Ghrelin Gly90Leu and Ghrelin Receptor Gly57Gly Gene Variants Are Not Associated with Saltiness Intensity Perception and Pleasantness Ratings.
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Date
2014-04
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Abstract
Aims: The salty taste modality is modulated by epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and
Transient Receptor Potential Vanniloid (TRPV1) ionic channel and more recently, the
gastric hormone ghrelin and its signaling system are also thought to play a role. Taste
perception plays an important role in modulating food preference, and intake and is partly
determined by genetic variations in chemoreceptor genes. For the salty taste modality, no
studies have yet identified any genetic determinants of salt taste in humans. Nevertheless,
a single study has identified that common variations in genes encoding for TRPV1
(TRPV1) and ENaC (SCNN1B) may influence the perception of salt solutions in humans,
while it is currently unknown whether it would be the same for ghrelin and its cognate
receptor, GHSR. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the
association of Ghrelin Gly90Leu and GHSR Gly57Gly gene polymorphisms with
individual’s saltiness intensity perception and pleasantness ratings.
Study Design: A convenience sampling method was practiced in this study. The sampling
was carried out among students between the age of 18–25.
Place and Duration of Study: Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Perak campus between January to December, 2011.
Methodology: We recruited 166 Malaysian university students (mean age: 20.33±1.68; 75
males, 91 females; 152 ethnic Chinese, 14 Indians; 113 normal weight, 53 overweight) by
convenience sampling. Low and high sodium concentrations of foods, solutions and broths
were tasted and rated for their perceived intensity and pleasantness using generalized
Labeled Magnitude Scale and Labeled Affective Magnitude scale, respectively.
Results: The minor allele frequencies (MAF) of Ghrelin Gly90Leu and GHSR Gly57Gly
were 0.48 and 0.31, respectively. Only the perceived intensity of salted egg was
significantly different among Ghrelin Gly90Leu genotypes, where the individuals with
T318T and A318T genotypes rated the intensity significantly higher than those with the
A318A genotype.
Conclusion: In conclusion, Ghrelin Gly90Leu and GHSR Gly57Gly SNPs did not serve as
markers for individual’s saltiness intensity perception and pleasantness ratings, at least
among Malaysian subjects in this study. This suggests that the ghrelin signaling
mechanism in modulating salty taste responsivity in inconclusive at the moment, as the
positive findings in mice might not be translatable to humans.
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Keywords
Ghrelin, ghrelin receptor, single nucleotide polymorphism, saltiness intensity, perception, saltiness pleasantness rating, Malaysia
Citation
Hui-En Ti, Lew Yong-Leng, Say Yee-How. Ghrelin Gly90Leu and Ghrelin Receptor Gly57Gly Gene Variants Are Not Associated with Saltiness Intensity Perception and Pleasantness Ratings. European Journal of Nutrition & Food Safety. 2014 Apr-Jun; 4(2): 87-99.