Identification of Human Polymorphisms in the Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) Bitter Taste Receptor Gene and Protein

 

Julie Emerson

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2012, Volume 33

Abstract

This paper introduces a lab project developed for the Summer Teachers’ Workshop in Genomics at Amherst College, and is easily tailored to the weekly format of undergraduate laboratory courses in genetics, genomics, molecular biology, or evolution. The project examines single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with human taste sensitivity to the bitter compound phenylthiocarbamide (PTC). Human cheek cell DNA is amplified and sequenced using PTC-specific primers, and sequence variations in the PTC gene are correlated with taste sensitivity to PTC strips. A ‘dry lab’ version of the activity can also be done using pre-obtained DNA sequences from individuals with known PTC genotypes.

Keywords:  single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), bitter taste receptor, phenylthiocarbamide (PTC)

New Mexico State University (2011)