Taste Receptor Type 2 Member 14 (TAS2R14)

TAS2R14 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, TAS2R14 responds to (-)-α-thujone, the primary neurotoxic agent in absinthe, and picrotoxin, a poison found in fishberries. 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.