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Whole-Mount Staining, Visualization, and Analysis of Fungiform, Circumvallate, and Palate Taste Buds
Published on: February 11, 2021
Expression of tryptophan hydroxylase in developing mouse taste papillae
Rafael Ortíz-Alvarado1, Omar Guzmán-Quevedo, Rosalio Mercado-Camargo
1UMR Physiologie des Adaptations Nutritionnelles, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique-Université de Nantes, Rue de la Géraudière, B.P. 71627, 44316 Nantes, France.
FEBS Letters
|September 23, 2006
Summary
Serotonin (5-HT) synthesis enzymes are found in developing taste papillae. This suggests serotonin may play a role in the development and differentiation of taste buds during embryogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Gustatory papillae and taste buds are crucial for processing environmental chemical information.
- Mammalian taste papillae develop late in embryogenesis, but regulatory factors are poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of serotonin synthesis in the development of mammalian taste papillae.
- To identify cellular factors regulating taste papilla differentiation.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative real-time RT-PCR to detect gene expression of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) isoforms.
- Immunostaining to determine the localization of TPH within gustatory papillae.
Main Results:
- Both TPH1 and TPH2 isoforms, key enzymes in serotonin synthesis, were expressed in developing circumvallate papillae.
- TPH was localized to gustatory nerve fibers and differentiated taste receptor cells.
Conclusions:
- Serotonin is synthesized within gustatory papillae.
- Serotonin may modulate the development and differentiation of taste buds during embryogenesis.
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