This receptor, known as taste receptor type 2 (T2R), was previously thought to exist only in bony vertebrates such as humans (our last common ancestor lived about 500 million years ago). This discovery challenges previous assumptions and sheds light on the evolution of bitter taste perception.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzed the genomes of seventeen cartilaginous fish and found a single T2R gene, called T2R1, in each species. By transferring the T2R1 gene from sharks into cell lines, researchers showed that these sharks can taste bitter substances that humans recognize.
Source: Ferra
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