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Related Concept Videos

Taste Buds and Receptors01:20

Taste Buds and Receptors

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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,...
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The Physiology of Taste01:24

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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...
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Gustation01:43

Gustation

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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.
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The Tongue and Taste Buds00:49

The Tongue and Taste Buds

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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.
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Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure01:03

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

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The process of olfaction, also known as the sense of smell, is a sophisticated chemical response system. The specialized sensory neurons that facilitate this process, known as olfactory receptor neurons, are situated in an upper segment of the nasal cavity, known as the olfactory epithelium. Olfactory sensory neurons are bipolar, with their dendrites extending from the epithelium's apex into the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. Airborne molecules, when inhaled, traverse the olfactory...
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Neural Regulation01:37

Neural Regulation

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Digestion begins with a cephalic phase that prepares the digestive system to receive food. When our brain processes visual or olfactory information about food, it triggers impulses in the cranial nerves innervating the salivary glands and stomach to prepare for food.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 4, 2026

Whole-Mount Staining, Visualization, and Analysis of Fungiform, Circumvallate, and Palate Taste Buds
07:40

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

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BDNF and NT4 play interchangeable roles in gustatory development.

Tao Huang1, Robin F Krimm1

  • 1Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.

Developmental Biology
|January 1, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Neurotrophins brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-4 (NT4) have interchangeable roles in taste development. Replacing BDNF with NT4 rescued developmental defects, indicating functional redundancy in gustatory system development.

Keywords:
Brain derived neurotrophic factorGeniculate ganglion neuronsNeurotrophin-4NeurotrophinsTaste

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Last Updated: May 4, 2026

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Growth factors regulate development, but mechanisms remain unclear.
  • Neurotrophins brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-4 (NT4) have distinct roles in development despite sharing receptors (TrkB, p75).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if differential expression patterns of BDNF and NT4 account for their distinct developmental roles.
  • To determine if BDNF and NT4 regulate different downstream genes in the gustatory system.
  • To assess the interchangeability of BDNF and NT4 functions during taste development.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized Bdnf(Nt4/Nt4) mice where NT4 replaces BDNF coding regions.
  • Analyzed caspase-3-mediated cell death and gustatory axon innervation in mutant mice.
  • Performed genome-wide expression analyses in the geniculate ganglion.

Main Results:

  • NT4 successfully rescued caspase-3-mediated cell death and disrupted tongue innervation observed in BDNF knockout mice.
  • Genome-wide expression analysis revealed distinct gene expression profiles in BDNF mutant mice, which were normalized when NT4 replaced BDNF.
  • Findings indicate that NT4 can largely substitute for BDNF's unique roles in taste development.

Conclusions:

  • The functions of BDNF and NT4 in taste development are interchangeable.
  • Spatial and temporal expression differences influence gene regulation and developmental roles.
  • This study clarifies the functional redundancy and specific contributions of neurotrophins in gustatory system development.