FOSTER CITY, Calif., May 7 -- Applied Biosystems Group, an Applera Corp. business, announced that researchers used its DNA sequencing and thermal cycling technology to identify a gene that may encode a receptor for sweet-tasting compounds. The finding, by separate teams of researchers at Harvard Medical School and New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine, may lead to a greater understanding of molecular codes that enable taste discrimination, and perhaps to a new generation of artificial sweeteners, the company said. Scientist from both institutions used an ABI Prism 310 Genetic Analyzer and ABI Prism BigDye Terminator reagents for DNA sequencing analysis. Additionally, the Harvard team performed many of its PCR reactions on the Applied Biosystems GeneAmp PCR System 9600 Thermal Cycler. The Mount Sinai investigators also used the Celera Genomics Mouse Genome Database in their efforts to identify the sweet-receptor gene in mice. Celera Genomics, which is also an Applera Corp. business, recently announced that it has completed assembling the mouse genome.