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Updated: Sep 18, 2025
07:40
Whole-Mount Staining, Visualization, and Analysis of Fungiform, Circumvallate, and Palate Taste Buds
Published on: February 11, 2021
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Structural and functional characterization of human sweet taste receptor
Zongjun Shi1,2, Weixiu Xu1, Lijie Wu1
1iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
Nature
|June 24, 2025
Summary
Researchers mapped the human sweet taste receptor (TAS1R2/TAS1R3) using cryo-EM. Structures reveal how sucralose binds to TAS1R2, explaining sweet taste perception and guiding new sweetener design.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Structural Biology
Background:
- Sweet taste perception is crucial for dietary choices and metabolic health.
- The human sweet taste receptor (TAS1R2/TAS1R3) is a class C GPCR sensing various sweet compounds.
- Understanding its structure is key to elucidating its function and metabolic impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the three-dimensional structures of the human sweet taste receptor.
- To elucidate the binding mechanism of sucralose and sweetener recognition.
- To understand the receptor's activation and signal transduction pathways.
Main Methods:
- Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to obtain high-resolution structures.
- Mutagenesis studies to investigate protein function.
- Molecular dynamics simulations to analyze ligand interactions.
Main Results:
- Presented structures of the full-length human sweet taste receptor in apo and sucralose-bound states.
- Revealed an asymmetric heterodimer architecture with sucralose binding to TAS1R2's Venus flytrap domain.
- Delineated sweetener recognition modes and identified conformational changes upon ligand binding.
Conclusions:
- The study provides the first structural insights into the human sweet taste receptor complex.
- Identified a unique activation mechanism and molecular basis for sweetener binding.
- Offers a foundation for designing novel sweeteners with tailored properties.
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