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Phenylthiourea
Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), also known as phenylthiourea (PTU), is an organosulfur thiourea containing a phenyl ring. It has the unusual property that it either tastes very bitter or is virtually tasteless, depending on the genetic makeup of the taster. The ability to taste PTC is often treated as a dominant genetic trait, although inheritance and expression of this trait are somewhat more complex. PTC also inhibits melanogenesis and is used to grow transparent fish. About 70% of people can taste PTC, varying from a low of 58% for Indigenous Australians and indigenous peoples of New Guinea to 98% for indigenous peoples of the Americas. One study has found that non-smokers and those not habituated to coffee or tea have a statistically higher percentage of tasting PTC than the general population. PTC does not occur in food, but related chemicals do, and food choice is related to a person's ability to taste PTC. History The tested genetic taste phenomenon of PTC was discovere ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
PTC Tasting
PTC tasting is a classic genetic marker in human population genetics investigations. History In 1931 Arthur Fox, a chemist at DuPont, in Wilmington, Delaware, synthesized phenylthiocarbamide (PTC). Some researchers reported a bitter taste when entering his laboratory, while others, including Fox himself, experienced no such sensation. Further study of this phenomenon by L.H. Snyder in 1931 led to the conclusion that the inability to taste PTC is a recessive trait. In 1932, Albert Blakeslee conducted a large-scale study involving the inheritance of PTC tasting within families that concluded that PTC tasting sensitivity is very likely a complex Mendelian trait whose variance is overwhelmingly dependent on a single gene locus; however, it is likely that a few other genes have a smaller effect as well. In 1939 Fisher et al. found that the genetic frequency of PTC tasting was the same in chimps and humans. This similarity suggests that whatever gene controls for PTC tasting must have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Organosulfur Compound
Organosulfur compounds are organic compounds that contain sulfur. They are often associated with foul odors, but many of the sweetest compounds known are organosulfur derivatives, e.g., saccharin. Nature abounds with organosulfur compounds—sulfur is vital for life. Of the 20 common amino acids, two ( cysteine and methionine) are organosulfur compounds, and the antibiotics penicillin and sulfa drugs both contain sulfur. While sulfur-containing antibiotics save many lives, sulfur mustard is a deadly chemical warfare agent. Fossil fuels, coal, petroleum, and natural gas, which are derived from ancient organisms, necessarily contain organosulfur compounds, the removal of which is a major focus of oil refineries. Sulfur shares the chalcogen group with oxygen, selenium, and tellurium, and it is expected that organosulfur compounds have similarities with carbon–oxygen, carbon–selenium, and carbon–tellurium compounds. A classical chemical test for the detection of sulfur co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Propylthiouracil
Propylthiouracil (PTU) is a medication used to treat hyperthyroidism. This includes hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease and toxic multinodular goiter. In a thyrotoxic crisis it is generally more effective than methimazole. Otherwise it is typically only used when methimazole, surgery, and radioactive iodine is not possible. It is taken by mouth. Common side effects include itchiness, hair loss, parotid swelling, vomiting, muscle pains, numbness, and headache. Other severe side effects include liver problems and low blood cell counts. Use during pregnancy may harm the baby. Propylthiouracil is in the antithyroid family of medications. It works by decreasing the amount of thyroid hormone produced by the thyroid gland and blocking the conversion of thyroxine (T4) to triiodothyronine (T3). Propylthiouracil came into medical use in the 1940s. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Side effects Propylthiouracil is generally well tolerated, with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms
In genetics, a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP ; plural SNPs ) is a germline substitution of a single nucleotide at a specific position in the genome. Although certain definitions require the substitution to be present in a sufficiently large fraction of the population (e.g. 1% or more), many publications do not apply such a frequency threshold. For example, at a specific base position in the human genome, the Guanine, G nucleotide may appear in most individuals, but in a minority of individuals, the position is occupied by an Adenine, A. This means that there is a SNP at this specific position, and the two possible nucleotide variations – G or A – are said to be the alleles for this specific position. SNPs pinpoint differences in our susceptibility to a wide range of diseases, for example age-related macular degeneration (a common SNP in the Factor H, CFH gene is associated with increased risk of the disease) or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (a SNP in the PNPLA3 gene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TAS2R38
Taste receptor 2 member 38 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''TAS2R38'' gene. TAS2R38 is a bitter taste receptor; varying genotypes of ''TAS2R38'' influence the ability to taste both 6-''n''-propylthiouracil (PROP) and phenylthiocarbamide (PTC). Though it has often been proposed that varying taste receptor genotypes could influence tasting ability, TAS2R38 is one of the few taste receptors shown to have this function. Signal transduction As with all TAS2R proteins, TAS2R38 utilizes the G-protein gustducin as its primary method of signal transduction. Both the α- and βγ-subunits are crucial to the transmission of the taste signal. See: taste receptor. PTC sensitivity Differential ability to taste the bitter compound phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) was discovered more than 80 years ago. Since then, PTC tasting ability has been mapped to chromosome 7q and, several years later, was shown to be directly related to ''TAS2R38'' genotype. There are three common pol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brassica
''Brassica'' () is a genus of plants in the cabbage and mustard family (Brassicaceae). The members of the genus are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, or mustard plants. Crops from this genus are sometimes called ''cole crops''derived from the Latin ''caulis'', denoting the stem or stalk of a plant. The genus ''Brassica'' is known for its important agricultural and horticultural crops and also includes a number of weeds, both of wild taxa and escapees from cultivation. ''Brassica'' species and varieties commonly used for food include bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, choy sum, kohlrabi, napa cabbage, rutabaga, turnip and some seeds used in the production of canola oil and the condiment mustard. Over 30 wild species and hybrids are in cultivation, plus numerous cultivars and hybrids of cultivated origin. Most are seasonal plants ( annuals or biennials), but some are small shrubs. ''Brassica'' plants have been the subject of much scientific intere ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antidesma Bunius
''Antidesma bunius'' is a species of fruit tree in the family Phyllanthaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Its common Philippine name and other names include bignay, bugnay or bignai, Chinese-laurel, Queensland-cherry, salamander-tree, wild cherry, and currant tree. Description It is a variable plant which may be short and shrubby or tall and erect, approaching in height. It has large oval-shaped leathery evergreen leaves up to about long and wide. They are attached to the twigs of the tree with short Petiole (botany), petioles, creating a dense canopy. The species is dioecious, with male and female flowers growing on separate trees. The flowers have a strong, somewhat unpleasant scent. The Stamen, staminate flowers are arranged in small bunches and the pistillate flowers grow on long racemes which will become the long strands of fruit. The fruits are spherical and just under wide, hanging singly or paired in long, heavy bunches. They are white wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Supertaster
A supertaster is a person whose sense of taste is of far greater intensity than the average person. Some studies also show that an increased sensitivity to bitter tastes may be a cause of selective eating. History The term originated with experimental psychologist Linda Bartoshuk, who has spent much of her career studying genetic variation in taste perception. In the early 1980s, Bartoshuk and her colleagues noticed some individuals tested in the laboratory seemed to have an elevated taste response and called them supertasters. This increased taste response is not the result of response bias or a scaling artifact but appears to have an anatomical or biological basis. Phenylthiocarbamide In 1931, Arthur L. Fox, a DuPont chemist, discovered that some persons found phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) to be bitter while others found it tasteless. At the 1931 American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, Fox collaborated with Albert F. Blakeslee, a geneticist, to have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Propylthiouracil
Propylthiouracil (PTU) is a medication used to treat hyperthyroidism. This includes hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease and toxic multinodular goiter. In a thyrotoxic crisis it is generally more effective than methimazole. Otherwise it is typically only used when methimazole, surgery, and radioactive iodine is not possible. It is taken by mouth. Common side effects include itchiness, hair loss, parotid swelling, vomiting, muscle pains, numbness, and headache. Other severe side effects include liver problems and low blood cell counts. Use during pregnancy may harm the baby. Propylthiouracil is in the antithyroid family of medications. It works by decreasing the amount of thyroid hormone produced by the thyroid gland and blocking the conversion of thyroxine (T4) to triiodothyronine (T3). Propylthiouracil came into medical use in the 1940s. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Side effects Propylthiouracil is generally well tolerated, with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thiourea
Thiourea () is an organosulfur compound with the formula and the structure . It is structurally similar to urea (), except that the oxygen atom is replaced by a sulfur atom (as implied by the ''thio-'' prefix); however, the properties of urea and thiourea differ significantly. Thiourea is a reagent in organic synthesis. "Thioureas" refer to a broad class of compounds with the general structure . Thioureas are related to thioamides, e.g. , where R is methyl, ethyl, etc. Structure and bonding Thiourea is a planar molecule. The C=S bond distance is 1.71 Å. The C-N distances average 1.33 Å. The weakening of the C-S bond by C-N pi-bonding is indicated by the short C=S bond in thiobenzophenone, which is 1.63 Å. Thiourea occurs in two tautomeric forms, of which the thione form predominates in aqueous solutions. The equilibrium constant has been calculated as ''K''eq is . The thiol form, which is also known as an isothiourea, can be encountered in substituted compounds such as i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heterozygote
Zygosity (the noun, zygote, is from the Greek "yoked," from "yoke") () is the degree to which both copies of a chromosome or gene have the same genetic sequence. In other words, it is the degree of similarity of the alleles in an organism. Most eukaryotes have two matching sets of chromosomes; that is, they are diploid. Diploid organisms have the same loci on each of their two sets of homologous chromosomes except that the sequences at these loci may differ between the two chromosomes in a matching pair and that a few chromosomes may be mismatched as part of a chromosomal sex-determination system. If both alleles of a diploid organism are the same, the organism is homozygous at that locus. If they are different, the organism is heterozygous at that locus. If one allele is missing, it is hemizygous, and, if both alleles are missing, it is nullizygous. The DNA sequence of a gene often varies from one individual to another. These gene variants are called alleles. While some ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Homozygote
Zygosity (the noun, zygote, is from the Greek "yoked," from "yoke") () is the degree to which both copies of a chromosome or gene have the same genetic sequence. In other words, it is the degree of similarity of the alleles in an organism. Most eukaryotes have two matching sets of chromosomes; that is, they are diploid. Diploid organisms have the same loci on each of their two sets of homologous chromosomes except that the sequences at these loci may differ between the two chromosomes in a matching pair and that a few chromosomes may be mismatched as part of a chromosomal sex-determination system. If both alleles of a diploid organism are the same, the organism is homozygous at that locus. If they are different, the organism is heterozygous at that locus. If one allele is missing, it is hemizygous, and, if both alleles are missing, it is nullizygous. The DNA sequence of a gene often varies from one individual to another. These gene variants are called alleles. While some gen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
