Keratin 19-like immunoreactivity in receptor cells of mammalian taste buds

Chronic exposure to liquid sucrose and dry sucrose diet have differential effects on peripheral taste responses in female rats

Sugar-sweetened beverages are the major source of added calories in the Western diet and their prevalence is associated with obesity and metabolic disruption. Despite the critical role of the taste system in determining food selection and consumption, the effects of chronic sucrose consumption on the peripheral taste system in mammals have received limited attention. We offered female Sprague Dawley rats free access to water and one of three diets for up to 40 days: (1) sucrose-free chow or "NS" diet; (2) a high-sucrose dry diet or "HS"; or (3) 30% sucrose solution and the NS diet, designated "LiqS" diet. Sucrose consumption by LiqS rats gradually increased and by day 14 was equal to that of HS rats. Food intake decreased in LiqS rats, but their energy intake remained higher than for NS or HS rats. There was no significant difference in weight gain of the groups during the study. Recordings from the chorda tympani nerve (CT), which innervates taste buds on the anterior tongue, revealed decreased responses to 1 M sucrose in both LiqS and HS rats and to acesulfame K and salt tastants in LiqS rats after 40 days on diet. Umami, bitter, and acid response magnitudes were unchanged in both groups. These results demonstrate that chronic sucrose exposure inhibits taste responses to higher concentrations of sweet stimuli. More surprisingly, CT responses to NaCl and 0.5M NaAc were significantly reduced in rats on the LiqS diet. Thus, the physical form of the diet influences taste responsiveness to salt and sweet taste function. These data suggest that taste buds are previously unappreciated targets of chronic sucrose consumption.

Expression of Oncofetal Antigen 5T4 in Murine Taste Papillae

Background: Multicellular taste buds located within taste papillae on the tongue mediate taste sensation. In taste papillae, taste bud cells (TBCs), such as taste receptor cells and taste precursor cells, and the surrounding lingual epithelium including epithelial progenitors (also called taste stem/progenitor cells) are maintained by continuous cell turnover throughout life. However, it remains unknown how the cells constituting taste buds proliferate and differentiate to maintain taste bud tissue. Based on in situ hybridization (ISH) screening, we demonstrated that the oncofetal antigen 5T4 (also known as trophoblast glycoprotein: TPBG) gene is expressed in the adult mouse tongue. Results: In immunohistochemistry of coronal tongue sections, 5T4 protein was detected at a low level exclusively in the basal part of the lingual epithelium in developing and adult mice, and at a high level particularly in foliate papillae and circumvallate papillae (CVPs). Furthermore, immunohistochemistry of the basal part of CVPs indicated that the proliferation marker PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) co-localized with 5T4. 5T4 was strongly expressed in Krt5+ epithelial progenitors and Shh+ taste precursor cells, but weakly in mature taste receptor cells. The number of proliferating cells in the CVP was higher in 5T4-knockout mice than in wild-type (WT) mice, while neither cell differentiation nor the size of taste buds differed between these two groups of mice. Notably, X-ray irradiation enhanced cell proliferation more in 5T4-knockout mice than in WT mice. Conclusion: Our results suggest that 5T4, expressed in epithelial progenitors (taste stem/progenitor cells), and taste precursor cells, may influence the maintenance of taste papillae under both normal and injury conditions.

Ulex Europaeus Agglutinin-1 Is a Reliable Taste Bud Marker for In Situ Hybridization Analyses

Taste signals are received by taste buds. To better understand the taste reception system, expression patterns of taste-related molecules are determined by in situ hybridization (ISH) analyses at the histological level. Nevertheless, even though ISH is essential for determining mRNA expression, few taste bud markers can be applied together with ISH. Ulex europaeus agglutinin-1 (UEA-1) appears to be a reliable murine taste bud marker based on immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses. However, there is no evidence as to whether UEA-1 can be used for ISH. Thus, the present study evaluated UEA-1 using various histochemical methods, especially ISH. When lectin staining was performed after ISH procedures, UEA-1 clearly labeled taste cellular membranes and distinctly indicated boundaries between taste buds and the surrounding epithelial cells. Additionally, UEA-1 was determined as a taste bud marker not only when used in single-colored ISH but also when employed with double-labeled ISH or during simultaneous detection using IHC and ISH methods. These results suggest that UEA-1 is a useful marker when conducting analyses based on ISH methods. To clarify UEA-1 staining details, multi-fluorescent IHC (together with UEA-1 staining) was examined, resulting in more than 99% of cells being labeled by UEA-1 and overlapping with KCNQ1-expressing cells.

Functional role for interleukin-1 in the injured peripheral taste system

The peripheral taste system presents an excellent model for studying the consequences of neural injury, for the damaged nerve and sensory cells and the neighboring, intact neural cells. Sectioning a primary afferent nerve, the chorda tympani (CT), rapidly recruits neutrophils to both sides of the tongue. The bilateral neutrophil response induces transient functional deficits in the intact CT. Normal function is subsequently restored as macrophages respond to injury. We hypothesized that macrophages produce the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1, which contributes to the maintenance of normal taste function after nearby injury. We demonstrate that IL-1β protein levels are significantly increased on the injured side of the tongue at day 2 after injury. Dietary sodium deficiency, a manipulation that prevents macrophage recruitment, inhibits the elevation in IL-1β. IL-1β was expressed in several cell populations, including taste receptor cells and infiltrating neutrophils and macrophages. To test whether IL-1 modulates taste function after injury, we blocked signaling with an IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1 RA) and recorded taste responses from the intact CT. This treatment inhibited the bilateral macrophage response to injury and impaired taste responses in the intact CT. Cytokine actions in the taste system are largely unstudied. These results demonstrate that IL-1 has a beneficial effect on taste function after nearby injury, in contrast to its detrimental role in the injured central nervous system.

Aging profoundly delays functional recovery from gustatory nerve injury

The peripheral taste system remains plastic during adulthood. Sectioning the chorda tympani (CT) nerve, which sends sensory information from the anterior tongue to the central nervous system, causes degeneration of distal fibers and target taste buds. However, taste function is restored after about 40 days in young adult rodents. We tested whether aging impacts the reappearance of neural responses after unilateral CT nerve injury. Taste bud regeneration was minimal at day 50-65 after denervation, and most aged animals died before functional recovery could be assessed. A subset (n=3/5) of old rats exhibited normal CT responses at day 85 postsectioning, suggesting the potential for efficient recovery. The aged taste system is fairly resilient to sensory receptor loss and major functional changes in normal aging. However, injury to the taste system reveals a surprising vulnerability in old rodents. The gustatory system provides an excellent model to study mechanisms underlying delayed recovery from peripheral nerve injury. Strategies to accelerate recovery and restore normal function will be of interest, as the elderly population continues to grow.

Expression of genes encoding multi-transmembrane proteins in specific primate taste cell populations

Background

Using fungiform (FG) and circumvallate (CV) taste buds isolated by laser capture microdissection and analyzed using gene arrays, we previously constructed a comprehensive database of gene expression in primates, which revealed over 2,300 taste bud-associated genes. Bioinformatics analyses identified hundreds of genes predicted to encode multi-transmembrane domain proteins with no previous association with taste function. A first step in elucidating the roles these gene products play in gustation is to identify the specific taste cell types in which they are expressed.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Using double label in situ hybridization analyses, we identified seven new genes expressed in specific taste cell types, including sweet, bitter, and umami cells (TRPM5-positive), sour cells (PKD2L1-positive), as well as other taste cell populations. Transmembrane protein 44 (TMEM44), a protein with seven predicted transmembrane domains with no homology to GPCRs, is expressed in a TRPM5-negative and PKD2L1-negative population that is enriched in the bottom portion of taste buds and may represent developmentally immature taste cells. Calcium homeostasis modulator 1 (CALHM1), a component of a novel calcium channel, along with family members CALHM2 and CALHM3; multiple C2 domains; transmembrane 1 (MCTP1), a calcium-binding transmembrane protein; and anoctamin 7 (ANO7), a member of the recently identified calcium-gated chloride channel family, are all expressed in TRPM5 cells. These proteins may modulate and effect calcium signalling stemming from sweet, bitter, and umami receptor activation. Synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2B (SV2B), a regulator of synaptic vesicle exocytosis, is expressed in PKD2L1 cells, suggesting that this taste cell population transmits tastant information to gustatory afferent nerve fibers via exocytic neurotransmitter release.

Conclusions/Significance

Identification of genes encoding multi-transmembrane domain proteins expressed in primate taste buds provides new insights into the processes of taste cell development, signal transduction, and information coding. Discrete taste cell populations exhibit highly specific gene expression patterns, supporting a model whereby each mature taste receptor cell is responsible for sensing, transmitting, and coding a specific taste quality.

Follistatin modulates a BMP autoregulatory loop to control the size and patterning of sensory domains in the developing tongue

The regenerative capacity of many placode-derived epithelial structures makes them of interest for understanding the molecular control of epithelial stem cells and their niches. Here, we investigate the interaction between the developing epithelium and its surrounding mesenchyme in one such system, the taste papillae and sensory taste buds of the mouse tongue. We identify follistatin (FST) as a mesenchymal factor that controls size, patterning and gustatory cell differentiation in developing taste papillae. FST limits expansion and differentiation of Sox2-expressing taste progenitor cells and negatively regulates the development of taste papillae in the lingual epithelium: in Fst(-/-) tongue, there is both ectopic development of Sox2-expressing taste progenitors and accelerated differentiation of gustatory cells. Loss of Fst leads to elevated activity and increased expression of epithelial Bmp7; the latter effect is consistent with BMP7 positive autoregulation, a phenomenon we demonstrate directly. We show that FST and BMP7 influence the activity and expression of other signaling systems that play important roles in the development of taste papillae and taste buds. In addition, using computational modeling, we show how aberrations in taste papillae patterning in Fst(-/-) mice could result from disruption of an FST-BMP7 regulatory circuit that normally suppresses noise in a process based on diffusion-driven instability. Because inactivation of Bmp7 rescues many of the defects observed in Fst(-/-) tongue, we conclude that interactions between mesenchyme-derived FST and epithelial BMP7 play a central role in the morphogenesis, innervation and maintenance of taste buds and their stem/progenitor cells.

Association of Shh and Ptc with keratin localization in the initiation of the formation of circumvallate papilla and von Ebner's gland

The development of gustatory papillae in mammalian embryos requires the coordination of a series of morphological events, such as proliferation, differentiation and innervation. In mice, the circumvallate papilla (CVP) is a specialized structure that develops in a characteristic spatial and temporal pattern in the posterior region of the tongue dorsal surface. The distinct expression patterns of Shh and Ptc, which play important roles in the development of other epithelial appendages, have been localized in the trench wall that gives rise to von Ebner's gland (VEG). To define the cellular mechanisms responsible for morphogenesis and differentiation during early development of CVP and VEG, the localization patterns of keratins (cytokeratins) K7, K8, K18, K19, K14 and connexin-43, which are dependent on Shh expression in other developmental systems, have been examined in detail. The distinct localization of keratins K7, K8, K18, K19, K14 and connexin-43 in the epithelium giving rise to the CVP and VEG suggests that cytodifferentiation is established prior to morphological changes. Interestingly, the localization of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, a marker for cell proliferation, is similar to that of Shh. An understanding of the regulatory roles of cell-cell interactions and signalling molecules in orchestrating a mutual network will bring us nearer to defining the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying morphogenesis in mammalian taste bud development.

Stage-specific induction of DNA methyltransferases in olfactory receptor neuron development

DNA methylation-dependent gene silencing, mediated by DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), is essential for normal mammalian development and its dysregulation has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders. Despite this, little is known about DNMTs in the developing or mature nervous system. Here, we show that DNMT1, 3a and 3b are expressed at discrete developmental stages in the olfactory neuron lineage, coincident with key shifts in developmental gene expression. DNMT1 is induced in cycling progenitors and is retained in post-mitotic olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). DNMT3b is restricted to mitotic olfactory progenitors, whereas DNMT3a is expressed only in post-mitotic immature neurons prior to ORN terminal maturation, coincident with histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2), a key downstream effector of methylation-dependent chromatin condensation. Similar stage-specific expression of DNMT3b and 3a was also found in other developing sensory and CNS neurons. This suggests that progressive lineage restriction regulated by methylation-dependent silencing could be a highly conserved mechanism shared by multiple lineages in the developing nervous system.

Localization of Ulex europaeus agglutinin-I (UEA-I) in the developing gustatory epithelium of the rat

To understand the development of the gustatory structures necessitates a reliable marker for both immature and mature taste buds. It has been reported that the intragemmal cells within the taste buds of adult rats were bound to Ulex europaeus agglutinin-I (UEA-I), a specific lectin for alpha-linked fucose, but it has not been determined whether immature taste buds, i.e. taste buds without an apparent taste pore, are labeled with UEA-I. The present study was conducted to examine the UEA-I binding pattern during the development of the rat gustatory epithelium. In adult animals, UEA-I bound to the membrane of taste buds in all examined regions of the gustatory epithelium. Within the individual taste buds, UEA-I labeled almost all intragemmal cells. The binding of UEA-I was occasionally detected below the keratinized layer of the trench wall epithelium but could not be found in the lingual epithelium of the adult animal. During the development of circumvallate papilla, some cells within the immature taste buds were also labeled with UEA-I. The developmental changes in the UEA-I binding pattern in fungiform papillae were almost identical to those in the circumvallate papilla: both immature and mature taste buds were labeled with UEA-I. The present results indicate that UEA-I is a specific lectin for the intragemmal cells of both immature and mature taste buds and, thus, UEA-I can be used as a reliable marker for all taste buds in the rat.

Notch-associated gene expression in embryonic and adult taste papillae and taste buds suggests a role in taste cell lineage decisions

The Notch signaling pathway is involved in cell fate decisions during development. To explore the role of this signaling cascade in the taste system, we investigated the expression patterns of Notch signaling genes in fetal and adult mouse tongues using in situ hybridization. Three of the four murine Notch receptors, their ligands, Delta-like 1 (Dll-1), Jagged1, and Jagged2, as well as three transcription factors, Hes1, Hes6, and Mash1, are expressed in the embryonic taste epithelium. Expression is first detected in the circumvallate papilla at embryonic day E14.5, when Notch1, Jagged1, and Jagged2 are expressed broadly in the papilla and general lingual epithelium. In contrast, Mash1 and Hes6 are restricted to only a few epithelial cells in the apical region of the developing papilla. By E18.5, many of the genes now exhibit a bimodal expression pattern in the papillary epithelium: apically and dorsally they are expressed in sparse clusters of cells, while more ventrally expression typically occurs throughout the lower regions of the trenches. The extent of papilla innervation was compared with Mash1 and Hes6 expression. At E14.5, when Hes6 and Mash1 are already expressed in small numbers of epithelial cells, PGP9.5 immunoreactive fibers have not yet invaded the epithelium, consistent with the specification of taste bud primordia prior to nerve contact. All of the genes examined (except Notch2) are also expressed in subsets of cells within circumvallate taste buds in adult mice, although Notch1 is restricted to basal cells adjacent to taste buds. The onset of embryonic Notch associated gene expression after the morphological differentiation of the circumvallate papilla argues that this signaling cascade may specify taste receptor cell lineages within an already specified taste papilla. Similarly, Notch gene expression in adult taste buds suggests continued roles in cell lineage determination and cell turnover.

Sensitive periods for the effect of dietary sodium restriction on intact and denervated taste receptor cells

Unilateral chorda tympani nerve (CT) section combined with dietary sodium restriction leads to striking alterations in sodium taste function. The regenerated rat CT exhibits deficits in sodium sensitivity, and surprisingly, there are also functional alterations in the intact, contralateral nerve. The studies presented here describe the functional "sensitive periods" for these aberrations and the number of taste buds present during corresponding stages. The regenerated CT is sensitive to dietary sodium restriction during the first 2 wk after denervation, whereas the intact CT is sensitive to dietary manipulation during the first week postsection. Therefore, distinct mechanisms are responsible for the effects of sodium restriction combined with denervation, because separate sensitive periods exist for the regenerated and intact CT nerves. Identification of mature taste buds with an antibody directed at anti-keratin 19 revealed that there is a loss of ~85% of taste buds on the denervated side of the tongue under control and low-sodium diets within the first week postsection. Thus, sodium restriction does not differentially affect the loss of taste buds following denervation.

Time course of morphological alterations of fungiform papillae and taste buds following chorda tympani transection in neonatal rats

The time course of structural changes in fungiform papillae was analyzed in rats that received unilateral chorda tympani nerve transection at 10 days of age. Morphological differences between intact and denervated sides of the tongue were first observed at 8 days postsection, with an increase in the number of fungiform papillae that did not have a pore. In addition, the first papilla with a filiform-like appearance was noted on the denervated side at 8 days postsectioning. By 11 days after surgery, the total number of papillae and the number of papillae with a pore were significantly lower on the transected side of the tongue as compared to the intact side. At 50 days postsection, there was an average of 70.5 fungiform papillae on the intact side and a mean of only 20.8 fungiform papillae the denervated side. Of those few remaining papillae on the cut side, an average of 13.5 papillae were categorized as filiform-like, while no filiform-like papillae occurred on the intact side. Significant reduction in taste bud volume was noted at 4 days posttransection and further decrements in taste bud volume were noted at 8 and 30 days postsection. Electron microscopy of the lingual branch of the trigeminal nerve from adult rats that received neonatal chorda tympani transection showed normal numbers of both myelinated and unmyelinated fibers. Thus, in addition to the well-characterized dependence of taste bud maintenance on the chorda tympani nerve, the present study shows an additional role of the chorda tympani nerve in papilla maintenance during early postnatal development.

Taste cell function. Structural and biochemical implications

Maintenance of constant relations between receptor cell types and branching from a single gustatory nerve fiber during normal cell turnover and regeneration requires cell-cell recognition likely mediated by timed expression of molecules at surfaces of taste bud cells, nerve endings, and in extracellular matrix. These processes assure stability of gustatory quality representation during intragemmal remodeling. Coincidentally, features of gemmal cell lifespan, including elongation, differentiation, and migration prior to apoptosis, must also be orchestrated by molecular signals. This article reviews the potential roles played by a variety of molecular markers for some relevant classes of proteins, peptides, and enzymes, which were presumed to be important for carrying out these gustatory cellular functions.

Light and dark cells of rat vallate taste buds are morphologically distinct cell types

Cells of mammalian taste buds have been classified into morphological types based on ultrastructural criteria, but investigators have disagreed as to whether these are distinct cell types or the extremes of a continuum. To address this issue, we examined taste buds from rat vallate papillae that had been sectioned transversely, rather than longitudinally, to their longest axis. In these transverse sections, dark (Type I) and light (Type II) cells were easily distinguished by their relative electron density, shape and topological relationships. Cells with electron-lucent cytoplasm (light cells) were circular or oval in outline, while those with electron-dense cytoplasm (dark cells) had an irregular outline with sheetlike cytoplasmic projections that separated adjacent light cells. A hierarchical cluster analysis of 314 cells across five morphological parameters (cell shape and area, and nuclear ellipticity, electron density and invagination) revealed two distinct groups of cells, which largely corresponded to the dark and light cells identified visually. These cells were not continuously distributed within a principal components factor solution. Differences in the means for dark and light cells were highly significant for each morphological parameter, but within either cell type, changes in one parameter correlated little with changes in any other. These analyses all failed to reveal cells with a consistent set of intermediate characteristics, suggesting that dark and light cells of rat vallate taste buds are distinct cell types rather than extremes of a continuum. Sections of taste buds were stained with antibodies to several carbohydrates, then observed by indirect immunofluorescence. Optical sections taken with a confocal laser-scanning microscope showed that the Lewis antigen was present only on spindle-shaped cells with circular or oval outlines and lacking transverse projections; these characteristic shapes matched those of light cells seen by electron microscopy. The H blood group antigen and the 2B8 epitope appeared at most cell-cell interfaces in the bud and are present on dark cells and possibly on some light cells. These findings relate molecular markers to morphological phenotypes and should facilitate future studies of taste cell turnover, development and regeneration.

The distribution and origin of keratin 20-containing taste buds in rat and human

Sections of tissues containing lingual and extra-lingual taste buds were evaluated with monoclonal antibodies against cytokeratins. In the caudal third of the rat's tongue, keratin 20 immunoreactivity was restricted to taste buds, whereas keratins 7, 8, 18, and 19 were expressed in vallate and foliate taste buds and in cells of salivary ducts that merge with these taste epithelia. Hence, antibodies against keratin 20 most clearly distinguished differentiated taste cells from all other cells. In rat epiglottis, taste buds and isolated bipolar cells were keratin-20-positive. In rat nasopalatine papilla and palate, antibodies against keratin 20 identified Merkel cells, none of which was near to the keratin-20-negative taste buds. Nor were Merkel cells present at epiglottal taste buds or the keratin-20-negative fungiform taste buds or elsewhere in rat tongue. Hence, Merkel cells make no contribution to rat fungiform, epiglottal, nasopalatine, or palatal taste buds. Human and rat keratin-20-positive tissues are reported to be endodermal derivatives with the exception of Merkel cells and luminal urothelial cells. In rats the distribution of keratin-20-positive taste buds was in full agreement with the classical view that the posterior third of the tongue is derived from endoderm (keratin-20-positive taste buds), whereas the anterior two-thirds of the tongue is derived from stomadeal ectoderm (keratin-20-negative taste buds). The equally intense keratin 20 immunoreactivity of human fungiform and vallate taste buds violates this traditional rostro-caudal segregation and suggests that endodermally derived tissues may be present in the tip of the human tongue.

Keratin 18 is associated with a subset of older taste cells in the rat

All or nearly all intragemmal (elongated) cells of rat taste buds were immunopositive for keratins 7, 8, and 19. In contrast, keratin 18 was detected in 19 +/- 5 cells per taste bud (mean +/- sd), or about 25% of the intragemmal cells. During taste bud development keratins 7, 8, and 19 were evident initially in polygonal cells and later in elongated taste cells. Keratin 8 appeared in vallate taste cells at P0 (postnatal day 0), followed by keratins 7 and 19 at P1, and keratin 18 at P2-P3. Keratin 18 was always limited to elongated cells. The assemblage of elongated taste cells comprising a taste bud began with a single elongated cell, rather than with the synchronous elongation of a cluster of cells. Developmental errors were observed at P2-P3, e.g., some vallate taste cells had a misoriented axis. In order to study the pace of keratin differentiation during cell turnover we injected bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) into adult rats to monitor taste cell age. Keratin-19-positive intragemmal cells differentiated within 1 day. In contrast, keratin 18 was first detected in cells aged 3 days. Hence, both in taste cell development and replacement, keratin 18 was restricted to the older cells; it was the last taste cell keratin to become expressed during differentiation.

Keratins as markers of differentiated taste cells of the rat

Cytokeratins in taste buds were immunocytochemically evaluated with monoclonal antibodies. In each of six different epithelial sites in the rat oral cavity, intragemmal cells of taste buds were immunoreactive for keratin polypeptides 8, 18, and 19, as well as for keratin 7, which has not been previously reported in taste buds. Keratin-18-like immunoreactivity was present in fewer than half of the intragemmal cells, whereas all intragemmal cells were immunopositive for keratins 7, 8, and 19. Apart from some salivary duct cells, no other cells in the tongue were immunoreactive for any of these four keratins. Morphological and immunocytochemical profiles indicate that taste buds are islets of simple epithelium embedded in an expanse of stratified squamous epithelium. These simple epithelial cells and their keratins are nerve-dependent, since denervation eliminated all four keratins and replaced elongated taste cells of the vallate papilla with stratified squamous epithelium. We conclude that antibodies against keratins 7, 8, or 19 are useful markers for intragemmal cells in studies of taste bud development, degeneration, regeneration, turnover and tissue culture.