Mash1 is required for the differentiation of AADC-positive type III cells in mouse taste buds

Mash1 is expressed in subsets of neuronal precursors in both the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. However, involvement of Mash1 in taste cell differentiation has not previously been demonstrated. In this study, we investigated the role of Mash1 in regulating taste bud differentiation using Mash1 KO mice to begin to understand the mechanisms that regulate taste bud cell differentiation. We found that aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) cells were not evident in either the circumvallate papilla epithelia or in taste buds in the soft palates of Mash1 KO mice. However gustducin was expressed in taste buds in the soft palates of Mash1 KO mice. These results suggest that Mash1 plays an important role in regulating the expression of AADC in type III cells in taste buds, which supports the hypothesis that different taste bud cell types have progenitor cells that are specific to each cell type.