Why bitter tastes differ for some people

Scientists from the Monell Center and Givaudan Flavors have identified a protein inside of taste cells that acts to shorten bitter taste signals. They have found that mice lacking the gene for this taste terminator protein are more sensitive to bitter taste and also find it more aversive.  It is hypothesized that they experience the taste for a longer period of time.

In a study, published online in the open access journal PLoS ONE, the researchers used multiple approaches to identify a protein called Serca3 and demonstrate that it plays an important role in turning off the bitter taste signal.

The researchers went on to show that mice bred to lack the Serca3 gene were more sensitive to bitter taste and also found it more unpleasant. This response was primarily related to bitter taste.

The Serca3 protein functions as a calcium pump. It helps to terminate bitter taste signals by removing calcium from the cell, which then causes the cell to stop signaling. The researchers suspect that another member of the Serca family may work in a similar way to terminate taste sensations in sweet and umami cells.