Here, we report that the polycystic kidney disease 2-like 1 (PKD2L1) channel is a novel sensor for the bitter aftertaste in Type III taste cells.  The PKD2L1 channel showed rebound activation after the washout of quinine, a bitter tastant, in electrophysiological whole-cell recordings of the PKD2L1-expressing HEK293T cells and Ca2+-imaging analysis of Type III taste cells isolated from wild-type PKD2L1 mice.  In the short-term two-bottle preference and lick tests in vivo, the wild-type mice avoided normal water while the PKD2L1-knockout mice preferred normal water after they ingested the quinine-containing water. 
PKD2L1
The PKD2L1 channel showed rebound activation after the washout of quinine, a bitter tastant, in electrophysiological whole-cell recordings of the PKD2L1-expressing HEK293T cells and Ca2+-imaging analysis of Type III taste cells isolated from wild-type PKD2L1 mice. 
HEK293T
In the short-term two-bottle preference and lick tests in vivo, the wild-type mice avoided normal water while the PKD2L1-knockout mice preferred normal water after they ingested the quinine-containing water. 
PKD2L1-knockout