Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Physiology of Taste

The Physiology of Taste

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...

Taste Buds and Receptors

Taste Buds and Receptors

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,...

Gustation

Gustation

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.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Paralogs of Slitrk cell adhesion molecules configure excitatory synapse specificity via distinct cellular mechanisms.

PLoS biology·2025

Same author

Single rosette-based generation of uniform cortical assembloids recapitulating cellular interactions between neurons and glial cells.

Nature communications·2025

Same author

Correlative voltage imaging and cryo-electron tomography bridge neuronal activity and molecular structure.

Nature communications·2025

Same author

Sweet Taste Adaptation to Sugars, Sucralose, and Their Blends: A Human and Rodent Perspective.

Nutrients·2025

Same author

A Co-essentiality Network of Cancer Driver Genes Better Prioritizes Anticancer Drugs.

Genomics, proteomics & bioinformatics·2025

Same author

Optical segmentation-based compressed readout of neuronal voltage dynamics.

Nature communications·2025

Same journal

Reassessing the Proposed Creatine-PrP Axis in Endometriosis: Methodological and Mechanistic Considerations.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026

Same journal

IL-7R-Enriched Extracellular Vesicles From the Thymus Drive Colitis via Promoting Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026

Same journal

Oral Prebiotic Polysaccharide Hydrogels Sustaining Colon Antibody Release Alleviate Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026

Same journal

Systematic Phosphorus-Driven Structural and Field Engineering of n-a-Si:H for Flexible n-a-Si:H/Te Near-Infrared Photodetectors.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026

Same journal

Chemically Gradient Ordered Nanodomains Enable Large Tensile Ductility in Gigapascal Lightweight Refractory High-Entropy Alloys.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026

Same journal

Single-Molecule Characterization of Bacterial Factor-Dependent Transcription Activation by Rob.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 6, 2026

µTongue: A Microfluidics-Based Functional Imaging Platform for the Tongue In Vivo

µTongue: A Microfluidics-Based Functional Imaging Platform for the Tongue In Vivo

Published on: April 22, 2021

Correlative Imaging Platform Linking Taste Cell Function to Molecular Identity.

Sungho Lee^1,2, Minjae Kim^1,2, Gha Yeon Park^1,2

¹School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.

Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)

|November 30, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a new imaging platform to link taste cell function with gene expression. This allows for a deeper understanding of how taste cells process information and contribute to taste perception.

Keywords:

correlative imaging in vivo imaging single‐cell analysis spatial transcriptome taste

More Related Videos

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

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

Published on: February 11, 2021

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

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

Published on: February 11, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 6, 2026

µTongue: A Microfluidics-Based Functional Imaging Platform for the Tongue In Vivo

µTongue: A Microfluidics-Based Functional Imaging Platform for the Tongue In Vivo

Published on: April 22, 2021

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

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

Published on: February 11, 2021

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

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

Published on: February 11, 2021

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cell Biology
Sensory Biology

Background:

Understanding taste cell physiology requires integrating gene expression and functional data.
Current methods lack correlative single-cell analysis for taste cells, hindering subtype identification.
This gap limits comprehensive understanding of taste cell subtypes and their roles.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a correlative imaging platform linking taste cell function to molecular identity.
To enable simultaneous acquisition of functional imaging and molecular data from the same taste cells.
To advance the study of taste cell subtypes and taste information processing.

Main Methods:

Developed a correlative imaging platform for intact taste buds.
Utilized near-infrared branding (NIRB) for spatial correspondence between live and fixed tissues.
Integrated functional imaging with in situ hybridization or immunofluorescence.

Main Results:

Demonstrated that sour taste cells express carbonic anhydrase IV (CA4) at transcriptional and translational levels.
Revealed that sweet/umami responses are mediated by taste cells co-expressing all Tas1R subtypes.
Showcased combinatoric encoding of taste qualities through co-expression.

Conclusions:

The developed correlative platform successfully links taste cell function to molecular identity.
Sour taste cells are molecularly defined by CA4 expression.
Taste receptor co-expression underlies complex taste perception, advancing taste information processing understanding.