Immunoelectron microscopic studies on protein gene product 9.5 and calcitonin gene-related peptide in vallate taste cells and related nerves in the guinea pig.
On the basis of our previous report that protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5)-immunoreactive nerve fibers and taste cells and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-immunoreactive nerve fibers are found in guinea pig vallate papillae [Huang and Lu (1996b) Arch. Histol. Cytol. 59:433-441]. We speculated that PGP 9.5 might be a marker for taste receptor cells and that CGRP might play an important role in taste transmission. We, therefore, performed an immunohistochemical and ultrastructural analysis of taste cells and related nerves in guinea pig vallate papillae. In the connective tissue of the vallate papilla, the ultrastructural data revealed that the PGP 9.5-immunoreactive nerve fibers were both myelinated and unmyelinated. The CGRP-immunoreactive nerve fibers were unmyelinated and surrounded by the cytoplasm of Schwann cells as were the non-immunoreactive fibers. In the vallate taste buds, only type III cells, which make synaptic contacts with intragemmal nerves, were PGP 9.5-immunoreactive, while the nerve terminals making synaptic contact with the underlying type III cells were CGRP-immunoreactive. From these observations, we conclude that: (1) PGP 9.5 might be a useful specific marker for type III cells in guinea pig vallate taste buds; and (2) CGRP-containing nerve fibers might be primarily involved in the neural transmission of taste stimuli.
Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. yhuang@kmu.edu.tw
Yi-Jen
YJ
Huang
Yu-Hung
YH
Wu
Kuo-Shyan
KS
Lu
D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013650:Taste Buds / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014059:Tongue / Q000294:innervation
D015415:Biomarkers; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide