ArticleThe Journal of clinical investigation2014
Bitter and sweet taste receptors regulate human upper respiratory innate immunity.
Article in The Journal of clinical investigation, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02766959 (Bitter Taste and Allele-specific Expression of the Human TAS2R38 Gene), which is not on this map. Cited by 243 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Bitter Taste and Allele-specific Expression of the Human TAS2R38 Gene
Who cites it
243 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 406 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Taste receptors in chronic rhinosinusitus, what is the evidence? A systematic review.International forum of allergy & rhinology · 2022Pooled it
- Trial
- Trial
- Electro-physiological changes in the brain induced by caffeine or glucose nasal spray.Psychopharmacology · 2017Trial
- Cigarette Smoke Exposure Attenuates T2R-Mediated Apoptosis in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.Head & neck · 2026Article
- Clinical Presentation of Chronic Abacterial Prostatitis Shows No Association with TAS2R38 Taster Status.Urologia internationalis · 2026Article
- Gastrointestinal tuft cells: Recent insights and next questions.Science immunology · 2026Review
- The structure and function of taste G protein-coupled receptors and their implications in diseases.International journal of oral science · 2026Review
- Severe Hypoxia Reduces Adenylyl Cyclase 6 Expression and Function in Bronchial Epithelial Cells.FASEB bioAdvances · 2026Article
- Tuft cells shape airway remodeling by eliciting OXGR1- and SOX9-dependent stem cell programs.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Sweet and umami TAS1R receptors: from molecular recognition to physiological function.Chemical senses · 2026Review
- Innate immune functions of bitter taste receptors across physiological systems.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Review
- Chronic Rhinosinusitis at the Interface of Type 2 Inflammation, Epithelial Barrier Dysfunction, and Microbiome Dysbiosis.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- Association of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Sweet Taste Perception and Intake Genes with Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia and Its Clinical Phenotypes.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Tuft cell-mediated pathogen sensing and inflammation resolution.Biochemical Society transactions · 2025Review
- Next Decade Research in Asthma: Broad Omics-Based Exploration Versus Targeted Airway Epithelium Studies.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Inhaling Eugenol Inhibits NAFLD by Activating the Hepatic Ectopic Olfactory Receptor Olfr544 and Modulating the Gut Microbiota.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Article
- Saccharin from sweetener to immune orchestrator: Saccharin-induced neutrophil chemotaxis and transmigration via taste receptor signaling.Immunologic research · 2025Article
- Article
183 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Bitter taste receptors (T2Rs) in the human airway detect harmful compounds, including secreted bacterial products. Here, using human primary sinonasal air-liquid interface cultures and tissue explants, we determined that activation of a subset of airway T2Rs expressed in nasal solitary chemosensory cells activates a calcium wave that propagates through gap junctions to the surrounding respiratory epithelial cells. The T2R-dependent calcium wave stimulated robust secretion of antimicrobial peptides into the mucus that was capable of killing a variety of respiratory pathogens. Furthermore, sweet taste receptor (T1R2/3) activation suppressed T2R-mediated antimicrobial peptide secretion, suggesting that T1R2/3-mediated inhibition of T2Rs prevents full antimicrobial peptide release during times of relative health. In contrast, during acute bacterial infection, T1R2/3 is likely deactivated in response to bacterial consumption of airway surface liquid glucose, alleviating T2R inhibition and resulting in antimicrobial peptide secretion. We found that patients with chronic rhinosinusitis have elevated glucose concentrations in their nasal secretions, and other reports have shown that patients with hyperglycemia likewise have elevated nasal glucose levels. These data suggest that increased glucose in respiratory secretions in pathologic states, such as chronic rhinosinusitis or hyperglycemia, promotes tonic activation of T1R2/3 and suppresses T2R-mediated innate defense. Furthermore, targeting T1R2/3-dependent suppression of T2Rs may have therapeutic potential for upper respiratory tract infections.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.