Inhibitors of the bitter taste response

A method for identifying an inhibitor of bitter taste comprising (i) contacting, in vitro, a taste receptor with a solution comprising a G-protein selected from the group consisting of transducin and gustducin, and a bitter tastant, under conditions suitable for activation of the G-protein by the bitter tastant, and measuring the level of G-protein activation;

• (ii) in a separate experiment, contacting a taste receptor with a solution comprising a G-protein selected from the group consisting of transducin and gustducin, the bitter tastant, and a test inhibitor, and measuring the level of G-protein activation, where the G-protein is the same as that used in part (i), and where the test inhibitor is adenosine monophosphate or a structural homolog of adenosine monophosphate;
• and then (iii) comparing the level of activation of the G-protein measured in part (i) with the level of activation of the G-protein measured in part (ii), wherein a lower level of activated G-protein in the presence of the test inhibitor has a positive correlation with an ability of the test inhibitor to inhibit the perception of a bitter taste associated with the tastant.

A method for identifying an inhibitor of bitter taste in vivo comprising (i) contacting a taste receptor with a G-protein, selected from the group consisting of transducin and gustducin, and a bitter tastant, under conditions suitable for activation of the G-protein by the bitter tastant, and measuring the level of G-protein activation;

• (ii) in a separate experiment, contacting a taste receptor with a G-protein selected from the group consisting of transducin and gustducin, the bitter tastant, and a test inhibitor, and measuring the level of G-protein activation, where the G-protein is the same as that used in part (i), and where the test inhibitor is adenosine monophosphate or a structural homolog of adenosine monophosphate;
• and then (iii) comparing the level of activation of the G-protein measured in part (i) with the level of activation of the G-protein measured in part (ii), wherein a lower level of activated G-protein in the presence of the test inhibitor has a positive correlation with an ability of the test inhibitor to inhibit the perception of a bitter taste associated with the tastant.

A method of inhibiting a bitter taste resulting from contacting a taste tissue of a subject with a bitter tastant, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a bitterness inhibitor, wherein said bitterness inhibitor is adenosine monophosphate or a structural homolog of adenosine monophosphate.

A method of inhibiting s bitter taste of a composition, comprising incorporating, in the composition, an effective amount of a bitterness inhibitor, wherein said bitterness inhibitor is adenosine monophosphate or a structural homolog of adenosine monophosphate.

A method for identifying a bitter tastant comprising (i) contacting a taste receptor with a G-protein, selected from the group consisting of transducin and gustducin, and a test-tastant, and measuring the level of G-protein activation;

• (ii) in a separate experiment, contacting a taste receptor with a G-protein selected from the group consisting of transducin and gustducin, the test tastant, and a bitterness inhibitor, wherein said bitterness inhibitor is adenosine monophosphate or a structural homolog of adenosine monophosphate, and measuring the level of G-protein activation, where the G-protein is the same as that used in part (i), and then (iii) comparing the level of activation of the G-protein measured in part (i) with the level of activation of the G-protein measured in part (ii), wherein a lower level of activated G-protein in the presence of said bitterness inhibitor has a positive correlation with an ability of the test tastant to elicit the perception of a bitter taste.