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Updated: Mar 31, 2026
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Whole-Mount Staining, Visualization, and Analysis of Fungiform, Circumvallate, and Palate Taste Buds
Published on: February 11, 2021
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Coevolutionary patterning of teeth and taste buds.
Ryan F Bloomquist1, Nicholas F Parnell2, Kristine A Phillips2
1School of Biology and Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; College of Dental Medicine, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA 30912; rbloomquist@gru.edu todd.streelman@biology.gatech.edu.
Summary
Researchers discovered shared genetic pathways regulating tooth and taste bud development in cichlid fish. This suggests a common evolutionary origin for these oral organs, influencing their density and patterning.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Teeth and taste buds are iteratively patterned structures in vertebrates.
- Their independent study in mammals belies colocalization in aquatic animals.
- Mechanisms regulating organ density and development remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate shared genetic regulation of tooth and taste bud densities.
- Explore the evolutionary origins of oral organ patterning.
- Identify signaling pathways involved in copatterning.
Main Methods:
- Genetic mapping in cichlid fishes.
- Analysis of gene expression (sfrp5, bmper) in cichlids and mice.
- Synexpression analysis and chemical manipulation of Wnt, BMP, and Hedgehog (Hh) pathways.
Main Results:
- Identified shared genetic loci positively correlating tooth and taste bud densities.
- Found differential expression of Wnt and BMP signaling genes across species.
- Demonstrated a common oral lamina in cichlids capable of forming either organ.
- Wnt signaling influences density, while BMP and Hh mediate identity.
Conclusions:
- A shared regulatory hierarchy (Wnt-BMP-Hh) likely governs tooth and taste bud development.
- This hierarchy may be an evolutionary remnant from common ancestral copatterning.
- Suggests a unified model for oral organ development across vertebrates.
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