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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Gut Endocrinology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1436580
This article is part of the Research Topic Insights in Gut Endocrinology View all 3 articles

Profiling Bitter Taste Receptors (TAS2R) along the Gastrointestinal Tract and their Influence on Enterohormone Secretion. Gender-and Age-Related Effects in the Colon

Provisionally accepted
Montserrat P. Armengol Montserrat P. Armengol 1,2*Florijan Jalševac Florijan Jalševac 1Maria Descamps-Solà Maria Descamps-Solà 1Carme Grau-Bové Carme Grau-Bové 1Helena Segú Helena Segú 1Teresa Auguet Teresa Auguet 2Francesc Xavier Avilés-Jurado Francesc Xavier Avilés-Jurado 2,3Francesc Balaguer Francesc Balaguer 3Rosa Jorba Rosa Jorba 2Raúl Beltrán-Debón Raúl Beltrán-Debón 1,2Maria Teresa Blay Maria Teresa Blay 1,2Ximena Terra Barbadora Ximena Terra Barbadora 1,2Anna Ardévol Anna Ardévol 1
  • 1 University of Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
  • 2 Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV), Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain
  • 3 Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Extraoral bitter taste receptors offer intriguing potential for modulating metabolism and the gut-brain axis through dietary interventions. Our understanding of these receptors is limited, and data on their effects on ageing are scarce. The complexity conveyed by their high diversity, low expression levels and species-dependent variability challenges our comprehension. We used real-time PCR to examine the relative abundance of multiple TAS2R across different segments of gastrointestinal mucosa in four human cohorts and related them to enteroendocrine secretions at the colon site. TAS2R14 exhibited the highest expression levels in all analysed tissues. In contrast, TAS2R39, -38 and -42 consistently exhibited lower expression levels. Ageing was found to upregulate TAS2R4, -5, -13, -20 and GLP-1 mRNA in the descending colon. Stimulating TAS2R14 in Hutu-80 cells induced GLP-1 secretion, while stimulating TAS2R5 modulated GLP-1 and PYY secretion. Given the modifications TAS2R agonists may undergo along the GIT, as well as the distinctive expression patterns and possible functional roles of TAS2R receptors along the intestinal tract, our findings suggest the viability of a targeted strategy aimed at enhancing specific functions to improve health outcomes. This study offers valuable insights into the intricate interplay between bitter taste receptors, gut physiology and potential dietary interventions.

    Keywords: Bitter taste receptors (TAS2R), Human gastrointestinal tract, Enterohormones, Ageing, Colon

    Received: 22 May 2024; Accepted: 25 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Armengol, Jalševac, Descamps-Solà, Grau-Bové, Segú, Auguet, Avilés-Jurado, Balaguer, Jorba, Beltrán-Debón, Blay, Terra Barbadora and Ardévol. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Montserrat P. Armengol, University of Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.