Phenotype Variations of TAS2R38 Gene and Its

Abstract: People have different feeling skills of the bitterness of compound phenylthiocarbamide (PTC). This trait has been shown to correlate with a number of dietary preferences and thus may have important implications for human health. There are two types of phenotypes in different ethno groups and populations according to this feature: PTC tester and PTC non-tester. Both phenotypes, besides some rare exceptions, are fixed in almost every population. We have studied the phenotypic variants of feeling the PTC bitterness spread in Georgian ethno group for the first time. Basing on the conducted experiments, about of the investigated population turned out to be sensitive towards PTC, and of the population – insensitive. We have analyzed the phenotypic structure of PTC feeling in the people who smoke in the population. The majority of the smokers (70%) turned out to be PTC non-tester and only 30 %- PTC tester. It is important to study the phenotypic variants of feelings coded with TAS2R38 gene in the point of view of both – genetic structure of the population and bio-ecology in order to plan different kinds of preventive measures