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Updated: May 17, 2026
07:40
Whole-Mount Staining, Visualization, and Analysis of Fungiform, Circumvallate, and Palate Taste Buds
Published on: February 11, 2021
Functional diversification of taste cells in vertebrates
Ichiro Matsumoto1, Makoto Ohmoto, Keiko Abe
1Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. imatsumoto@monell.org
Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology
|October 23, 2012
Summary
This review explores the five basic tastes, examining the molecular and cellular basis of taste perception. It reveals that distinct taste cells activate specific taste qualities, varying across species.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Taste perception involves specialized cells in oral epithelia.
- The five basic tastes (sweet, umami, bitter, sour, salty) lack clear evolutionary justification.
- Understanding the diversity of taste cells is key to understanding taste quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To dissect the peripheral gustatory system in vertebrates.
- To explain the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the five basic tastes.
- To explore the evolutionary reasons for the specific set of basic tastes.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent behavioral studies.
- Analysis of molecular genetic studies.
- Examination of functional taste receptors and cells.
Main Results:
- Different taste qualities are mediated by distinct subsets of taste receptor cells.
- The diversity of taste buds and their cellular composition varies significantly among species.
- Functional taste receptors and cells have been identified through genetic and behavioral studies.
Conclusions:
- The diversity of basic tastes is intrinsically linked to the diversity of taste cells within taste buds.
- Species-specific variations in taste cell populations may explain differences in taste perception.
- Further research into taste cell diversity can elucidate the evolutionary pathways of taste perception.
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