- Proteins that detect bitter taste exist not just on the tongue but throughout the body, in organs that never come into contact with food.
- Called taste receptors, these proteins trigger extreme rapid-response defenses that can kill bacteria, new research has found.
- Stimulating these receptors with bitter compounds may heighten natural immune responses and reduce our reliance on antibiotics.
- Friday, October 14, 2016
- 1:30 PM–2:30 PM
- Science Building 010
Robert J. Lee, Assistant Professor of Otorhinolaryngology and Physiology, University of Pennsylvania
Bitter taste receptors are not only on the tongue but throughout the body, where they defend us against microbial invaders