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Updated: Aug 8, 2026
07:33
Functional Evaluation of Olfactory Pathways in Living Xenopus Tadpoles
Published on: December 11, 2018
Amphibians provide new insights into taste-bud development
1Scripps Institute of Oceanography, Dept of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, USA.
Trends in Neurosciences
|February 17, 1998
Summary
Taste bud development is an intrinsic epithelial process, not induced by nerve growth. This research shows taste buds guide their own innervation, challenging older neural induction models.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Neuroscience
- Epithelial biology
Background:
- The traditional view proposed neural induction as the primary driver of taste bud development.
- Sensory nerve fibers were believed to induce taste bud differentiation late in embryonic stages.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of innervation in taste bud development.
- To determine if taste bud formation is an intrinsic property of the oropharyngeal epithelium.
Main Methods:
- Experimental studies on amphibian embryos.
- Observation of taste bud development independent of innervation.
Main Results:
- Taste bud development in amphibian embryos is independent of nerve ingrowth.
- The oropharyngeal epithelium possesses an intrinsic capacity for taste bud generation prior to innervation.
- Epithelial patterning occurs during gastrulation, preceding innervation.
Conclusions:
- Taste bud development is an intrinsic epithelial process.
- Taste buds or their precursors play a key role in directing their own innervation.
- The established model of neural induction for taste bud development requires revision.
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