Biomolecular techniques (bitter taste perception of Research Paper - 1

Biomolecular techniques (bitter taste perception of phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) - Research Paper Example The project was done to determine the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of students, and the results that were obtained were matched to those of European and Sub-Saharan cohorts. It was found allele combination of homozygous tasters, heterozygous tasters, and homozygous non-tasters were similar to those of the European cohort. This implied that the experiment was largely successful and accurate for the determination of phenotypes and genotypes of the PTC gene. The results can be used in making informed decisions with regard to dietary intake of foods rich in anti-oxidants, in planning of alternative nutrient rich meals for children that are sensitive tasters and finally it can be used by clinicians in the treatment plan of cancer or cardiovascular complications patients. Every individual is different from another, and this is attributed to their genetic make-up. The sense of taste also varies between different categories of people where, for example, some people can sense the taste of some chemicals while others are not able to. One such chemical is phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) or phenylthiourea an organic compound that tastes very bitter to some people while others are unable to taste it at all. Studies done in the past have indicated that polymorphisms in sensory receptor genes in humans can alter the perception in individuals through the coding for receptor types that are functionally distinct (Bufe et al., 2005). The ability of an individual to taste PTC depends primarily on their genetic makeup and is controlled by the PTC gene known as the TASR238 taste receptor gene, located on the chromosome 7 (7q34) and is about 1003 bp long. There are three coding SNPs that are non-synonymous within the taster TAS2R38 gene which are: rs713598–G145C, Ala49Pro; rs1726866–T785C, Val262Ala; rs10246939 – A886G, Ile296Val, and are responsible several haplotypes (Kim, et al 2005; Bufe , 2005). PTC sensitivity is a Mendelian