Taste Receptor Type 2 Member 8 (TAS2R8)

Taste receptor type 2 member 8 is a protein that belongs to the family of candidate taste receptors that are members of the G-protein-coupled receptor superfamily. These proteins are specifically expressed in the taste receptor cells of the tongue and palate epithelia. They are organized in the genome in clusters and are genetically linked to loci that influence bitter perception in mice and humans. In functional expression studies, they respond to bitter tastants.

This gene maps to the taste receptor gene cluster on chromosome 12p13.Expressed in subsets of taste receptor cells of the tongue and palate epithelium and exclusively in gustducin- positive cells.Receptor that may play a role in the perception of bitterness and is gustducin-linked. May play a role in sensing the chemical composition of the gastrointestinal content.