TAS2R9

Summary

TAS2R9 (taste 2 receptor member 9, HGNC:14917) is a protein-coding gene on chromosome 12p13.2, encoding Taste receptor type 2 member 9 (Q9NYW1). Gustducin-coupled receptor implicated in the perception of bitter compounds in the oral cavity and the gastrointestinal tract.

This gene product belongs to the family of candidate taste receptors that are members of the G-protein-coupled receptor superfamily. These proteins are specifically expressed in the taste receptor cells of the tongue and palate epithelia. They are organized in the genome in clusters and are genetically linked to loci that influence bitter perception in mice and humans. In functional expression studies, they respond to bitter tastants. This gene maps to the taste receptor gene cluster on chromosome 12p13.

Source: NCBI Gene 50835 — RefSeq curated summary.

At a glance

• Clinical variants (ClinVar): 49 total
• Druggable target: yes — 1 molecules with ChEMBL bioactivity
• MANE Select transcript: NM_023917

Identifiers

Gene identifiers

Field	Value
HGNC ID	HGNC:14917
Approved symbol	TAS2R9
Name	taste 2 receptor member 9
Location	12p13.2
Locus type	gene with protein product
Status	Approved
Aliases	T2R9, TRB6
Ensembl gene	ENSG00000121381
Ensembl biotype	protein_coding
OMIM	604795
Entrez	50835

Gene structure

Transcript identifiers

Ensembl transcripts: 1 — 1 protein_coding

ENST00000240691

RefSeq mRNA: 1 — MANE Select: NM_023917 NM_023917

CCDS: CCDS8633

Canonical transcript exons

ENST00000240691 — 1 exons

Exon	Start	End
ENSE00000821986	10809094	10810168

Expression profiles

Bgee: expression breadth tissue_specific, 5 present calls, max score 52.35.

Top tissues by expression

107 total, by Bgee expression score (0-100, higher = more expressed):

Tissue	Anatomy ID	Expression score	Quality
primordial germ cell in gonad	CL:0000670 ∩ UBERON:0000991	52.35	silver quality
colonic epithelium	UBERON:0000397	42.45	gold quality
cortical plate	UBERON:0005343	40.71	silver quality
bone marrow cell	CL:0002092	38.21	gold quality
ventricular zone	UBERON:0003053	36.48	gold quality
calcaneal tendon	UBERON:0003701	35.57	gold quality
ganglionic eminence	UBERON:0004023	35.49	gold quality
skeletal muscle tissue	UBERON:0001134	35.06	gold quality
bone marrow	UBERON:0002371	34.06	gold quality
adrenal tissue	UBERON:0018303	33.42	gold quality
muscle tissue	UBERON:0002385	32.30	gold quality
hindlimb stylopod muscle	UBERON:0004252	32.15	gold quality
corpus callosum	UBERON:0002336	32.01	gold quality
monocyte	CL:0000576	31.68	silver quality
leukocyte	CL:0000738	31.32	silver quality
prefrontal cortex	UBERON:0000451	31.26	gold quality
tonsil	UBERON:0002372	31.19	gold quality
metanephros cortex	UBERON:0010533	30.92	gold quality
superior frontal gyrus	UBERON:0002661	30.28	gold quality
stromal cell of endometrium	CL:0002255	29.87	gold quality
vermiform appendix	UBERON:0001154	29.72	gold quality
urinary bladder	UBERON:0001255	29.08	gold quality
liver	UBERON:0002107	28.99	gold quality
lymph node	UBERON:0000029	28.93	gold quality
endometrium	UBERON:0001295	28.73	silver quality
duodenum	UBERON:0002114	28.14	gold quality
cortex of kidney	UBERON:0001225	27.72	gold quality
right coronary artery	UBERON:0001625	27.72	gold quality
frontal cortex	UBERON:0001870	27.34	gold quality
blood	UBERON:0000178	27.04	gold quality

Single-cell (SCXA)

Detected in 1 experiment(s), a significant marker in 0.

Experiment	Marker?	Max mean expression
E-ANND-3	no	0.00

Regulation

Is transcription factor: no

Literature-anchored findings (GeneRIF, showing 2)

• A functionally compromised TAS2R receptor negatively impacts glucose homeostasis, providing an important link between alimentary chemosensation and metabolic disease. (PMID:19092995)
• genetic association studies in population of pregnant women in Czechoslovakia: Data suggest that an SNP in TAS2R9 (rs3741845) is associated with gestational diabetes; such genetic variation may play role in food preferences and compliance with healthy diet that may help prevent gestational diabetes. Associations were not found for SNPs in TAS1R2 and TAS2R7. (PMID:27757593)

Cross-species orthologs

0 orthologs

Paralogs (23): TAS2R8 (ENSG00000121314), TAS2R10 (ENSG00000121318), TAS2R7 (ENSG00000121377), TAS2R3 (ENSG00000127362), TAS2R4 (ENSG00000127364), TAS2R5 (ENSG00000127366), TAS2R16 (ENSG00000128519), TAS2R1 (ENSG00000169777), TAS2R60 (ENSG00000185899), TAS2R42 (ENSG00000186136), TAS2R19 (ENSG00000212124), TAS2R50 (ENSG00000212126), TAS2R14 (ENSG00000212127), TAS2R13 (ENSG00000212128), TAS2R41 (ENSG00000221855), TAS2R40 (ENSG00000221937), TAS2R46 (ENSG00000226761), TAS2R39 (ENSG00000236398), TAS2R43 (ENSG00000255374), TAS2R20 (ENSG00000255837), TAS2R30 (ENSG00000256188), TAS2R31 (ENSG00000256436), TAS2R38 (ENSG00000257138)

Protein

Protein identifiers

Taste receptor type 2 member 9 — Q9NYW1 (reviewed: Q9NYW1)

Alternative names: Taste receptor family B member 6

All UniProt accessions (1): Q9NYW1

UniProt curated annotations — full annotation on UniProt →

Function. Gustducin-coupled receptor implicated in the perception of bitter compounds in the oral cavity and the gastrointestinal tract. Signals through PLCB2 and the calcium-regulated cation channel TRPM5.

Subcellular location. Membrane.

Tissue specificity. Expressed in subsets of taste receptor cells of the tongue and palate epithelium and exclusively in gustducin-positive cells.

Miscellaneous. Several bitter taste receptors are expressed in a single taste receptor cell.

Similarity. Belongs to the G-protein coupled receptor T2R family.

RefSeq proteins (1): NP_076406* (*=MANE)

Domains & families (InterPro)

ID	Name	Type
IPR007960	TAS2R	Family
IPR017452	GPCR_Rhodpsn_7TM	Domain

Pfam: PF05296

UniProt features (20 total): topological domain 8, transmembrane region 7, sequence variant 3, chain 1, glycosylation site 1

Structure

Experimental structures (PDB)

0 structures.

Predicted structure (AlphaFold)

Model	pLDDT	Fraction very-high
AF-Q9NYW1-F1	82.59	0.44

Functional residue map

Curated UniProt residues grouped by drug-discovery relevance — catalytic, ligand-binding, modification, and mutation-validated positions. Source: UniProtKB sequence features.

Glycosylation sites (1): 164

Function

Pathways and Gene Ontology

Reactome pathways

6 pathways

ID	Pathway
R-HSA-418594	G alpha (i) signalling events
R-HSA-420499	Class C/3 (Metabotropic glutamate/pheromone receptors)
R-HSA-162582	Signal Transduction
R-HSA-372790	Signaling by GPCR
R-HSA-388396	GPCR downstream signalling
R-HSA-500792	GPCR ligand binding

MSigDB gene sets: 39 (showing top): GOBP_SENSORY_PERCEPTION_OF_CHEMICAL_STIMULUS, GOBP_DETECTION_OF_CHEMICAL_STIMULUS_INVOLVED_IN_SENSORY_PERCEPTION_OF_TASTE, GOBP_SENSORY_PERCEPTION_OF_TASTE, GOBP_DETECTION_OF_STIMULUS, GOBP_SENSORY_PERCEPTION, GOMF_TRANSMEMBRANE_SIGNALING_RECEPTOR_ACTIVITY, GOMF_BITTER_TASTE_RECEPTOR_ACTIVITY, GOMF_TASTE_RECEPTOR_ACTIVITY, GOMF_G_PROTEIN_COUPLED_RECEPTOR_ACTIVITY, GOBP_G_PROTEIN_COUPLED_RECEPTOR_SIGNALING_PATHWAY, GOBP_DETECTION_OF_STIMULUS_INVOLVED_IN_SENSORY_PERCEPTION, GOBP_SENSORY_PERCEPTION_OF_BITTER_TASTE, IL15_UP.V1_DN, IL21_UP.V1_DN, GSE13411_NAIVE_VS_IGM_MEMORY_BCELL_UP

GO Biological Process (4): detection of chemical stimulus involved in sensory perception of bitter taste (GO:0001580), signal transduction (GO:0007165), G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway (GO:0007186), sensory perception of taste (GO:0050909)

GO Molecular Function (3): G protein-coupled receptor activity (GO:0004930), taste receptor activity (GO:0008527), bitter taste receptor activity (GO:0033038)

GO Cellular Component (2): plasma membrane (GO:0005886), membrane (GO:0016020)

Reactome top-level categories

Rollup of top-4 pathways:

Category	Pathways
Signaling by GPCR	2
GPCR downstream signalling	1
GPCR ligand binding	1
Signal Transduction	1

GO top-level categories

Rollup of top GO terms by namespace:

Category	Terms
detection of chemical stimulus involved in sensory perception of taste	2
transmembrane signaling receptor activity	2
sensory perception of bitter taste	1
cell communication	1
cellular process	1
signaling	1
regulation of cellular process	1
cellular response to stimulus	1
G protein-coupled receptor activity	1
signal transduction	1
sensory perception of chemical stimulus	1
G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway	1
detection of chemical stimulus involved in sensory perception of bitter taste	1
taste receptor activity	1
membrane	1
cell periphery	1
cellular anatomical structure	1

Protein interactions and networks

STRING

234 interactions, top by confidence (×1000):

Protein A	Protein B	Partner UniProt	Score
TAS2R9	GNAT3	A8MTJ3	842
TAS2R9	MCHR2	Q969V1	479
TAS2R9	TAS2R16	Q9NYV7	473
TAS2R9	FFAR1	O14842	462
TAS2R9	GPR32	O75388	460
TAS2R9	FBXW12	Q6X9E4	458
TAS2R9	NPFFR1	Q9GZQ6	454
TAS2R9	GPR15	P49685	444
TAS2R9	GNB3	P16520	442
TAS2R9	SPDYE4	A6NLX3	418
TAS2R9	CCL21	O00585	414
TAS2R9	CALHM1	Q8IU99	387
TAS2R9	PDE1A	P54750	371
TAS2R9	TAS2R46	P59540	328
TAS2R9	GHSR	Q92847	308

IntAct

0 interactions, top by confidence:

ESM2 similar proteins: P59528, P59530, Q5Y4Z2, Q645T9, Q645U9, Q645V1, Q645Y5, Q645Z3, Q645Z5, Q646A7, Q646B6, Q646B8, Q646C6, Q646D2, Q646D8, Q646D9, Q646F7, Q646G3, Q646G5, Q675B7, Q675B8, Q675B9, Q675C0, Q67ER8, Q67ES1, Q67ES5, Q67ES6, Q67ES9, Q67ET3, Q67ET5, Q7M707, Q7M711, Q7M712, Q7M713, Q7M715, Q7M717, Q7M718, Q7M720, Q7M725, Q7RTR8

Diamond homologs: P0DSN6, P0DTE0, P59528, P59530, P59537, P59538, P59539, P59540, P59541, P59542, P59543, P59544, Q5Y4Y8, Q5Y4Y9, Q5Y4Z5, Q5Y4Z8, Q5Y500, Q645T0, Q645T2, Q645T3, Q645T4, Q645T6, Q645T7, Q645U8, Q645V1, Q645V2, Q645V3, Q645V4, Q645V6, Q645V7, Q645V8, Q645V9, Q645Z2, Q645Z5, Q645Z6, Q645Z7, Q645Z9, Q646A0, Q646A1, Q646A2

SIGNOR signaling

0 interactions.

Disease & clinical

Clinical variants and AI predictions

ClinVar

49 variants total. Per-class counts are floors (≥ shown; pagination cap):

Classification	Count (floor)
Pathogenic	0
Likely pathogenic	0
Uncertain significance	41
Likely benign	5
Benign	3

Top pathogenic / likely-pathogenic (0)

SpliceAI

199 predictions. Top by Δscore:

Variant	Effect	Δscore
12:10809456:CTAA:C	acceptor_gain	0.9600
12:10809460:C:CC	acceptor_gain	0.9500
12:10809564:A:AC	donor_gain	0.9400
12:10809565:C:CC	donor_gain	0.9400
12:10809891:A:AC	donor_gain	0.9200
12:10809457:TAA:T	acceptor_gain	0.8900
12:10810056:G:A	donor_gain	0.8300
12:10809565:CT:C	donor_gain	0.8000
12:10809559:TACT:T	donor_loss	0.7700
12:10809560:AC:A	donor_loss	0.7700
12:10809561:C:CT	donor_loss	0.7700
12:10809562:T:TA	donor_loss	0.7700
12:10809563:CACT:C	donor_loss	0.7700
12:10809564:A:T	donor_loss	0.7700
12:10809896:A:T	donor_gain	0.7500
12:10809565:CTTT:C	donor_gain	0.7100
12:10809565:CTTTG:C	donor_gain	0.7100
12:10810053:A:AC	donor_gain	0.7000
12:10809765:C:CC	acceptor_gain	0.6400
12:10809455:TCTAA:T	acceptor_gain	0.6100
12:10809456:CTAAC:C	acceptor_gain	0.6100
12:10809457:TAACT:T	acceptor_gain	0.6100
12:10809458:AACTA:A	acceptor_gain	0.6100
12:10809561:CTCA:C	donor_gain	0.6100
12:10809458:AACT:A	acceptor_loss	0.6000
12:10809459:AC:A	acceptor_loss	0.6000
12:10809461:T:C	acceptor_loss	0.6000
12:10809764:A:AC	acceptor_gain	0.5900
12:10809459:ACTAG:A	acceptor_gain	0.5700
12:10810103:A:AC	donor_gain	0.5700

AlphaMissense

2067 scored. Top likely-pathogenic:

Variant	Protein change	am_pathogenicity
12:10809788:A:C	S96R	0.921
12:10809788:A:T	S96R	0.921
12:10809790:T:G	S96R	0.921
12:10809764:A:C	S104R	0.919
12:10809764:A:T	S104R	0.919
12:10809766:T:G	S104R	0.919
12:10809998:G:C	F26L	0.902
12:10809998:G:T	F26L	0.902
12:10810000:A:G	F26L	0.902
12:10809926:G:C	S50R	0.886
12:10809926:G:T	S50R	0.886
12:10809928:T:G	S50R	0.886
12:10809911:T:A	R55S	0.882
12:10809911:T:G	R55S	0.882
12:10809365:A:C	F237L	0.881
12:10809365:A:T	F237L	0.881
12:10809367:A:G	F237L	0.881
12:10810004:A:C	N24K	0.867
12:10810004:A:T	N24K	0.867
12:10809245:G:C	S277R	0.859
12:10809245:G:T	S277R	0.859
12:10809247:T:G	S277R	0.859
12:10809784:A:G	W98R	0.857
12:10809784:A:T	W98R	0.857
12:10809772:A:G	C102R	0.854
12:10809254:G:C	F274L	0.848
12:10809254:G:T	F274L	0.848
12:10809256:A:G	F274L	0.848
12:10810018:C:G	G20R	0.836
12:10810018:C:T	G20R	0.836

dbSNP variants (sampled 300 via entrez): RS1000750425 (12:10809761 G>C), RS1002122124 (12:10808641 G>T), RS1003417834 (12:10811892 A>G), RS1006352063 (12:10809042 T>C,G), RS1008865307 (12:10810806 C>A), RS1009351943 (12:10811069 C>A,G,T), RS1009554445 (12:10812044 G>A,C), RS1011587786 (12:10810528 G>C), RS1012118717 (12:10810021 T>C,G), RS1012563631 (12:10810390 G>A), RS1013157279 (12:10809625 C>T), RS1013182123 (12:10811776 G>A), RS1013823703 (12:10809000 A>C,G), RS1014979544 (12:10810107 C>A,T), RS1015045747 (12:10811546 A>G)

Disease associations

OMIM: gene MIM:604795 | disease phenotypes:

GenCC curated gene-disease

Mondo (0):

Orphanet (0):

HPO phenotypes

0 total (0 of 0 shown, HPO-id order):

GWAS associations

0 associations (top):

Drugs & pharmacology

Drug and pharmacology data

Is drug target: yes

ChEMBL targets (1): CHEMBL3309110 (SINGLE PROTEIN)

Molecules with ChEMBL bioactivity

1 molecules (phase ≥1), by development phase (incl. off-target/promiscuous compounds). Patent mentions across the top 20 by phase: 40,234 (via chembl_molecule»patent_compound — counts attach to the compound, not the gene–compound relationship, so off-target/promiscuous molecules can dominate).

Molecule	Name	Phase	Patents
CHEMBL434	ISOPROTERENOL	4	40,234

PharmGKB: 1 entry (VIP=true, CPIC=false)

GtoPdb / IUPHAR curated pharmacology

(IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology — expert-curated)

Target class: gpcr — Taste 2 receptors

Most potent curated ligand interactions (3 total), top 3:

Ligand	Action	Affinity	Parameter
ofloxacin	Agonist	3.7	pEC50
pirenzepine	Agonist	2.74	pEC50
procainamide	Agonist	2.55	pEC50

ChEMBL bioactivities

1 potent at pChembl≥5 of 1 total, top 1 by pChembl (potency: 10 = 0.1 nM, 6 = 1 µM).

pChembl	Type	Value	Unit	Molecule
8.31	EC50	4.9	nM	ISOPROTERENOL

CTD chemical–gene interactions

5 total (human), top 5 by PubMed support.

Chemical	Actions (top 5)	PubMed papers
propionaldehyde	decreases expression	1
CGP 52608	affects binding, increases reaction	1
Benzo(a)pyrene	increases methylation	1
Aflatoxin B1	decreases methylation	1
Asbestos, Crocidolite	affects expression	1

ChEMBL screening assays

8 unique, capped per target: 7 functional, 1 binding

Representative assays (with source publication via chembl_document):

Assay ID	Type	Description	Source paper
CHEMBL3361959	Binding	Agonist activity at human TAS2R9 expressed in U2OS cells by Ga16gust44 Clone 7A FLIPR/summary (Abse5) assay	Identification of diarylsulfonamides as agonists of the free fatty acid receptor 4 (FFA4/GPR120). — Bioorg Med Chem Lett
CHEMBL4346428	Functional	Antagonist activity at recombinant human TAS2R9 transiently expressed in HEK293T co-expressing Galpha16gust44 assessed as inhibition of ofloxacin-induced intracellular calcium level by measuring remaining activity at 25 uM by fluo-4AM dye b	Discovery and Development of S6821 and S7958 as Potent TAS2R8 Antagonists. — J Med Chem

Clinical trials (associated diseases)

0 trials via MONDO — disease-level, not drug-specific.