Investigator Charles Zuker and his team explore How We Taste Sweetness

Good news! That is funny! Zucker is the German word for sugar! Sometimes a name presents a calling (not to be confused with name calling). 😊

"... have unveiled the structure of the human sweet receptor, adding fundamental insights into taste detection and our understanding of the taste system, and paving the way for modern-day confectioners to reduce the amount of sugar in consumer products – all without sacrificing sweetness. ...

In 2001, Zuker’s laboratory discovered the genes that encode the sweet receptor. When we enjoy our favorite candies and desserts, these foods taste sweet solely because they activate this receptor.  ...

to cut back on the amount of sugar and calories in products, food and beverage makers could simply use less sugar and add a modulator to their product ..."

From the highlights and abstract:

"Highlights

• Two GPCR subunits assemble to recognize sweet ligands

• The TAS1R2 subunit binds the ligands and couples to the G protein

• A common binding pocket recognizes sucralose and aspartame

• 3D variability analysis shows coordinated structural changes between the subunits

Summary

In humans, the detection and ultimately the perception of sweetness begin in the oral cavity, where taste receptor cells (TRCs) dedicated to sweet-sensing interact with sugars, artificial sweeteners, and other sweet-tasting chemicals.

Human sweet TRCs express on their cell surface a sweet receptor that initiates the cascade of signaling events responsible for our strong attraction to sweet stimuli. Here, we describe the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the human sweet receptor bound to two of the most widely used artificial sweeteners—sucralose and aspartame.

Our results reveal the structural basis for sweet detection, provide insights into how a single receptor mediates all our responses to such a wide range of sweet-tasting compounds, and open up unique possibilities for designing a generation of taste modulators informed by the structure of the human receptor."

Scientists Unveil the Structure of the Receptor Responsible for How We Taste Sweetness | HHMI

The structure of human sweetness (open access)

Graphical abstract

Figure S2 Cryo-EM data processing workflow, related to STAR Methods

Charles Zuker