LongevityMap Gene

Gene details

HGNC symbol
TAS2R38 
Aliases
PTC; T2R38; T2R61 
Common name
taste 2 receptor member 38 
Description
This gene encodes a seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor that controls the ability to taste glucosinolates, a family of bitter-tasting compounds found in plants of the Brassica sp. Synthetic compounds phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) have been identified as ligands for this receptor and have been used to test the genetic diversity of this gene. Although several allelic forms of this gene have been identified worldwide, there are two predominant common forms (taster and non-taster) found outside of Africa. These alleles differ at three nucleotide positions resulting in amino acid changes in the protein (A49P, A262V, and V296I) with the amino acid combination PAV identifying the taster variant (and AVI identifying the non-taster variant). [provided by RefSeq, Oct 2009]
Cytogenetic Location
7q34
UCSC Genome Browser
View 7q34 on the UCSC genome browser
OMIM
607751
Ensembl
ENSG00000257138
UniProt/Swiss-Prot
T2R38_HUMAN
Entrez Gene
5726
UniGene
647085
1000 Genomes
1000 Genomes

Homologs in model organisms

Mus musculus
Tas2r138
Rattus norvegicus
Tas2r138

Studies (1)

Significant/Non-significant: 0/1

Longevity Association
Non-significant
Population
Italian (Southern)
Study Design
Using a tagging approach, the possible associations between longevity and the common genetic variation at the three bitter taste receptor gene clusters on chromosomes 5, 7 and 12 in a population of 941 unrelated individuals (20-106 years old) was investigated. The study included 348 very elderly cases (>=85 years, mean age 93.82 years, median age 92) and 593 non-elderly controls (<85 years, mean age 59.17 years, median age 67 years).
Conclusions
None of the tested single nucleotide polymorphisms, excepting rs978739, showed a significant association with the longevity phenotype
Indentifier
rs10246939
Reference