Among the 5 taste modalities recognized by humans (bitter, sweet, sour, umami, and salty), bitter taste plays an important protective role because many plant toxins have a bitter taste. The G protein-coupled receptor encoded by TAS2R16 mediates response to salicin, amygdalin, and many bitter beta-glucopyranosides. Beta-glucopyranosides are synthesized by over 2,500 plant and insect species as a protection against predators. This family also includes various toxic cyanogenic glycosides (summary by Soranzo et al., 2005). [from OMIM]

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