Bitter Taste Transduction: Cellular Pathways, Inhibition and Implications for Human Acceptance of Agricultural Food Products
Authors: Naim Michael , Spielman Andrew , Nir Shlomo , Noble Ann 
Published: March 2022

Historically, the aversive response of humans and other mammals to bitter-taste substances has been useful for survival, since many toxic constituents taste bitter. Today, the range of foods available is more diverse. Many bitter foods are not only safe for consumption but contain bitter constituents that provide nutritional benefits. Despite this, these foods are often eliminated from our current diets because of their unacceptable bitterness. Extensive technology has been developed to remove or mask bitterness in foods, but a lack of understanding of the mechanisms of bitterness perception at the taste receptor level has prevented the development of inhibitors or efficient methods for reducing bitterness. In our original application we proposed to: (a) investigate the time course and effect of selected bitter tastants relevant to agricultural products on the formation of intracellular signal molecules (cAMP, IP3, Ca2+) in intact taste cells, in model cells and in membranes derived therefrom; (b) study the effect of specific bitter taste inhibitors on messenger formation and identify G-proteins that may be involved in tastant-induced bitter sensation; (c) investigate interactions and self-aggregation of bitter tastants within membranes; (d) study human sensory responses over time to these bitter-taste stimuli and inhibitors in order to validate the biochemical data. Quench-flow module (QFM) and fast pipetting system (FPS) allowed us to monitor fast release of the aforementioned signal molecules (cGMP, as a putative initial signal was substituted for Ca2+ ions) - using taste membranes and intact taste cells in a time range below 500 ms (real time of taste sensation) - in response to bitter-taste stimulation. Limonin (citrus) and catechin (wine) were found to reduce cellular cAMP and increase IP3 contents. Naringin (citrus) stimulated an IP3 increase whereas the cheese-derived bitter peptide cyclo(leu-Trp) reduced IP3 but significantly increased cAMP levels. Thus, specific transduction pathways were identified, the results support the notion of multiple transduction pathways for bitter taste and cross-talk between a few of those transduction pathways. Furthermore, amphipathic tastants permeate rapidly (within seconds) into liposomes and taste cells suggesting their availability for direct activation of signal transduction components by means of receptor-independent mechanisms within the time course of taste sensation. The activation of pigment movement and transduction pathways in frog melanophores by these tastants supports such mechanisms. Some bitter tastants, due to their amphipathic properties, permeated (or interacted with) into a bitter tastant inhibitor (specific phospholipid mixture) which apparently forms micelles. Thus, a mechanism via which this bitter taste inhibitor acts is proposed. Human sensory evaluation experiments humans performed according to their 6-n-propyl thiouracil (PROP) status (non-tasters, tasters, super-tasters), indicated differential perception of bitterness threshold and intensity of these bitter compounds by different individuals independent of PROP status. This suggests that natural products containing bitter compounds (e.g., naringin and limonin in citrus), are perceived very differently, and are in line with multiple transduction pathways suggested in the biochemical experiments. This project provides the first comprehensive effort to explore the molecular basis of bitter taste at the taste-cell level induced by economically important and agriculturally relevant food products. The findings, proposing a mechanism for bitter-taste inhibition by a bitter taste inhibitor (made up of food components) pave the way for the development of new, and perhaps more potent bitter-taste inhibitors which may eventually become economically relevant.