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Bitter taste perception (TAS2R38 position 262)

TAS2R38 · rs1726866

Where this position leads

Conditions: Bitter Taste Perception (TAS2R38), Chronic Rhinosinusitis and the Bitter Taste Receptor

Smell & taste: Taste — why the same food is not the same food

Solid lines are connections this site curates. Dashed lines mean the two ends share a research paper — worth knowing, and not a claim that one explains the other.

What ClinVar records

Classification Benign for Phenylthiocarbamide tasting; criteria provided, single submitter (1 of 4 stars, 2 submitters), last evaluated 2018-08-23. ClinVar record 2905 NM_176817.5(TAS2R38):c.785= (p.Ala262=)

What this is ClinVar's aggregate record for this position (as of its 2026-10-19 release), not a result about you. A classification describes the variant against the condition named, as laboratories submitted it. Whether a person carries this variant, and what that would mean for them, is a question for a clinical test and a genetic counsellor.

What each result means

A/A Two copies of the allele that puts valine at position 262, the residue carried by the non-taster (AVI) form of the receptor. Published research associates this genotype with weaker perceived bitterness from these compounds. This is one of three changes in TAS2R38 that are interpreted together — the others are rs713598 (position 49) and rs10246939 (position 296). The combination is what determines taster status, so a single one of the three is only part of the answer.

A/G One copy of each. Published research associates this genotype with intermediate bitterness perception. This is one of three changes in TAS2R38 that are interpreted together — the others are rs713598 (position 49) and rs10246939 (position 296). The combination is what determines taster status, so a single one of the three is only part of the answer.

G/G Two copies of the allele that puts alanine at position 262, the residue carried by the taster (PAV) form of the receptor. Published research associates this genotype with greater perceived bitterness from compounds such as PTC and PROP. This is one of three changes in TAS2R38 that are interpreted together — the others are rs713598 (position 49) and rs10246939 (position 296). The combination is what determines taster status, so a single one of the three is only part of the answer.

Source

Bivariate genome-wide association analysis strengthens the role of bitter receptor clusters on chromosomes 7 and 12 in human bitter taste

Hwang LD, Gharahkhani P, Breslin PAS, Gordon SD, Zhu G, Martin NG, Reed DR, Wright MJ

BMC genomics · 2018 · PMID 30223776 · open access

What people read about alongside this

Smell and taste12 Alcohol and the flush4 Heart and circulation1

Papers in Europe PMC whose title or abstract names both this rsID and that subject. A shared paper means somebody wrote about the two together — it is not a claim that this position explains the subject.

Questions about rs1726866

What is rs1726866?

rs1726866 is a single position in the genome, in or near the TAS2R38 gene. Published research associates it with bitter taste perception (tas2r38 position 262). A single variant does not decide an outcome — it shifts a probability, and for most common variants the shift is small.

What conditions is rs1726866 linked to?

On MyGeneLog this position is linked to Bitter Taste Perception (TAS2R38), Chronic Rhinosinusitis and the Bitter Taste Receptor. The research behind each link, and its sources, are set out on that condition page.

Does rs1726866 affect how medicines work?

TAS2R38 carries pharmacogenomic findings for Bitter medicines. That is educational information, not a prescription or a dosing guide. Any decision to start, stop or change a medicine belongs with the clinician or pharmacist managing your treatment.

Does rs1726866 affect smell or taste?

This position sits in the Taste group on the chemosensory axis. Chemosensory variants do not shift a risk — they change the perception itself, which makes them the rarest thing on this site: genetics you can check on yourself.

What do people read about alongside rs1726866?

Subjects that appear in the title or abstract of the same papers as this rsID include smell and taste (12 papers), alcohol and the flush (4 papers), heart and circulation (1 papers). A shared paper means somebody wrote about the two together; it is not a claim that this position explains the topic.

Does having rs1726866 mean I will get this?

No. Common variants like this one move a probability slightly and, on their own, rarely decide anything about one person. Nothing on this page is a diagnosis, and health decisions should be made with a clinician who can see your whole picture.

Where does the information about rs1726866 come from?

Bivariate genome-wide association analysis strengthens the role of bitter receptor clusters on chromosome 12 in human bitter taste (BMC Genomics 2018; PMID 30223776), 1,999 individuals of European ancestry from 929 twin families; p = 3 x 10^-59. Every variant on MyGeneLog comes from public primary sources and is published with its citation and the date it was checked.

Quoting this page

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Bitter taste perception (TAS2R38 position 262) (rs1726866). MyGeneLog™. https://www.mygenelog.com/variants/rs1726866

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