Development of Taste Buds on the Mammalian Tongue

Taste buds on the mammalian tongue are confined to the epithelium of three types of gustatory papillae: the fungiform(FF), circumvallate(CV), and foliate(FL) . Because taste bud cells are periodically renewed, the morphogenesis, number and function of taste buds are changing with the age. Gustatory papillae are unique in the tongue in their ability to support the formation and to maintain taste buds. Evidence showed that the taste papillae play a major role in determining the number, location and size of taste buds, as well as their maintenance. Although several factors (signaling molecules, gustatory nerve fibers, etc. ) have many affinities with the development of the papillae and taste buds, the specific mechanism that regulate initiation, growth, and maintenance of the papillae and taste buds are still not clear yet.