Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2025
07:57
Generation and Culture of Lingual Organoids Derived from Adult Mouse Taste Stem Cells
Published on: April 5, 2021
4.4K
Aging does not affect the proportion of taste cell types in mice
Honomi Oka1, Masataka Narukawa1
1Department of Food and Nutrition, Kyoto Women's University, 35 Imakumano, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto 605-8501, Japan.
IBRO Neuroscience Reports
|February 8, 2024
Summary
Taste sensitivity changes with age, but molecular reasons are unknown. This study found no age-related changes in the proportion of key taste receptor cells (type II and III) in mice, suggesting other factors influence taste decline.
Area of Science:
- * Sensory biology
- * Gerontology
- * Molecular mechanisms of taste
Background:
- * Age-related decline in taste sensitivity is a common observation.
- * The specific molecular mechanisms driving these changes remain largely unelucidated.
- * Taste buds comprise various cell types, with type II and III cells crucial for taste signal transduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To investigate the hypothesis that altered proportions of taste cell types contribute to age-related taste changes.
- * To compare the expression patterns of type II and III cell markers in young versus aged mice.
Main Methods:
- * Analysis of taste buds from circumvallate papillae of young and old mice.
- * Double-fluorescence staining utilizing antibodies for specific type II (Gustducin, PLCβ2) and type III (SEMA3A, CAR4) cell markers.
- * Quantification of immunopositive cells to determine cell type proportions.
Main Results:
- * No significant differences were observed in the percentage of Gustducin, SEMA3A, PLCβ2, or CAR4 positive cells between young and old mice.
- * The proportions of type II and type III taste receptor cells remained consistent across age groups.
Conclusions:
- * The cellular composition of taste buds, specifically the ratio of type II and III cells, does not appear to change with aging.
- * These findings suggest that age-related alterations in taste sensitivity are likely mediated by mechanisms other than changes in the proportion of these primary taste cell types.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:20Taste Buds and Receptors
2.0K
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,...
2.0K
02:43Mouse Models of Cancer Study
5.5K
Mice have long served as models for studying human biology and pathology because of their phylogenetic and physiological similarity with humans. They are also easy to maintain and breed in the laboratory, and hence, many inbred strains are now available for research. Studies on mice have contributed immeasurably to our understanding of cancer biology.
The development of transgenic, knockout, and knock-in mice has led to an exponential increase in their use as model organisms in research,...
The development of transgenic, knockout, and knock-in mice has led to an exponential increase in their use as model organisms in research,...
5.5K
00:49The Tongue and Taste Buds
36.8K
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.
36.8K