Taste and oral sensations vary in humans. Some of this variation has a genetic basis, and two commonly measured phenotypes are the bitterness of propylthiouracil (PROP) and the number of fungiform papillae on the anterior tongue. While the genetic control of fungiform papilla is unclear, PROP bitterness associates with allelic variation in the taste receptor gene, TAS2R38. The two common alleles are AVI and PAV (proline, alanine, valine, and isoleucine); AVI/AVI homozygotes taste PROP as less bitter than heterozygous or homozygous PAV carriers. In this laboratory-based study, we determined whether taste of a bitter probe (quinine) and vegetable intake varied by taste phenotypes and TAS2R38 genotype in healthy adults (mean age = 26 years). Vegetable intake was assessed via two validated, complementary methods: food records (Food Pyramid servings standardized to energy intake) and food frequency questionnaire (general intake question and composite vegetable groups). Quinine bitterness varied with phenotypes but not TAS2R38; quinine was more bitter to those who tasted PROP as more bitter or had more papillae. Nontasters by phenotype or genotype reported greater consumption of vegetables, regardless of type (i.e., the effect generalized to all vegetables and was not restricted to those typically thought of as being bitter). Furthermore, nontasters with more papillae reported greater vegetable consumption than nontasters with fewer papillae, suggesting that when bitterness does not predominate, more papillae enhance vegetable liking. These findings suggest that genetic variation in taste, measured by multiple phenotypes or TAS2R38 genotype, can explain differences in overall consumption of vegetables, and this was not restricted to vegetables that are predominantly bitter.

中文翻译：

---

口腔感觉表型和 TAS2R38 基因型解释了大学生的蔬菜摄入量。

味觉和口腔感觉因人而异。这种变异中的一些具有遗传基础，两种常见的表型是丙硫氧嘧啶 (PROP) 的苦味和前舌上的菌状乳头数量。虽然菌状乳头的遗传控制尚不清楚，但 PROP 苦味与味觉受体基因TAS2R38 的等位基因变异有关。两个常见的等位基因是 AVI 和 PAV（脯氨酸、丙氨酸、缬氨酸和异亮氨酸）；AVI/AVI 纯合子比杂合子或纯合子 PAV 携带者尝起来更苦。在这项基于实验室的研究中，我们确定了苦味探针（奎宁）的味道和蔬菜摄入量是否因味觉表型和TAS2R38 而异健康成人的基因型（平均年龄 = 26 岁）。蔬菜摄入量通过两种经过验证的互补方法进行评估：食物记录（根据能量摄入标准化的食物金字塔服务）和食物频率问卷（一般摄入问题和复合蔬菜组）。奎宁苦味随表型而变化，但不是TAS2R38; 奎宁对那些尝到 PROP 更苦或有更多乳头的人来说更苦。表型或基因型的非品尝者报告了更多的蔬菜消费，无论类型如何（即，这种影响普遍适用于所有蔬菜，不限于那些通常被认为是苦味的蔬菜）。此外，与乳头较少的非品尝者相比，具有更多乳头的非品尝者报告了更多的蔬菜摄入量，这表明当苦味不占主导地位时，更多的乳头会增强对蔬菜的喜爱。这些发现表明，通过多种表型或TAS2R38基因型测量的味道遗传变异可以解释蔬菜总消费量的差异，这不仅限于主要是苦味的蔬菜。