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Updated: Aug 14, 2025

Generation and Culture of Lingual Organoids Derived from Adult Mouse Taste Stem Cells
Published on: April 5, 2021
Epithelial plasticity enhances regeneration of committed taste receptor cells following nerve injury
Anish Ashok Adpaikar1, Jong-Min Lee1, Dong-Joon Lee1
1Division in Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Department of Oral Biology, Taste Research Center, Oral Science Research Center, BK21 FOUR Project, Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Seoul, South Korea.
Abstract:
Taste receptor cells are taste bud epithelial cells that are dependent upon the innervating nerve for continuous renewal and are maintained by resident tissue stem/progenitor cells. Transection of the innervating nerve causes degeneration of taste buds and taste receptor cells. However, a subset of the taste receptor cells is maintained without nerve contact after glossopharyngeal nerve transection in the circumvallate papilla in adult mice. Here, we revealed that injury caused by glossopharyngeal nerve transection triggers the remaining differentiated K8-positive taste receptor cells to dedifferentiate and acquire transient progenitor cell-like states during regeneration. Dedifferentiated taste receptor cells proliferate, express progenitor cell markers (K14, Sox2, PCNA) and form organoids in vitro. These data indicate that differentiated taste receptor cells can enter the cell cycle, acquire stemness, and participate in taste bud regeneration. We propose that dedifferentiated taste receptor cells in combination with stem/progenitor cells enhance the regeneration of taste buds following nerve injury.
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