Synaptic transmission and neuromodulation in peripheral taste organs
1992
Roper, S.D.
The neurotransmitters between taste cells and sensory axons are unknown, though acetylcholine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and others have been proposed. Recent data indicate that in addition to synapses between receptor cells and sensory axons, there are electrical and chemical synapses between cells within the taste bud, suggesting that lateral interactions and information processing take place in the peripheral organs of taste. We have been using immunocytochemical techniques to identify putative transmitters in a representative vertebrate, Necturus maculosus. This animal has taste buds that resemble those in other vertebrates, including mammals. Our data indicate that glutamate, gamma-amino butyric acid, and neuropeptides (substance P, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and calcitonin-gene related peptide), or compounds closely related to these substances, are found in axons that innervate taste buds in this species. We and others also have identified serotonin and cholecystokinin, or closely related substances, in Merkel-like basal cells of the taste bud. These transmitter substances may act as conventional neurotransmitters or as modulators of synaptic transmission in peripheral taste organs, a role that might complement their known central effects in controlling food intake.
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