Mohamed Mustafa

Bitter Taste Perception • Traits 1

Bitter Taste Perception

This report was archived on 2016-07-25. Please note that this report is no longer updated and was developed using scientific criteria that
may have since been revised. The following results are based on Established Research for 1 reported marker.

Introduction
Why do some people seem to enjoy Brussels sprouts, while others can't stand them? The answer may be that genetic variation prevents
some people from tasting bitter flavors found in certain vegetables. About 25% of people are unable to taste a chemical called
propylthiouracil (PROP) similar to the bitter components found in cabbage, raw broccoli, coffee, tonic water, and dark beers. These people
are essentially "taste-blind"—and compared to those who do respond to PROP, taste-blind people find most food and drink to be less bitter,
or not bitter at all. It turns out that sensitivity to this kind of taste is due almost entirely to a single gene that encodes receptors in taste buds
on the tongue. A SNP in this gene is responsible for whether a person is bitter taste-blind.

Understanding Your Results

Sensitivity to bitter tastes is highly heritable. High heritability means that the trait is controlled almost entirely by your genes—environmental
factors play little or no role. Because of this, simply knowing your genotype is almost enough to know your sensitivity to PROP-like bitter
tastes. If you have two copies of the PROP-blind version of TAS2R38, though, there is still a 20% chance that you have a PROP-sensitive
version of a taste gene other than TAS2R38, meaning that you can still taste this kind of bitter flavor.

TAS2R38 (rs713598)
Who Genotype Genetic Result

GG
Can taste certain bitter flavors.
Mohamed Mustafa CG

Has about an 80% chance of not being able

CC
to taste certain bitter flavors.

Learn More About TAS2R38 (rs713598)

The TAS2R38 gene encodes the receptor that detects PROP and related bitter plant compounds. Given the utility of TAS2R38, it is strange
that the fairly common C version of the SNP in this gene prevents the receptor from responding to PROP. If tasting bitter chemicals like
PROP is so important to health and therefore reproductive fitness, why wouldn't everyone have two copies of the taster version?

There are probably two reasons: First, the goiter-causing compound in cabbage isn't so toxic that it can kill us directly (although there may
be unknown, related compounds with more severe effects). The second is that while the taste-blind C version of the gene cannot detect
PROP, it might be able to sense some other class of plant chemicals that researchers have not yet identified. In our evolutionary past, our
ancestors' survival may have depended on the ability to detect this other compound.

© 2016 23andMe, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Mohamed Mustafa

Bitter Taste Perception • Traits 2

You have two copies of most genes: one from your mother and one from your father. The G version of the SNP in TAS2R38 is dominant,
meaning it allows us to taste PROP-like chemicals whether we have two copies or just one.

Those with one C and one G might get twice the bang for their buck, being able to taste another class of chemicals in addition to PROP-like
ones. The ability to taste two types of chemicals that might kill you (or heal you) probably has an advantage over being able to taste just one,
which explains why both versions are fairly common worldwide. This phenomenon is known as heterozygote advantage.

You're not out of luck if you have two copies of the C version of the SNP. While you have an ~80% chance of being taste-blind to PROP, you
will most likely find the fruit of the tropical bignay tree unpleasantly bitter, while PROP tasters find it sweet. Silly bignay eaters.

Citations
Drayna (2005) . “Human taste genetics.” Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet 6:217-35.
Wooding (2006) . “Phenylthiocarbamide: a 75-year adventure in genetics and natural selection.” Genetics 172(4):2015-23.
Henkin and Gillis (1977) . “Divergent taste responsiveness to fruit of the tree Antidesma bunius.” Nature 265(5594):536-7.

The genotyping services of 23andMe are performed in LabCorp's CLIA-certified laboratory. The tests have not been cleared or
approved by the FDA but have been analytically validated according to CLIA standards. The information on this page is intended
for research and educational purposes only, and is not for diagnostic use.

© 2016 23andMe, Inc. All rights reserved.