• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.22 no.12 s.187
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• pp.1083-1089
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• 1984

As a study to elucidate whether taste buds contain specific proteins, rat dorsal lingual epithelium was analysed by electrophoresis. The epithelium of the vallate papilla (with numerous taste buds), the area of the fungiform papilla 9with a few taste buds), and the area between vallate papilla and large filiform papilla (not containing taste buds) were strippled off by treatment with 0.7% EDTA. The epithelial protein was extracted by 1% SDS and 1% Mercaptoethanol in 0.01M phosphate buffer (pH7.2). Extracts were analysed by disc SDS-PAGE. Because the patterns of protein composition from each site were similar with each other as a whole, it is concluded that taste buds do not contain specific protein detected by SDS-PAGE in adult rat. But a protein on M.W. 49000 which lies in the area of molecular weight of keratin molecules was found only in the epithelium containing taste buds. This results suggested that the epithelium containing taste buds differentiate dissimilarly to the epithelium not containing taste buds.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.688-703
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• 1997

The effect of glossopharyngeal nerve transection on the taste buds of the rat vallate papilla was examined by using the method of DNA nick-end labeling (TUNEL) and standard electron microscopic technique at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 days after denervation. In general, the number and size of taste buds decreased as more days passed after denervation. They started decreasing on day 3 post denervation and virtually all taste buds were disappeared on day 9 post denervation. In studies using TUNEL method, TUNEL postive cells markedly increased in their numbers one day post denervation, as compared with controls. The number of apoptotic taste bud cells per taste bud profile was averaged to be 0.64 and 0.44 for day 1 and 3 post denervation, respectively, whereas it was 0.10 in controls. In electron microscopy, apoptotic cells were identified by the presence of condensed and fragmentary nuclei in a cytoplasm, which resulted in increased density. In control rats, only few apoptotic cells were found. On days 1 and 3 post denervation, nerve fibers almost disappeared from the taste buds and some apoptotic cells were apparent. On days 7 and 9 post denervation, a few taste bud cells were still present in the epithelium of the bottom of the trench wall of the vallate papilla and most of them showed apoptotic changes. The results indicate that the death of taste bud cells in normal conditions is controlled by apoptosis and the decrease and disappearance of taste buds after denervation is also caused by apoptosis of taste bud cells.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.477-483
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• 2005

This study was carried out to investigate the morphological development of the tongue in the 60-, 90- and 120-day-old fetuses and neonates of Korean native goats by light microscopy. In 60-day-old fetuses, the tongue tissues were differentiated into epithelium, lamina propria, and muscle layer. The primordia of filiform, conical, lentiform, fungiform, and vallate papillae appeared by this time, and rudiments of taste buds were observed in the epithelia of the primordia gustatory papillae. The dorsal lingual epithelia were PAS positive. Collagenous fibers and blood vessels were present in the lamina propria. In 90-day-old fetuses, the gustatory glands were moderately positive for PAS and muscle fibers, and connective tissues were developed. In 120-day-old fetuses, many taste buds were observed in the gustatory papillae. The muscle bundles, collagenous fibers, blood vessels and gustatory glands were well developed. In neonates, over 40 taste buds were found in a transverse section of the vallate papillae. Muscle layers, blood vessels, collagenous fibers and gustatory glands were very well developed.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.61-68
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• 2024

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This disease is characterized by a wide spectrum of symptoms, ranging from mild to severe, including fatal outcomes. This study aims to review gustatory and salivary secretion dysfunctions and determine their potential pathogenic mechanisms. Gustatory impairment and salivary dysfunction are prevalent among patients with acute COVID-19 and those recovering from the disease. The mouth serves as a critical entry route for SARS-CoV-2. The cells within the oral epithelium, taste buds, and minor and major salivary glands express key entry factors for SARS-CoV-2, including angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, transmembrane serine protease 2, and furin. The co-occurrence of gustatory and salivary secretion dysfunctions possibly has pathogenetic association with the following factors: the expression of SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry receptors in the taste buds and salivary glands and SARS-CoV-2-induced zinc deficiency, which is crucial for normal taste perception and saliva secretion. Furthermore, the cytokine storm triggered by COVID-19 contributes to secondary damage affecting gustatory and salivary functions.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.12
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• pp.877-882
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• 2022

Taste sensation is the process of converting chemical identities in food into a neural code of the brain. Taste information is initially formed in the taste buds on the tongue, travels through the afferent gustatory nerves to the sensory ganglion neurons, and finally reaches the multiple taste centers of the brain. In the taste field, optical tools to observe cellularlevel functions play a pivotal role in understanding how taste information is processed along a pathway. In this review, we introduce recent advances in the optical tools used to study the taste transduction pathways.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2010

Objectives This study is to find out how fungiform papillae count, which represents the density of taste buds, is related to eating behavior of children and adolescents. Methods The authors measured fungiform papillae count, height, and weight of 50 healthy children aged from 2 to 15. To evaluate the severity of anorexia, parents of the subjects answered modified version of Korean Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (K-CEBQ). Children with weight of less than 50th percentile were assigned to low-weight group, while the others to high-weight group. Pearson's correlation test was conducted in order to evaluate the relationship between modified K-CEBQ score and fungiform papillae count. Results Low-weight children scored $29.8{\pm}9.1$, while high-weight children scored $24.5{\pm}7.1$. (p<0.05) on modified K-CEBQ Pearson's correlation coefficient between modified K-CEBQ score and fungiform papillae count was 0.503 (p<0.05) in low-weight group, 0.260 in high-weight group, and 0.339 (p<0.05) in total. However, there were no statistical significance in correlations between modified K-CEBQ score and percentile of weight, height, or BMI. Conclusions Severity of anorexia was correlated to the density of taste buds, especially in children who weighed less than average. The analysis on each single question indicated that children with high taste bud density had poor appetite not because of their inadequate digestive function, but because of their fastidious eating habit. Further study should be focused on finding out which specific aspect of appetite is related to the taste bud density.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.158-163
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• 2005

This paper deals with the histology of the barbels of striped sea catfish, Plotosus lineatus (Thunberg). This fish have eight noticeable barbels of two pairs on their maxillary and mandibular. Each barbel is composed of an epidermis, dermis and a central rod of cartilage. The epidermis in the middle part of the maxillary barbel is thicker than those on other parts, and formed of stratified epithelium which contains many cutaneous taste buds and a few small club cells. Number of taste buds increase on the middle and posterior part of each barbel. The dermis consists of loose connective tissue fibers which encloses blood vessels and bundles of nerve fibers. The barbels of this fish can be categorized into stiff and flexible types and are accessory, feeding and sensory structures. Thus we substantiate that they are gustatory receptor organs for this fish.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.197-202
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• 2011

The present study demonstrates the first-ever characterization of cell types that express the vanilloid receptor 1 (VR1) in the taste buds of rat circumvallate papillae. We performed electron microscopy to identify the subcellular location. The VR1 immunoreactivity was associated with the endoplasmic reticulum, cytoplasmic vesicles, and plasma membrane of taste cells. These results demonstrate the localization of the VR1 in membranous structures of the taste cells. We used double immunofluorescence histochemistry with taste cell type-specific markers to identify the cell types that express the VR1. The VR1 was detected in all functional taste cell types (Type I, Type II, and Type III cells). Together, our data suggest that the VR1 might play different roles according to the cell types within a taste bud.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.36-42
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• 2005

Histological observations on the barbels of catfish (Siluridae) in Korea are reported. The mandibular barbel of Far Eastern catfish, Silurus asotus, has epidermis and dermis surrounding an axial rod of cartilage. The stratified epidermis embodies mucous cells, club cells, and taste buds. The mucous cells, which are thin rims of basophilic cytoplasm, and the taste buds, which are basophilic, are located at the surface and the distal portion of the epidermis, respectively. The basement membrane lies between the epidermis and dermis except in places of dermal papillae. The dermis is made up of loose connective tissue fibers enclosing nerve bundles and blood vessels. The central region of cartilage is innermost and enclosed within muscle layers. The mandibular barbel of slender catfish, S. microdorsalis, has an identical structure to those of the Far Eastern catfish however, the percentage thickness of epidermis in the upper and lower parts of the barbel and the number of taste buds in the upper and middle parts of the barbel are different from those of Far Eastern catfish. This study shows that the mandibular barbels in Far Eastern catfish and slender catfish are of a stiff and flexible type.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.299-303
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• 2012

Barbel structure and regenerated barbel length in the juvenile Chinese longsnout catfish Leiocassis longirostris (G$\ddot{u}$nther), were evaluated. The barbles consisted of an epidermis, a dermis, and a central rod. The epidermis harbored taste buds, granular cells and epidermal cells. The taste buds were basophilic and situated along the distal portion of the epidermis. The dermis was composed of loose connective tissue containing blood vessels pigment cells. The innermost central region was cartilage enclosed within layers of muscle layers. After 30 days, the regenerated barbel length measured $0.92{\pm}0.404mm$ at $15^{\circ}C$ (regenerated growth curve: y = 0.5085x + 4.0678, $r^2$ = 0.9654, where y is regenerated length and x is experimental period in days), $1.88{\pm}0.521mm$ at $20^{\circ}C$ (y = 0.1806x + 4.808, $r^2$ = 0.9822), and $6.44{\pm}0.751mm$ at $25^{\circ}C$ (y = 0.0914x + 4.9918, $r^2$ = 0.9944). Fifteen days after amputation, the regenerated length was significantly longer at $25^{\circ}C$ than at 15 or $20^{\circ}C$ (P < 0.05). The barbels of the Chinese longsnout catfish was the tender and flexible type, and our experimental findings provide evidence of temperature-dependent regeneration. Additional investigation of the behavior and physiology of the Chinese longsnout catfish is needed, particularly histological studies of regenerated barbels and the measurements of the numbers of taste buds per barbel under various environmental conditions.