Aspects of vertebrate gustatory phylogeny: Morphology and turnover of chick taste bud cells

Judith R. Ganchrow*, Donald Ganchrow, Suzanne M. Royer, John C. Kinnamon

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

The taste bud is a receptor form observed across vertebrates. The present report compares chick taste buds to those of other vertebrates using light and electron microscopy. Unlike mammals, but common to many modern avians, the dorsal surface of chick anterior tongue lacks taste papillae and taste buds. Ultrastructurally, chick buds located in the anterior floor of the mouth (as in some reptiles and amphibians) and palate contain dark, intermediate, light, and basal cell types. Dark, intermediate, and light cells extend microvilli into intragemmal lumina and pores communicating with the oral cavity. As specialized features, dark cell apices lack dense granules and exhibit short microvilli relative to light and intermediate cells. Dark cell cytoplasmic fingers envelop intragemmal nerve fibers and cells as in other species, and sometimes contain abundant clear vesicles. Nerve profile expansions often are located adjacent to dark, intermediate, and light cell nuclei. Classical afferent synaptic contacts are rarely observed. Taste cell turnover is suggested by mitotic and degenerating figures in chick buds. In addition, tritiated thymidine injected into hatchlings, whose anterior mandibular oral taste bud population approximates that in adults, reveals a turnover rate of about 4.5 days. This is about half that observed in altricial mammals, reflecting a species difference or developmental factor in precocial avians. It is concluded that chick taste buds exhibit morphologic features common to other vertebrate buds with specializations reflecting the influences of niche, glandular relations, and/or age. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)106-119
Number of pages14
JournalMicroscopy Research and Technique
Volume26
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Oct 1993

Funding

FundersFunder number
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication DisordersP01DC000244

    Keywords

    • Chickens
    • EM
    • Gustation
    • HVEM
    • Taste cell turnover
    • Tritiated thymidine

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