Expression profiling of Tas2r genes reveals a complex pattern along the mouse GI tract and the presence of Tas2r131 in a subset of intestinal Paneth cells

The chemical variability of the intestinal lumen requires the presence of molecular receptors detecting the various substances naturally occurring in the diet and as a result of the activity of the microbiota. Despite their early discovery, intestinal bitter taste receptors (Tas2r) have not yet been assigned an unambiguous physiological function. Recently, using a CRE-recombinant approach we showed that the Tas2r131 gene is expressed in a subset of mucin-producing goblet cells in the colon of mice. Moreover, we also demonstrated that the expression of the Tas2r131 locus is not restricted to this region. In the present study we aimed at characterizing the presence of positive cells also in other gastrointestinal regions. Our results show that Tas2r131⁺ cells appear in the jejunum and the ileum, and are absent from the stomach and the duodenum. We identified the positive cells as a subpopulation of deep-crypt Paneth cells in the ileum, strengthening the notion of a defensive role for Tas2rs in the gut. To get a broader perspective on the expression of bitter taste receptors in the alimentary canal, we quantified the expression of all 35 Tas2r genes along the gastrointestinal tract by qRT-PCR. We discovered that the number and expression level of Tas2r genes profoundly vary along the alimentary canal, with the stomach and the colon expressing the largest subsets.