Unlocking the Mysteries of Taste

Research

Taste buds are sensory organs that consist of 60-100 specialized cells that have both neural and epithelial features and function to transduce gustatory stimuli into neural signals. Studies on fundamental issues including taste bud cell origin and renewal will bring new information and perspective to the field for how taste sensitivity is developed and maintained. Taste buds in the mammalian tongue reside in three types of taste papillae: fungiform, circumvallate, and foliate. Each type of taste papillae has its own unique spatial and morphological features, but all are similarly comprised of an epithelium covering a connective tissue core, with nerve fibers traversing to innervate the taste buds. The unique topographic pattern of taste papillae and neuro-epithelial features of taste buds provide a unique model for developmental biology and regenerative medicine studies. To demonstrate the origin of taste bud cells and the regulatory signaling pathways responsible for the development of taste papillae and taste buds, we use whole embryo and tongue organ culture systems, as well as transgenic mouse lines for functional and morphological analyses. We are also expanding our research program to include the identification of progenitor/stem cells of taste buds in non-mammalian vertebrates, as well as translational studies using human stem cells and tissues.