The solitary chemosensory cells and the diffuse chemosensory system of the airway
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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Isolation and Quantitative Evaluation of Brush Cells from Mouse Tracheas
Published on: June 12, 2019
F Osculati1, M Bentivoglio, M Castellucci
1Department of Morphological and Biomedical Science, Section of Anatomy and Histology, University of Verona, Medical Faculty, Verona, Italy.
Abstract:
Solitary chemosensory cells (SCCs), which resemble taste bud cells, are present in the epidermis and oropharynx of most primary aquatic vertebrates. Recent studies have led to the description of SCCs also in mammals too. In the airway and digestive apparatus, these elements form a diffuse chemosensory system. SCCs do not aggregate into groups and in SCCs, as in taste bud cells, immunoreactivity forthe G-protein subunit alpha-gustducin and for other molecules of the chemoreceptive cascade was found. Questions remain about the role of the diffuse chemosensory system in control of complex functions (e.g. airway surface liquid secretion) and about the involvement of chemoreceptors in respiratory diseases. Therapeutic actions targeting chemoreceptors could be tested in the treatment of respiratory diseases.
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