors important targets for drug discovery. Efficient drug discovery depends heavily on detailed knowledge on structure-function-relationships of the target receptors. Unfortunately, experimental structures of bitter taste receptors are still lacking, and hence, the field relies mostly on structures obtained by molecular modeling combined with functional experiments and point mutageneses. The present article summarizes the current knowledge on the structure–function relationships of human bitter taste receptors. Although these receptors are difficult to express in heterologous systems and their homology with other G protein-coupled receptors is very low, detailed information are available at least for some of these receptors