Evolution of complex, discreet nutrient sensing pathways
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Updated: Feb 9, 2026

Stimulation of Cytoplasmic DNA Sensing Pathways In Vitro and In Vivo
Published on: September 18, 2014
Kirnjot Mehat1, Christopher Peter Corpe
1Diet and Cardiovascular Health Group, Nutritional Sciences Division, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
Purpose Of Review:
The current review summarizes and discusses current research on differences elicited between sugars and nonnutritive sweeteners via sugar-sensing pathways.
Recent Findings:
Sugars, sweeteners, and sweetening agents are all perceived as sweet tasting because of their ability to bind to the type 1 taste receptor family of sweet taste receptors in the oral cavity. The ability of a wide variety of chemical ligands to activate the sweet taste receptor highlights the importance of sweet-tasting foods during human evolution. The sweet taste receptor has been located in the gut, and differences between oral and gut sugar-sensing pathways are discussed.
Summary:
Differences in the sweetness transduction cascade, and neuronal signalling may result in incretin hormone release upon activation of the sweet taste receptor from some sweeteners, but not others.
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