Download MendeleyStructural and functional characterization of human sweet taste receptor.
Shi, Z., Xu, W., Wu, L., Yue, X., Liu, S., Ding, W., Zhang, J., Meng, B., Zhao, L., Liu, X., Liu, J., Liu, Z.J., Hua, T.(2025) Nature 645: 801-808
- PubMed: 40555359 Search on PubMedSearch on PubMed Central
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09302-6
- Primary Citation Related Structures:
9UT8, 9UT9, 9UTA, 9UTB, 9UTC - PubMed Abstract:
Sweet taste perception influences dietary choices and metabolic health. The human sweet taste receptor, a class C G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) heterodimer composed of TAS1R2 and TAS1R3 (refs. 1,2 ), senses a wide range of sweet compounds-including natural sugars, artificial sweeteners and sweet proteins-and affects metabolic regulation beyond taste. However, the lack of three-dimensional structures hinders our understanding of its precise working mechanism. Here we present cryo-electron microscopy structures of the full-length human sweet taste receptor in apo and sucralose-bound states. These structures reveal a distinct asymmetric heterodimer architecture, with sucralose binding exclusively to the Venus flytrap domain of TAS1R2. Combining mutagenesis and molecular dynamics simulations, this work delineates the sweetener-recognition modes in TAS1R2. Structural comparisons further uncover conformational changes upon ligand binding and a unique activation mechanism. These findings illuminate the signal transduction mechanisms of chemosensory receptors in the class C GPCR family and provide the molecular basis for the design of a new generation of sweeteners.
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
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