Transcribed Image Text: 6. Miraculin is a protein isolated from what is known as the “miracle berry,” the fruit of a plant native to West Africa. It is described as

Transcribed Image Text: 6. Miraculin is a protein isolated from what is known as the “miracle berry,” the fruit of a plant native to
West Africa. It is described as ‘miraculous’ because the protein is able to alter our sense of taste. When
introduced into the mouth, this protein interacts with the taste buds and makes normally sour foods
taste extremely sweet-imagine biting into a lemon and tasting lemonade instead of burning acid.
Researchers have created an in vitro system to test the function of this protein. Cultured cells expressing
TIR2/T1R3 receptors (those that normally detect sweet taste) were tested with or without miraculin
and at neutral and low pHs. Results from this experiment showing the level of sweet detection in these
different treatments appear below. From these data, make conclusions about how miraculin works to
affect taste. Be sure to explain your answer mechanistically.
Treatment
Neutral pH
Low pH
Sugar alone
Miraculin + Sugar
Miraculin alone
normal detection
normal detection
low detection
low detection
no detection
high detection
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