THE TASTE OF CATSBy: Nidal BabaaBsci338C Dr. Carleton

BACKGROUND The pleasant tastes are mediated by a family of three

T1R receptors that assemble in pairs. Diverse molecules that lead to a sensation of sweet

bind to a receptor formed from T1R2 and T1R3 subunits.

Cats have both genes present, yet still cannot taste sweetness.

RESEARCH Xia Li, along with her collaborator Dr.

Joseph Brand, wanted to figure out why cats are cannot taste sweets.

She compared sweet receptor genes in cats with the sequence and structure of the same genes in dogs, humans, mice and rats.

RESEARCH CONTINUED.. Linda Bartoshuk also explored the

unique taste of cats. She tested the effect that adding

sucrose to water had on its taste to cats.

She used nine cats and tested them on two experiments

RESULTS Xia Li found that the cat Tas1r3 gene

showed high similarity with those of dogs, humans, mice and rats.

Concluded that cat Tas1r3 is an expressed, functional receptor. While cat Tas1r2 is an unexpressed pseudo gene.

RESULTS CONTINUED… The results of the first part of her research

showed that the cats ingested nearly equal amounts of water and sucrose solution at every concentration tested.

The results of the second part of her research showed that the cats strongly preferred the sucrose to the weak NaCl solution instead of water.

REMAINING QUESTIONS Theory: perhaps some cats can use

their Tas1r3 receptor to taste high concentrations of sugar

THE END