Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Tight Junctions

Tight Junctions

Tight junctions are molecular seals between cells that prevent the leaking of fluids, ions, and other small solutes across cavities and compartments in multicellular organisms. They are mainly composed of claudin and occludin transmembrane proteins, and other proteins such as tricellulin and JAM (junctional adhesion molecule). All these proteins are 4-pass transmembrane proteins, except JAM, which is a single-pass transmembrane protein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily. The...

The Physiology of Taste

The Physiology of Taste

The perception of a salty flavor is facilitated by sodium ions within the oral salivary fluid. Upon consumption of a salty substance, salt crystals disassemble, leading to the liberation of its constituents—Na+ and Cl- ions. These ions subsequently dissolve into the salivary fluid present in the oral cavity. The external environment of the gustatory cells experiences an elevation in Na+ concentration, thereby establishing a potent concentration gradient. This gradient propels the diffusion of...

Taste Buds and Receptors

Taste Buds and Receptors

Gustation, or the sense of taste, is intrinsically linked to the anatomical structures located on the tongue. This organ's surface, along with the entirety of the oral cavity, is adorned with stratified squamous epithelium. Evident on the tongue are elevated structures known as papillae (singular = papilla), which house the mechanisms for the transduction of gustatory stimuli. Four distinct types of papillae exist, each identified by their unique morphological attributes: the circumvallate,...

Gustation

Gustation

Gustation is a chemical sense that, along with olfaction (smell), contributes to our perception of taste. It starts with the activation of receptors by chemical compounds (tastants) dissolved in the saliva. The saliva and filiform papillae on the tongue distribute the tastants and increase their exposure to the taste receptors.

The Tongue and Taste Buds

The Tongue and Taste Buds

The surface of the tongue is covered with various small bumps called papillae, which either distribute what has been ingested (filiform papillae) or contain the sensory taste (or gustatory) receptor cells (fungiform, circumvallate, and foliate papillae). Embedded within each taste-related papilla are the taste buds—clusters of 30 to 100 gustatory receptor cells.

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

GPCRs are primarily responsible for our sense of smell, taste, and vision. The binding of a sensory stimulus activates GPCR to stimulate effector proteins, many of which are ion channels in the sensory organs. GPCRs modulate the opening and closing of the target ion channels either directly by binding them, or by releasing second messengers that activate these channels. As ions move across the membrane, the membrane potential is altered, which induces an appropriate response.
Sensory organs,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Goals in Nutrition Science 2025-2030.

Frontiers in nutrition·2026

Same author

Unravelling bovine preadipocyte differentiation and their three-dimensional cultivation for cellular agriculture.

NPJ science of food·2025

Same author

Editorial: Food, nutrition, and diets at net zero. 10 years of Frontiers in Nutrition.

Frontiers in nutrition·2025

Same author

Fat forward: Cultivating bovine adipocytes on bioscaffolds.

Current research in food science·2025

Same author

Obtaining source material for cellular agriculture.

Heliyon·2024

Same author

Plant-based hydrolysates as building blocks for cellular agriculture.

Food chemistry·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Functional Assessment of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Ion Permeability in Native Tissue by Ussing Chamber Technique

Functional Assessment of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Ion Permeability in Native Tissue by Ussing Chamber Technique

Published on: May 26, 2021

Claudin-based permeability barriers in taste buds.

Stéphanie Michlig¹, Sami Damak, Johannes Le Coutre

¹Nestlé Research Center, Vers-chez-les-Blanc, Lausanne 1000, Switzerland.

The Journal of Comparative Neurology

|April 21, 2007

Summary

Claudins, key proteins in tight junctions, form specific pathways in taste buds. This research identifies claudins in mouse and human taste tissues, suggesting a peripheral mechanism for taste coding.

More Related Videos

Whole-Mount Staining, Visualization, and Analysis of Fungiform, Circumvallate, and Palate Taste Buds

Whole-Mount Staining, Visualization, and Analysis of Fungiform, Circumvallate, and Palate Taste Buds

Published on: February 11, 2021

Sensing of Barrier Tissue Disruption with an Organic Electrochemical Transistor

Sensing of Barrier Tissue Disruption with an Organic Electrochemical Transistor

Published on: February 10, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Functional Assessment of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Ion Permeability in Native Tissue by Ussing Chamber Technique

Functional Assessment of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Ion Permeability in Native Tissue by Ussing Chamber Technique

Published on: May 26, 2021

Whole-Mount Staining, Visualization, and Analysis of Fungiform, Circumvallate, and Palate Taste Buds

Whole-Mount Staining, Visualization, and Analysis of Fungiform, Circumvallate, and Palate Taste Buds

Published on: February 11, 2021

Sensing of Barrier Tissue Disruption with an Organic Electrochemical Transistor

Sensing of Barrier Tissue Disruption with an Organic Electrochemical Transistor

Published on: February 10, 2014

Area of Science:

Epithelial biology
Molecular biology
Sensory neuroscience

Background:

Tight junctions form semipermeable barriers in epithelial tissues, crucial for cell polarity.
Claudins are major tight junction proteins, regulating paracellular permeability via barrier reinforcement or pore formation.
Understanding these pathways in gustatory tissue is essential for deciphering taste perception.

Purpose of the Study:

To characterize claudin expression in mouse taste buds and human fungiform papillae.
To identify specific claudins involved in paracellular permeability within gustatory tissue.
To elucidate the role of claudins in taste coding mechanisms.

Main Methods:

Analysis of claudin expression in murine taste-papillae-enriched tissue and human fungiform papillae.
Immunohistochemical localization of specific claudins within mouse taste epithelium, including the taste pore and basolateral sides.
Correlation of claudin expression patterns with known ion permeability features.

Main Results:

Twelve claudins are expressed in mouse taste papillae; five are found in human fungiform papillae.
A subset of claudins is uniquely expressed in mouse taste buds.
Claudin 4, 6, 7, and 8 show distinct localizations within the taste bud architecture, including the taste pore and basolateral membranes.

Conclusions:

The identified claudins and their specific localizations suggest a highly selective paracellular diffusion pathway in gustatory tissue.
This specialized permeability pattern points towards a peripheral mechanism contributing to taste coding.
Claudin-based pathways are critical for regulating molecular access to taste receptor cells.