Taste Bud Cells

We are super excited about our newest design "Taste Bud Cells!" made in collaboration with Not Yet a Dr. ! Check out their new podcast on the neuroscience of taste!

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https://notyetadr.podbean.com/.../episode-6-tasty-not-by.../

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Taste buds are complex bundles of specialized cell types that reside on our tongue and other gustatory tissue in order to detect the flavours in our food!

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The taste cells themselves are not considered neurons, however they generate action potentials and release neurotransmitter in response to taste cues, and this activity is transmitted to neurons that innervate taste buds.

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So far, there are four well defined taste cell types. Type 1 taste cells are glial-like cells and are the most abundant type in the taste bud. Type 2 cells are long thin cells with microvilli at the top in order to detect different flavours. They can detect a variety of taste modalities like sweet, umami, and bitter, all depending on which taste receptors they express. A single Type 2 cell only detects a single flavour type. Type 3 cells are similar to Type 2, however these cells detect sour and high salt concentrations. The last type, Type 4, are basal progenitor cells that differentiate and replenish the other cell types of the taste bud. Interestingly, the mechanism of detection for sodium salts is still under investigation! Some evidence points to sodium salts being detected by Type 1 cells, while other reports have identified a Type 2/3-like cell that may be responsible.

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Fun fact! Taste bud cells are constantly being renewed – the average lifespan of a single cell is estimated to around 10 days.

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References:

Finger, T. and Barlow, L. (2021). Cellular diversity and regeneration in taste buds. Current Opinion in Physiology, vol.20: 146:153.