%0 Journal Article
%T A genetic variant near olfactory receptor genes influences cilantro preference
%A Nicholas Eriksson
%A Shirley Wu
%A Chuong B Do
%A Amy K Kiefer
%A Joyce Y Tung
%A Joanna L Mountain
%A David A Hinds
%A Uta Francke
%J Flavour
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/2044-7248-1-22
%X Here we present the results of a genome-wide association study among 14,604 participants of European ancestry who reported whether cilantro tasted soapy, with replication in a distinct set of 11,851 participants who declared whether they liked cilantro. We find a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) significantly associated with soapy-taste detection that is confirmed in the cilantro preference group. This SNP, rs72921001, (p=6.4?-9, odds ratio 0.81 per A allele), lies within a cluster of olfactory receptor genes on chromosome 11. Among these olfactory receptor genes is OR6A2, which has a high binding specificity for several of the aldehydes that give cilantro its characteristic odor. We also estimate the heritability of cilantro soapy-taste detection in our cohort, showing that the heritability tagged by common SNPs is low, about 0.087.These results confirm that there is a genetic component to cilantro taste perception and suggest that cilantro dislike may stem from genetic variants in olfactory receptors. We propose that one of a cluster of olfactory receptor genes, perhaps OR6A2, may be the olfactory receptor that contributes to the detection of a soapy smell from cilantro in European populations.
%U http://www.flavourjournal.com/content/1/1/22/abstract