Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Taste Buds and Receptors01:20

Taste Buds and Receptors

3.1K
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,...
3.1K
Gustation01:43

Gustation

49.7K
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.
49.7K
The Physiology of Taste01:24

The Physiology of Taste

4.5K
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...
4.5K
The Tongue and Taste Buds00:49

The Tongue and Taste Buds

38.1K
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.
38.1K
Tactile and Chemical Senses01:27

Tactile and Chemical Senses

392
Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex.
392
Olfaction01:25

Olfaction

45.8K
The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
45.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors affect sweet taste and dysregulate fate selection of specific taste bud cell subtypes via KIT inhibition.

Development (Cambridge, England)·2026
Same author

Taste dysfunction in long COVID.

Chemical senses·2026
Same author

Receptors and signaling for sour and salty: the ionic taste qualities.

Chemical senses·2025
Same author

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors affect sweet taste and dysregulate fate selection of specific taste cell subtypes via KIT inhibition.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Taste dysfunction in Long COVID.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Death in the Taste Bud: Engulfment of Dying Taste Receptor Cells by Glial-Like Type I Cells.

Glia·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 10, 2025

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

Published on: February 11, 2021

3.7K

Taste Bud Connectome: Implications for Taste Information Processing.

Courtney E Wilson1, Robert S Lasher1, Ruibiao Yang1

  • 1Rocky Mountain Taste and Smell Center, University of Colorado School of Medicine, CU Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|December 8, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Interactions between taste cell types are rare and lack synapses. Some nerve fibers connect to multiple taste cell types, challenging the labeled-line system for taste encoding.

Keywords:
CALHM1electron microscopylabeled linenerve fiberssynapsetaste buds

More Related Videos

Taste Exam: A Brief and Validated Test
07:10

Taste Exam: A Brief and Validated Test

Published on: August 17, 2018

16.6K
In vivo Calcium Imaging of Mouse Geniculate Ganglion Neuron Responses to Taste Stimuli
07:27

In vivo Calcium Imaging of Mouse Geniculate Ganglion Neuron Responses to Taste Stimuli

Published on: February 11, 2021

5.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 10, 2025

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

Published on: February 11, 2021

3.7K
Taste Exam: A Brief and Validated Test
07:10

Taste Exam: A Brief and Validated Test

Published on: August 17, 2018

16.6K
In vivo Calcium Imaging of Mouse Geniculate Ganglion Neuron Responses to Taste Stimuli
07:27

In vivo Calcium Imaging of Mouse Geniculate Ganglion Neuron Responses to Taste Stimuli

Published on: February 11, 2021

5.2K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Taste buds are complex sensory organs containing distinct cell types responsible for transducing specific taste qualities (sweet, bitter, umami, sour).
  • Understanding the intricate connectivity between these taste receptor cells and afferent nerve fibers is crucial for deciphering taste perception mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the degree of interaction between different taste cell types (Type II and Type III) within taste buds.
  • To determine the specificity of connectivity between taste receptor cells and afferent nerve fibers (NFs).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized serial blockface scanning electron microscopy (sbfSEM) to image five circumvallate mouse taste buds in high resolution.
  • Analyzed synaptic contacts between taste receptor cells and 127 identified afferent nerve fibers within the sampled volume.

Main Results:

  • Rare direct synaptic contacts were observed between Type II and Type III taste cells.
  • Approximately 70% of NFs innervated a single taste cell, while others innervated multiple cells of the same type.
  • A small subset of NFs (∼3%) synapsed with both Type II and Type III cells, indicating multimodal innervation.

Conclusions:

  • Direct synaptic interaction between taste cell types is minimal, suggesting indirect communication pathways.
  • The presence of nerve fibers connecting to multiple taste cell types challenges a strict "labeled-line" model for taste coding.
  • Variations in synaptic connections and nerve fiber innervation suggest complex encoding of taste quality and concentration.