Article
Behavioral Sciences
Antonietta Robino, Natalia Rosso, Martina Guerra, Pio Corleone, Biagio Casagranda, Pablo J. Giraudi, Claudio Tiribelli, Catrin Simeth, Fabio Monica, Martina La Bianca, Paolo Gasparini, Nicolo de Manzini, Silvia Palmisano
Summary: The study found that obese patients perceive sweet and bitter tastes more intensely compared to normal-weight subjects, and there is a significant increase in the expression of TAS2R38 gene in the stomach of obese individuals.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jun Young Hwang, Kyung Ho Kim, Sung Eun Seo, Youngju Nam, Sanghee Jwa, Inwoo Yang, Tai Hyun Park, Oh Seok Kwon, Seung Hwan Lee
Summary: A bioelectronic tongue system is developed to characterize the agonism and antagonism of bitter taste receptors through the combination of human bitter taste receptors with nanodiscs and graphene field-effect transistors. The system can sensitively detect bitter agonists and evaluate antagonism-based bitterness masking. This is of great importance in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carme Grau-Bove, Xavier Grau-Bove, Ximena Terra, Santi Garcia-Vallve, Esther Rodriguez-Gallego, Raul Beltran-Debon, M. Teresa Blay, Anna Ardevol, Montserrat Pinent
Summary: Bitter taste receptor hTAS2R5 has a unique functional specificity in humans and its closest functional homolog in mouse is mTas2r144, which is phylogenetically distant from hTAS2R5. There is no consensus about the role of hTAS2R5. Comparison with other species' bitter taste receptors reveals that hTAS2R5 has no ortholog in pig, mouse, or rat genomes.
Article
Ecology
Huaming Zhong, Jie Huang, Shuai Shang, Baodong Yuan
Summary: This study identified a large repertoire of intact Tas1r and Tas2r genes in amphibians, shaped by massive gene duplications and losses. Anurans possess a greater number of intact Tas2r genes compared to caecilians. Additionally, while no correlation was found between feeding preferences and the evolution of Tas1rs in amphibians, the expansion of Tas2rs may help amphibians adapt to both aquatic and terrestrial habitats.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Catherine Anna-Marie Graham, Leta Pilic, Ella Mcgrigor, Megan Brown, Isabelle Jane Easton, Jonathan Nyuma Kean, Verity Sarel, Yasmin Wehliye, Natalie Davis, Nisrin Hares, Deanna Barac, Alexandra King, Yiannis Mavrommatis
Summary: The study examined the relationship between genetics, fat and bitter taste sensitivity, and dietary fat intake in healthy UK adults. Results showed associations between TAS2R38 and CD36 genes with bitter and fat taste sensitivity, as well as a negative correlation between bitter taste sensitivity and saturated fat intake. Participants with specific gene variants had different perceptions of bitterness and fat taste, suggesting further exploration in a larger cohort.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeremie Topin, Cedric Bouysset, Jody Pacalon, Yiseul Kim, Mee-Ra Rhyu, Sebastien Fiorucci, Jerome Golebiowski
Summary: Bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) are a poorly understood subgroup of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), with their experimental structure yet to be determined and key-residues controlling their function mostly unknown. Researchers designed an integrative approach to improve comparative modeling of TAS2Rs.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Tatjana Lang, Antonella Di Pizio, Davide Risso, Dennis Drayna, Maik Behrens
Summary: Humans have about 25 bitter taste receptor genes (TAS2R) to avoid ingestion of harmful substances. Variations in these genes contribute to individual differences in bitter tasting abilities. TAS2R2, initially considered a pseudogene, has been found to be a functional bitter taste receptor in some populations.
MOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Conor J. Bloxham, Katina D. Hulme, Fabrizio Fierro, Christian Fercher, Cassandra L. Pegg, Shannon L. O'Brien, Simon R. Foster, Kirsty R. Short, Sebastian G. B. Furness, Melissa E. Reichelt, Masha Y. Niv, Walter G. Thomas
Summary: Bitter taste receptors (T2Rs) are a type of G protein-coupled receptors that allow humans to detect aversive and toxic substances. This study characterized the functional properties of previously identified T2Rs in human cardiac tissues and their naturally occurring polymorphisms. The results showed differences in signaling among different T2R variants, and revealed a potential association between the T2R50 Tyr203 variant and cardiovascular disease.
BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Masataka Narukawa, Takumi Misaka
Summary: This study identified the mouse bitter taste receptors that respond to resveratrol, a bitter compound. Among these receptors, Tas2r108 and Tas2r137 showed higher expression levels and may play important roles in detecting the bitterness of resveratrol in the oral cavity. Furthermore, these receptors were also detected in other tissues, suggesting their involvement in the physiological action of resveratrol.
BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Pawan Sharma, Kielan D. McAlinden, Saeid Ghavami, Deepak A. Deshpande
Summary: The usage of chloroquine and its derivatives, known for their safety profile, in the treatment of COVID-19 has the potential to open up a new therapeutic approach. However, further clinical studies are needed to validate their efficacy in this regard.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Physiology
Praveen Kumar, Ulrike Redel, Tatjana Lang, Sigrun I. Korsching, Maik Behrens
Summary: Despite previous assumptions about the inferior bitter tasting abilities of birds, recent studies have shown that zebra finches exhibit strong bitter tasting capabilities. By investigating a specific bitter taste receptor in zebra finches, researchers have identified several new bitter agonists, suggesting that the bitter recognition profile of zebra finches is more diverse than previously thought. The most potent bitter agonist found in this study is cucurbitacin I, highlighting the ecological importance of this compound for zebra finches.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Vinithra Ponnusamy, Gowtham Subramanian, Karthi Muthuswamy, Deepankumar Shanmugamprema, Keerthana Vasanthakumar, Vasanth Krishnan, Selvakumar Subramaniam
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between tongue papillae density, taste sensitivity, and BMI in the Indian population. The results showed a negative correlation between papillae density and BMI, with higher BMIs associated with lower papillae density and reduced sensitivity to fat taste. Furthermore, there were regional differences in papillae density on the tongue, with the front-right section having higher density than the front-left section. Overall, this study demonstrates a strong relationship between taste sensitivity, BMI, and tongue papillae density in various regions of the tongue in the Indian population.
FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Takahiro Shimizu, Takuto Fujii, Keisuke Hanita, Ryo Shinozaki, Yusaku Takamura, Yoshiro Suzuki, Teppei Kageyama, Mizuki Kato, Hisao Nishijo, Makoto Tominaga, Hideki Sakai
Summary: Bitterness is a crucial response to toxic foods, mediated by taste receptor 2 in Type II taste cells. However, a novel sensor called PKD2L1 channel has been identified for bitter aftertaste perception in Type III taste cells.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Dorin Dragos, Madalina Petran, Teodora-Cristiana Gradinaru, Marilena Gilca
Summary: This study investigated the potential correlations between the taste of herbal compounds and their anti-inflammatory activity, and found that phytochemical taste may be a better predictor of anti-inflammatory activity than the chemical class.
Article
Ecology
Xiaoyan Dong, Qiufang Liang, Jiaping Li, Ping Feng
Summary: The study showed that different regions of the bitter taste receptor gene T2R1 are under different selective pressures, with extracellular regions and the first and second extracellular loops experiencing positive selection, while transmembrane regions and intracellular regions are under purifying selection, supporting the hypothesis.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Diana Luise, Federico Correa, Paolo Bosi, Paolo Trevisi
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Marika Vitali, Elena Santacroce, Federico Correa, Chiara Salvarani, Francesca Paola Maramotti, Barbara Padalino, Paolo Trevisi
Review
Microbiology
Paolo Trevisi, Diana Luise, Federico Correa, Paolo Bosi
Summary: This article highlights the factors affecting the gut microbial balance in young pigs, such as birth and weaning body weight, genetic background, environmental stressors, antibiotic use, and diet composition. However, there is still a lack of knowledge regarding the impact of certain factors on the gut microbiome of piglets, including weaning age, use of creep feed, colostrum and milk composition, and antibiotic use. Additionally, there is limited understanding of the functional modification of the microbiota essential for manipulating pig physiology.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
A. Checcucci, D. Luise, M. Modesto, F. Correa, P. Bosi, P. Mattarelli, Paolo Trevisi
Summary: The study utilized Biolog(TM) Ecoplates technology to investigate the metabolic potential of aerotolerant microbial community in pig fecal samples. The results indicated that snap freezing fecal samples preserved microbial community's metabolic activity, storage at -80 degrees C did not significantly affect the activity which remained stable for 150 days, and optimal metabolic activity was detected with specific dilutions of the samples.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Luciana Rossi, Lauretta Turin, Giovanni Loris Alborali, Eugenio Demartini, Joel Fernando Soares Filipe, Federica Riva, Pietro Riccaboni, Eugenio Scanziani, Paolo Trevisi, Paola Dall'Ara, Matteo Dell'Anno, Antonella Baldi
Summary: The study aimed to simulate the simultaneous outbreak of post-weaning diarrhea and enterotoxaemia in weaned piglets through E. coli O138 challenge. Experimental infection significantly affected the clinical status of the infected animals, showing higher total scores of certain parameters. The experimental model allowed for the identification of clinical symptoms related to E. coli O138 infection and could help assess the protective effect of antibiotic alternatives.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Marika Vitali, Enrica Santolini, Marco Bovo, Patrizia Tassinari, Daniele Torreggiani, Paolo Trevisi
Summary: The study evaluated the animal welfare of pigs from the same farm raised in buildings with two ventilation systems. Results showed that overall pigs raised in the mechanically ventilated building were in a more positive affective state, but with hot temperatures, the increase in pig soiling behavior indicated heat stress and consequent welfare impairment. The higher frequency of pigs showing dog sitting behavior in the later stages of fattening suggests worsening welfare conditions.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Federico Correa, Diana Luise, Ivonne Archetti, Paolo Bosi, Paolo Trevisi
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the short-term effect of oral administration of nucleotides before and after weaning on growth performance, health, development of the intestinal immunity and microbiome of piglet. Nucleotide supplementation did not influence the growth performance of piglets but may have expressed a positive effect on pig microbiota anticipating its maturation at weaning, with possible immunostimulant activity on the intestinal immune system. Nucleotides are essential for the development of the gastrointestinal tract and immune function, but their intake with milk by piglets could be insufficient.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Laura Amatucci, Diana Luise, Federico Correa, Paolo Bosi, Paolo Trevisi
Summary: Breed and parity of sows can influence the composition of colostrum, with immunoglobulins (Igs) and somatic cells playing a key role in piglet health.
Correction
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
A. Checcucci, D. Luise, M. Modesto, F. Correa, P. Bosi, P. Mattarelli, Paolo Trevisi
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Roberto Gotti, Erika Esposito, Diana Luise, Stefano Tullio, Nicolo Interino, Paolo Trevisi, Jessica Fiori
Summary: In this study, the free amino acid profiles in mature swine milk, colostrum and plasma were analyzed using a targeted metabolomics approach. The optimized methods proved to be suitable for free amino acid profiling in different matrices with high sensitivity and specificity.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Diana Luise, Federico Correa, Claudio Stefanelli, Aude Simongiovanni, Tristan Chalvon-Demersay, Maddalena Zini, Luciano Fusco, Paolo Bosi, Paolo Trevisi
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementing lactating sows with branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and/or L-arginine on physiological and immunological parameters, microbial profile, colostrum and milk composition, and sow and piglet performance. The results showed that supplementation of BCAAs and/or L-arginine increased piglet weight, increased glucose and prolactin levels in sow serum, increased immunoglobulin levels in colostrum and milk, and improved piglet growth. Supplementing with L-arginine also reduced piglet mortality. These findings suggest that supplementing lactating sows with BCAAs and/or L-arginine can improve sow productivity and piglet growth by modulating metabolism, colostrum and milk composition, and intestinal microbiota.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Donatella Scarafile, Diana Luise, Vincenzo Motta, Caterina Spiezio, Monica Modesto, Marzia Mattia Porcu, Yadid Yitzhak, Federico Correa, Camillo Sandri, Paolo Trevisi, Paola Mattarelli
Summary: Intestinal bacteria establish a host-specific relationship with the Red River Hog, resulting in a unique gut microbiota composition. This study analyzed the gut microbiota and Bifidobacterium species distribution in Red River Hogs housed in different zoological gardens to understand the effects of captivity and host genetics. The results showed that the gut microbiota reflects the lifestyle and age, while host genetics determine the Bifidobacterium population.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Francesco Palumbo, Diana Luise, Sara Virdis, Federico Correa, Patrizia Bassi, Paolo Trevisi
Summary: Low space availability, high temperatures, and a barren environment in intensive pig farming may lead to abnormal behaviors and lesions. This study evaluated the impact of housing conditions on the welfare measures and health indicators of growing pigs in an Italian farming system. The findings indicate that light intensity is negatively associated with positive behavior, while the length of the feeder front is positively associated with the proportion of pigs exploring the pen. The tail lesion score index increases with increased frequency of negative behavior, light intensity, and proportion of CO2, while it decreases with the average body weight and space allowance. Moreover, tail undocked pigs show higher tail lesion score index compared to tail docked pigs.
ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Diana Luise, Elisa Spinelli, Federico Correa, Alberto Nicodemo, Paolo Bosi, Paolo Trevisi
Summary: The study evaluated the effect of early administration of probiotics on piglet fecal microbiota and growth performance. The probiotic supplement significantly improved piglet growth performance and affected the microbial composition, promoting colonization of specific bacteria.
ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Diana Luise, Tristan Chalvon-Demersay, William Lambert, Paolo Bosi, Paolo Trevisi
Summary: Reducing dietary crude protein can lower intestinal inflammation and reduce the risk of diarrhea in weaning piglets by decreasing bacterial protein fermentation and the production of potentially toxic metabolites.
ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
(2021)