SUMO-assisted expression of a soluble and functional Venus flytrap domain of the human sweet taste receptor TAS1R2 in Escherichia coli

≈ 282 μM), while sucrose showed weak binding in the millimolar range. These affinities were in agreement with sweetness potency and comparable to those reported for the full-length TAS1R2 subunit. This work provides the first demonstration of soluble expression of functional hTAS1R2-VFT in bacteria, by adding a solubility tag, offering a robust and scalable platform for studying sweetener-receptor interactions and facilitating the rational design of novel sweeteners.